Portal:Syria

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The Syria Portal

Flag of Syria	Emblem of Syria

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north and northwest, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. It is a republic under a provisional government and comprises 14 governorates. Damascus is the capital and largest city. With a population of 26 million across an area of 185,180 square kilometres (71,500 sq mi), it is the 56th-most populous and 87th-largest country.

Following the Arab Spring in 2011, Syria became embroiled in a multi-sided civil war with the involvement of several countries, leading to a refugee crisis in which more than 6 million refugees were displaced from the country. In response to rapid territorial gains made by the Islamic State during the civil war in 2014 and 2015, several countries intervened on behalf of various factions opposing it, leading to its territorial defeat in 2017 in both central and eastern Syria. Thereafter, three political entities—the Syrian Interim Government, Syrian Salvation Government, and the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria—emerged in Syrian territory to challenge Assad's rule. In late 2024, a series of offensives from a coalition of opposition forces led to the capture of Damascus and the fall of Assad's regime. By 2025, the war had left Syria's economy in a poor state, following years of international sanctions that were later eased. (Full article...)

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The Syrian Revolution Victory Conference, officially titled the Conference for Announcing the Victory of the Syrian Revolution (Arabic: مؤتمر إعلان انتصار الثورة السورية), was held at the People's Palace, Damascus, Syria, on 29 January 2025. It was attended by the commanders of various armed revolutionary factions that fought for the Syrian opposition coalition against the deposed regime of Bashar al-Assad, with the exception of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Southern Operations Room, and groups from Suwayda. It was organized by the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham-led Syrian caretaker government under de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The meeting praised the successful Syrian Revolution which resulted in the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024. In the conference, Military Operations Command spokesman Hassan Abdul Ghani announced that al-Sharaa had been appointed the president of Syria for the transitional period and laid out the new government's priorities, most of which involved eliminating traces of the deposed Ba'athist regime and rebuilding Syrian institutions. After appointing al-Sharaa as president, he received congratulations from leaders of many countries. (Full article...)

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Maaloula landscape

Did you know...

… that Syria is one of the world's oldest civilizations, dating from the Palaeolithic era (c. 800,000 BCE)
… that Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire for approximately 400 years.
… that Syria's name comes from an ancient kingdom called Assyria.
… that the Syrian cities of Damascus and Aleppo are some of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
… that the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives led to the fall of the Assad regime after more than two decades in power?

Selected biography -

The al-Atrash (Arabic: الأطرش‎ al-Aṭrash), also known as Bani al-Atrash, is a Druze clan based in Jabal Hauran in southwestern Syria. The family's name al-atrash is Arabic for "the deaf" and derives from one the family's deaf patriarchs. The al-Atrash clan migrated to Jabal Hauran in the early 19th century, and under the leadership of their sheikh (chieftain) Ismail al-Atrash became the paramount ruling Druze family of Jabal Hauran in the mid-19th century, taking over from Al Hamdan. Through his battlefield reputation and his political intrigues with other Druze clans, Bedouin tribes, Ottoman authorities and European consuls, Ismail consolidated al-Atrash power. By the early 1880s, the family controlled eighteen villages, chief among which were as-Suwayda, Salkhad, al-Qurayya, 'Ira and Urman.

Ismail was succeeded by his eldest son Ibrahim and following the latter's death, by Ismail's other son Shibli. Al-Atrash sheikhs led the Druze in numerous revolts against the Ottomans, including the 1910 Hauran revolt. One of its sheikhs, Sultan Pasha al-Atrash, was the chief leader of the Great Syrian Revolt against French rule in Syria in 1925–1927. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Syria-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Kousa mahshi (from Culture of Syria)
Image 2Citadel of Aleppo (from History of Syria)
Image 3Palmyra, one of Roman Syria's most prospering cities (from History of Syria)
Image 4Alleged Syrian nuclear reactor site destroyed in air strikes by Israeli Air Force during Operation Outside the Box. (Photo from video released by the US government) (from History of Syria)
Image 5The ancient city of Ugarit (from History of Syria)
Image 6The Ancient city of Apamea, Syria, one of Syria's most important commercial centres in Hellenistic times (from History of Syria)
Image 7Stuck and abandoned tank of the Assad's forces on the road to Damascus, December. (from History of Syria)
Image 8Maktab Anbar in the Ancient City of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 9Umayyad Mosque (from History of Syria)
Image 10Russian planes bombing positions of the Assad's enemies. (from History of Syria)
Image 11Syrian army column in Lebanon (from History of Syria)
Image 12A group of Syrian musicians from Aleppo (from Music of Syria)
Image 13Philip the Arab, Roman Emperor (from History of Syria)
Image 14Israeli tanks advancing on Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. Then Defence Minister Hafez al-Assad was widely blamed for the failure of Syrian military, intensifying his rivalry with Jadid (from History of Syria)
Image 15Syrian opposition offensives that overthrew Assad's regime in 11 days (from History of Syria)
Image 16Map marking boundary between British and French territory (from History of Syria)
Image 17Killing of Rafic Hariri triggered a massive Intifada against Syrian occupation of Lebanon in 2005, which led to the withdrawal of Syrian military forces after global backlash (from History of Syria)
Image 18Syrian government forces tank. (from History of Syria)
Image 19Landscape of Syrian mountain. (from Music of Syria)
Image 20Coin of Bambyce, c. 340–332 BC (from History of Syria)
Image 21Al-Fayhaa Sports Complex (from Culture of Syria)
Image 22Empress Julia Domna (from History of Syria)
Image 23Al-Fayhaa Sports Complex (from Culture of Syria)
Image 24Maktab Anbar in the Ancient City of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 25The Roman Theatre at Bosra, one of Syria's best preserved monuments from Roman times. Syria's long and rich history plays a huge part in its culture. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 26Syrian tank during October war, 1973 (from History of Syria)
Image 27President Adib Shishakli (from History of Syria)
Image 28Azm Palace, 18th century residence of Ottoman governor of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 29Azm Palace, 18th century residence of Ottoman governor of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 30Nizar Qabbani's style explored themes of love, eroticism, religion, and Arab nationalism. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 31Ottoman-Syrian dress in the 19th century. (from History of Syria)
Image 32Salah Jadid (right) alongside Ba'ath party founder Michel Aflaq (left) shortly after the 1963 coup. Neo-Ba'athist Military Committee led by Jadid and Hafez al-Assad later overthrew the National Command in another coup in 1966, leading to a schism within Baathist movement (from History of Syria)
Image 33Syrian artillery crew during Yom Kippur War against Israel (from History of Syria)
Image 34The inauguration of President Hashim al-Atassi in 1936 (from History of Syria)
Image 35Children killed by the Assad regime in the Ghouta chemical attack, the deadliest chemical weapons attack in the 21st century (from History of Syria)
Image 36The Church of Saint Simeon Stylites near Aleppo (from History of Syria)
Image 37The Roman Theatre at Bosra, one of Syria's best preserved monuments from Roman times. Syria's long and rich history plays a huge part in its culture. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 38Roman Theatre at Bosra (from History of Syria)
Image 39Opposition demonstration in Baniyas, 29 April 2011 (from History of Syria)
Image 40Female figurine, Syria, 5000 BCE (from History of Syria)
Image 41Fattoush, an example of Syrian cuisine (from Culture of Syria)
Image 42The world's first alphabet from the ancient city-state of Ugarit, northern Syria. 15th century BCE. (from History of Syria)
Image 43Former flag of Syria (1932–58), now used by the Syrian opposition and Free Syrian militias (from History of Syria)
Image 44Krak des Chevaliers from the South-West (from History of Syria)
Image 45Fattoush, an example of Syrian cuisine (from Culture of Syria)
Image 46Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (left) with European Council President António Costa at the Arab League summit on Gaza, in Cairo, 3 March 2025 (from History of Syria)
Image 47Kousa mahshi (from Culture of Syria)
Image 48Parts of Syria and neighbouring countries formed a part of the Roman Empire (from History of Syria)
Image 49From 1831 until 1841, Syria was governed by Egypt under Muhammad Ali (from History of Syria)
Image 50Nizar Qabbani's style explored themes of love, eroticism, religion, and Arab nationalism. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 51The States of the French Mandate (from History of Syria)
Image 52Ottoman Syria, circa 1683 (See: list of territories) (from History of Syria)

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