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Syria

Suriyya, Syrian Arab Republic, Al-Jumhuriyya al-’Arabiyya as-Suriyya

Last modified: 2005-05-28 by santiago dotor
Keywords: syria | syrian arab republic | suriyya | al-jumhuriyya al-’arabiyya as-suriyya | president | stars: 2 (green) | ba’ath party | politics | arab league | league of arab states |
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[Syria] 2:3
by Željko Heimer
Flag adopted 1958-1961, readopted 1980

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Introduction

There are quite a lot of flags in Syria: not only on official buildings you always find the national flag and mostly the Ba'ath Party flag, but also on private buildings. In the Suqs there are lines with many little flags, often alternating the national flag and the Baath Party flag. However, there are certainly some regional differences: In Damascus you see a lot of flags, also in the Suq; in the second-largest city, Aleppo, there are no flags in the Suq, but there are islamic writings (for example the Shahada, as in the Saudi flag) hanging from the lines just as the little flags in the Damascus Suq; in Homs you can see the little triangular flags; in the parts along the Euphrates, for example near Der-ez-Zor, I saw some national flags without stars. However, there seem to be no regional flags or city flags.

Marcus Schmöger, 1 May 1997

Meaning of the Colours

Editor's note: see also Pan-Arab Colours for a historical explanation of the colours.

Red symbolizes the struggle and sacrifice for freedom; white signifies peace; and black stands for the dark colonial past. Source: Crampton 1985.

Jarig Bakker, 21 July 1999

Hanging Flag

[Vertical Syrian flag] 4:1
(Click on image to see full size detail)
by Marcus Schmöger

Besides the normal horizontal usage of the flag you can see it vertical as well, be it painted on the wall or hanging on a building. The vertical examples are usually quite long (proportions 3:1 up to 8:1).

Marcus Schmöger, 1 May 1997

Flag Variants

The national flag of Syria, as we know it, is shown in a lot of different variants in Syria. There are mainly four variables in this flag, in which individual flags can differ from others.

  • First variable is proportion: this should be 2:3, but you can see 1:2 as well:

    [Syrian flag variant, ratio 1:2]
    by Marcus Schmöger

  • Second variable is orientation of stars: they can point upwards (as in the FOTW picture), downwards, to the hoist or to the fly:

    [Syrian flag variant, stars pointing downwards]
    by Marcus Schmöger

    [Syrian flag variant, stars pointing to the hoist]
    by Marcus Schmöger

    [Syrian flag variant, stars pointing to the fly]
    by Marcus Schmöger

  • Third variable is size of stars: sometimes they have only the size of a third or a fifth of a stripe width:

    [Syrian flag variant, stars 1/5th stripe]
    by Marcus Schmöger

    [Syrian flag variant, stars 1/3rd stripe]
    by Marcus Schmöger

  • Fourth variable is location of stars: above they are spaced one third of the flag length from each other, but you can see them spaced a half of the flag length from each other as well:

    [Syrian flag variant, stars overspaced]
    by Marcus Schmöger

  • Furthermore I also saw flags without stars:

    [Syrian flag variant, no stars]
    by Marcus Schmöger

Marcus Schmöger, 1 May 1997

As a Syrian, please allow me to make a correction. The variation of the flag without the two stars does not exist; this would be the flag of Yemen.

Moaz Marouf, 10 October 2000

Presidential Flag

The presidental flag of Syria is a 1:1 version of the state flag. Source: Pedersen 1973.

Marcus Wendel, 15 September 1999