Portal:Syria

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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On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a major offensive by opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Southern Operations Room (SOR), and supported mainly by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army as part of the Syrian civil war that began with the Syrian revolution in 2011. The capture of Syria's capital, Damascus, marked the end of the Assad family's rule, which had governed Syria as a hereditary totalitarian dictatorship since Hafez al-Assad assumed power in 1971 after a successful coup d'état.

As the SOR advanced towards Damascus, reports emerged that Bashar al-Assad had fled the capital aboard a plane to Russia, where he joined his family, already in exile, and was granted asylum. Following his departure, opposition forces declared victory on state television. Concurrently, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Assad's resignation and departure from Syria. (Full article...)

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Fruit market in Hama

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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?

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Ghadah Al-Samman (Arabic: غادة السمّان; born 1942) is a Syrian writer, journalist and novelist born in Damascus in 1942 to a prominent and conservative Damascene family. Her father was Ahmed Al-Samman, a president of the University of Damascus. She is distantly related to poet Nizar Qabbani, and was deeply influenced by him after her mother died at a very young age. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Israeli 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 2Syrian artillery crew during Yom Kippur War against Israel (from History of Syria)
Image 3The Ancient city of Apamea, Syria, one of Syria's most important commercial centres in Hellenistic times (from History of Syria)
Image 4Syrian army column in Lebanon (from History of Syria)
Image 5Citadel of Aleppo (from History of Syria)
Image 6Former flag of Syria (1932–58), now used by the Syrian opposition and Free Syrian militias (from History of Syria)
Image 7The Church of Saint Simeon Stylites near Aleppo (from History of Syria)
Image 8The States of the French Mandate (from History of Syria)
Image 9Russian planes bombing positions of the Assad's enemies. (from History of Syria)
Image 10The world's first alphabet from the ancient city-state of Ugarit, northern Syria. 15th century BCE. (from History of Syria)
Image 11Kousa mahshi (from Culture of Syria)
Image 12Nizar Qabbani's style explored themes of love, eroticism, religion, and Arab nationalism. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 13Ottoman Syria, circa 1683 (See: list of territories) (from History of Syria)
Image 14Map marking boundary between British and French territory (from History of Syria)
Image 15Opposition demonstration in Baniyas, 29 April 2011 (from History of Syria)
Image 16President Adib Shishakli (from History of Syria)
Image 17The 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 18Parts of Syria and neighbouring countries formed a part of the Roman Empire (from History of Syria)
Image 19Palmyra, one of Roman Syria's most prospering cities (from History of Syria)
Image 20The inauguration of President Hashim al-Atassi in 1936 (from History of Syria)
Image 21Stuck and abandoned tank of the Assad's forces on the road to Damascus, December. (from History of Syria)
Image 22Children killed by the Assad regime in the Ghouta chemical attack, the deadliest chemical weapons attack in the 21st century (from History of Syria)
Image 23The 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 24A group of Syrian musicians from Aleppo (from Music of Syria)
Image 25The ancient city of Ugarit (from History of Syria)
Image 26Philip the Arab, Roman Emperor (from History of Syria)
Image 27Fattoush, an example of Syrian cuisine (from Culture of Syria)
Image 28Syrian government forces tank. (from History of Syria)
Image 29Azm Palace, 18th century residence of Ottoman governor of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 30Killing 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 31Umayyad Mosque (from History of Syria)
Image 32Al-Fayhaa Sports Complex (from Culture of Syria)
Image 33Syrian opposition offensives that overthrew Assad's regime in 11 days (from History of Syria)
Image 34Empress Julia Domna (from History of Syria)
Image 35Al-Fayhaa Sports Complex (from Culture of Syria)
Image 36Maktab Anbar in the Ancient City of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 37Coin of Bambyce, c. 340–332 BC (from History of Syria)
Image 38Ottoman-Syrian dress in the 19th century. (from History of Syria)
Image 39Syrian tank during October war, 1973 (from History of Syria)
Image 40Syrian 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 41Nizar Qabbani's style explored themes of love, eroticism, religion, and Arab nationalism. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 42Female figurine, Syria, 5000 BCE (from History of Syria)
Image 43Krak des Chevaliers from the South-West (from History of Syria)
Image 44Alleged 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 45Kousa mahshi (from Culture of Syria)
Image 46Landscape of Syrian mountain. (from Music of Syria)
Image 47Fattoush, an example of Syrian cuisine (from Culture of Syria)
Image 48Salah 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 49Azm Palace, 18th century residence of Ottoman governor of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 50Roman Theatre at Bosra (from History of Syria)
Image 51Maktab Anbar in the Ancient City of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)