View source for Flag of Syria

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{{Redirect|Syrian flag|a list of flags used by Syria throughout its history|List of Syrian flags}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name = Syrian Arab Republic<!--Use the state's title-->
| Image = Flag of Syria (2025-).svg
| Image_size = 
| Nickname = Revolution flag<!--This is not the independence flag, but is similar to it-->{{efn|Not to be confused with the Independence flag, which has a 1:2 ratio and smaller stars placed more equally.}}
| Use = [[Civil flag|Civil]] and [[state flag|state]] flag
| Symbol = {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Equal}} {{FIAV|110000}}<!--Do not change this unless a reliable source is provided-->
| Proportion = 2:3
| Adoption = {{Start date and age|2011}}<!--Not created in 1930--> (first use by the [[Syrian opposition]])<br/>{{Start date and age|8 December 2024}} (First use by the [[Syrian caretaker government]], ''de facto'')<br/>{{Start date and age|13 March 2025}}<!--Do not add "de jure" as it is confusing and considered original research. Aditionally, adding it makes it seem like it is no longer in use but still by law.-->
<!--Notice that the red national flags before had 1:2 ratio-->| Design = A horizontal [[tricolour (flag)|tricolour]] of green, white, and black; charged with three red five-pointed [[Star polygon|stars]] at the centre.
| Image2 = Flag of Syria (5-3 or 3-5).svg
| Use2 = 010000
| Symbol2 = {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Equal}} {{FIAV|010000}}<!--Do not change this unless a reliable source is provided-->
| Proportion2 = 3:5 or similar
| Design2 = A horizontal [[tricolour (flag)|tricolour]] of green, white, and black; charged with three red five-pointed [[Star polygon|stars]] at the centre.
| Image3 = Flag of Syria (2025-) (stars variant).svg
| Use3 = 010000
| Symbol3 = {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Equal}} {{FIAV|010000}}<!--Do not change this unless a reliable source is provided-->
| Proportion3 = 2:3 or similar
| Design3 = A horizontal [[tricolour (flag)|tricolour]] of green, white, and black; charged with three red five-pointed [[Star polygon|stars]] at the centre.
| Nickname3 = The Revolution flag, with smaller stars, seen in the [[People's Palace of Syria]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-13 |title=President al-Sharaa to CBS News: Reconstruction Could Cost Up to $900 Billion - Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) |url=https://sana.sy/en/politics/2272265/ |access-date=2025-11-16 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-11 |title=President al-Shara meets members of the committee assigned to investigate recent events in Syrian Coast - Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) |url=https://sana.sy/en/local/349260/ |access-date=2025-11-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>
}}

Since gaining full independence from France in 1946, [[Syria]] has used a number of different flags, all featuring the [[pan-Arab colours|pan-Arab colors]] of green, black, white, and red. Initially a green, white and black triband charged with three red five-pointed stars, known as the independence flag, was used. In [[Ba'athist Syria]], this was replaced by the [[flag of the United Arab Republic]] with red, white and black tribands with either two or three green stars or charged with the national coat of arms. Following the [[fall of the Assad regime]] on 8 December 2024, the revolution flag, a modified version of the independence flag, began to be used within the country<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 December 2024 |title=Syrian rebels raise new flag, symbolising freedom after Assad's rule comes to an end |url=https://www.news9live.com/world/syrian-rebels-raise-new-flag-symbolising-freedom-after-assads-rule-comes-to-an-end-2769238 |access-date=8 December 2024 |website=News9live |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=8 December 2024 |title=Syrians wave revolutionary flag to celebrate end of Assad family's rule |url=https://www.business-standard.com/external-affairs-defence-security/news/syrians-wave-revolutionary-flag-to-celebrate-end-of-assad-family-s-rule-124120800497_1.html|work=Business Standard |location= |access-date=9 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Haq |first=Sana Noor |date=8 December 2024 |title=In a country splintered by civil war, could Syria's rebels usher in a new dawn? |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/08/middleeast/civil-war-syria-rebels-assad-intl/index.html |access-date=8 December 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> by the [[Syrian parliament]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/Syrian.Peoples.Assembly|title=مجلس الشعب السوري (الصفحة الرسمية) |language=Arabic |trans-title=Syrian People's Council (official page) |website=[[Facebook]] |publisher= |access-date=11 December 2024 |quote=}}{{User-generated source|date=December 2024}}</ref> and the Syrian caretaker government,<ref>{{cite news |date=10 December 2024 |title=Syria crisis: Mohamed al-Bashir appointed caretaker Syrian PM for transitional government until March |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/syria-crisis-mohamed-al-bashir-appointed-caretaker-syrian-pm-for-transitional-government-until-march/videoshow/116183315.cms?from=mdr|work=[[The Economic Times]] |location= |access-date=11 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://pministry.gov.sy/ | title=Syrian Arabic Republic - Presidency of the Council | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250315040826/https://pministry.gov.sy/ | archive-date=2025-03-15}}</ref> and at Syrian embassies abroad.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keN6aQbwRlE |title=Syria's Embassies In Turkey, Greece, And Russia Replace Ba'ath Flag With Syrian Revolution Flag |date=8 December 2024 |last=Forbes Breaking News |access-date=8 December 2024 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=8 December 2024 |title=End of Bashar al-Assad's Era: Syrian flag removed from consulate in Turkey |url=https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/08-Dec-2024/end-of-bashar-al-assads-era-syrian-flag-removed-from-consulate-in-turkey |access-date=8 December 2024 |website=Daily Pakistan English News |language=}}</ref><ref name=AlArabiya>{{cite news |date=9 December 2024 |title=Syrian opposition flag flies over embassy building in Moscow |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2024/12/09/syrian-opposition-flag-installed-on-embassy-building-in-russia- |work=Al Arabiya English |location= |access-date=10 December 2024}}</ref> On 13 March 2025, an [[2025 Interim Constitution of Syria|interim constitution]] made the independence flag the primary flag.<ref name="Flag specification">{{Cite web |title=North Press Obtains Draft Articles of Syria's Constitution Draft |url=https://syrianobserver.com/syrian-actors/north-press-obtains-draft-of-syrias-constitutional-declaration.html |website=The Syrian Observer|date=12 March 2025 }}</ref> However, the final text ultimately retained the revolution flag.<ref name=":1">{{cite web | url=https://kassioun.org/news/item/82565-2025 | title=النص الكامل للإعلان الدستوري السوري (13 آذار 2025) | date=13 March 2025 }}</ref>

== Design ==

=== Specifications ===
Article 6 of the [[2025 Interim Constitution of Syria|interim constitution]] defines the flag of Syria.

"The Syrian flag shall have the following form:

The flag shall be a rectangle with a length equal to one and a half times its width.

It shall consist of three equal horizontal stripes: green on top, white in the middle, and black on the bottom.

The middle of the flag, within the white stripe, shall feature three red stars."<ref>{{Cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318030710/https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/2025.03.13%20-%20Constitutional%20declaration%20%28English%29.pdf | archive-date= 18 March 2025| title=Constitutional Declaration of the Syrian Arab Republic | url=https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/2025.03.13%20-%20Constitutional%20declaration%20%28English%29.pdf | website=constitutionnet.org | date=2025-03-13}}</ref>
=== Color scheme ===
==== Approximations ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!
! style="background:#CE1126FF; width:200px" | <span style="color:white;">Red</span>
! style="background:#FFFFFF; width:200px" | <span style="color:black;">White</span>
! style="background:#007A3DFF; width:200px" | <span style="color:white;">Green</span>
! style="background:#000000FF; width:200px" | <span style="color:white;">Black</span>
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" | '''[[RGB color model|RGB]]'''
| <code>206/17/38</code> || <code>255/255/255</code> || <code>0/122/61</code> || <code>0/0/0</code>
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" | '''[[Hexadecimal]]'''
| <code>#CE1126</code>
|<code>#FFFFFF</code> || <code>#007A3D</code> || <code>#000000</code>
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" |'''[[CMYK color model|CMYK]]'''
| <code>12/100/98/3</code> || <code>0/0/0/0</code> || <code>89/27/100/15</code> || <code>75/68/67/90</code>
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" | '''[[Pantone]]'''
|186 C|| White || 7726 C || Black
|-
|style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right"| Valid for
| colspan="4" |[[File:Flag of Kingdom of Syria (1920-03-08 to 1920-07-24).svg|120x120px]] [[File:Flag of Syria (1932-1958; 1961-1963).svg|120x120px]] [[File:Flag of Syria (1963-1972, 1-2).svg|120x120px]] [[File:Flag of the United Arab Republic (1958–1971), Flag of Syria (1980–2024).svg|88px]] [[File:Flag of Syria (2025-).svg|88px]] [[File:Flag of Syria (5-3 or 3-5).svg|96x96px]] [[ File:Standard of the President of Syria (1941–1958, 1961–1963, 2025–present).svg|58px ]]
|-
|style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right"|Source
| colspan="4" |<ref>{{cite web |title=Syria flag color codes |url=https://www.flagcolorcodes.com/syria |access-date=22 October 2024 |website=Flag Color Codes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Syria Flag Color Codes |url=https://encycolorpedia.com/flags/syria |access-date=22 October 2024 |website=Encycolorpedia |archive-date=8 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208113017/https://encycolorpedia.com/flags/syria |url-status=dead }}</ref> {{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=December 2024}}
|}

== Historic flags of Syria ==
=== Kingdom of Syria (1920) ===
{{See also|Arab Kingdom of Syria}}
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 150
| footer            = 
| image1            = Flag of Kingdom of Syria (1920-03-08 to 1920-07-24).svg
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = Flag of the [[Arab Kingdom of Syria]] in 1920
| image2            = Flag of Syria French mandate.svg
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = Flag of the [[Syrian Federation]] (1922–1925) and the [[State of Syria (1925–1930)|State of Syria]] (1925–1930)
}}
The [[Flags of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman flag]] had been used in Syria until the Ottomans left the country on 18 September 1918. In 1918, the official flag of Syria was the Faysal flag, or [[Flag of the Arab Revolt]], the flag of the 1916–1918 [[Arab Revolt]] against the Ottomans. It was officially adopted by the [[Hashemite]] family on 30 September 1918 and remained in use until 8 March 1920. This was the first flag to use the green/red/white/black combination seen in most subsequent Syrian flags. The colors' symbolism has been described as follows: white for the Damascene [[Umayyad]] period, green for the [[Caliph Ali]], red for the [[Khawarij]] radical Islamic movement, and black for the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]], showing the "political use of religion" in opposition to the increasingly secularized Turkish colonial rule.<ref name=":0">{{Cite thesis |last=Sergie |first=Lina |title=Recollecting history : songs, flags and a Syrian square |date=2003 |degree= |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |url=https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/70372 |hdl=1721.1/70372}}</ref> Alternately, it has been argued that the horizontal colors stand for the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid]] (black), Umayyad (white) and [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]] (green) [[Caliphates]] and the red triangle to the [[Hashemite]] dynasty.<ref>Edmund Midura, [https://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/197802/flags.of.the.arab.world.htm "Flags of the Arab World"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205000206/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/197802/flags.of.the.arab.world.htm |date=5 December 2014 }}, in ''Saudi Aramco World'', March/April 1978, pages 4–9</ref><ref>Mahdi Abdul-Hadi, [http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/meaning_of_flag.htm "Palestine Facts: The Meaning of the Flag"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222200644/http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/meaning_of_flag.htm |date=22 December 2013}}</ref>

Under the Arab Kingdom of Syria, the Faisal flag was redesigned with a 7-pointed white star imposed on the red triangle, and was in use until 24 July 1920. [[Flag of Jordan|This flag]] was officially adopted by [[Jordan]] in April 1928.<ref name=Flag />

=== French Mandate flags (1920–1932) ===
{{See also|Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon|Syrian Federation|State of Syria}}
The Faysal flag was abandoned with the arrival of French colonials to Syria. The French High Commissioner for Syria, General [[Henri Gouraud]] adopted the new flag of the [[Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon|French Mandate of Syria]] (blue with a white crescent, see below) on 24 July 1920. The flag was based on the flag of the [[Shihab dynasty|Shebab Emirate]] used between 1697 and 1842, which stood for "the love of peace".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Cedar Tree – The Symbol of a Country |first=Roman |last=Klimeš |url=https://fiav.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ICV2525-Roman-Klimes-The-Cedar-Tree-%E2%80%93-The-Symbol-of-a-Country.pdf |year=2021 |page=4 |publisher=25th International Congress of Vexillology}}</ref> Gouraud's flag was in use until 1 September 1920, after which Syria was split into separate territories, each eventually given its own flag (see below).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://flagspot.net/flags/sy-his.html |title=Historical Flags Until 1932 (Syria) |last1=Sache |first1=Ivan |last2=Ollé |first2=Jaume |publisher=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |date=29 March 2012 |access-date=22 November 2012}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> On 22 June 1922 Gouraud established the [[Syrian Federation|Federation of Syria]], which used a green-white-green flag with a [[Flag of France|French flag]] canton. When this federation was consolidated into the [[State of Syria]] in 1925 the same flag continued to be used until the establishment of the republic on 14 May 1930.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/sy-his.html#1920|title = Historical Flags Until 1932 (Syria)}}</ref><ref name=fotw>{{cite web|url=http://flagspot.net/flags/sy-his2.html |title=Historical flags since 1932 |last1=Ipavec |first1=Eugene |last2=Martins |first2=António |last3=Heimer |first3=Željko |last4=Dotor |first4=Santiago |publisher=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |date=10 June 2011 |access-date=7 August 2012}}</ref>

=== Independence flag ===
[[File:Flag of Syria (1930–1958, 1961–1963).svg|thumb|The Independence flag, adopted in 1930. It is similar to the revolution flag.]]
{{See also|First Syrian Republic|Second Syrian Republic}}

The flag of the newly established Syrian Republic, under the French mandate was determined by the 1930 constitution. The constitution was drafted by a parliamentary committee led by nationalist leader [[Ibrahim Hananu]].{{sfn|Thompson|2000|p=52}} At first, French authorities refused to allow the constituent assembly to ratify the constitution, and [[Henri Ponsot]], the [[High Commissioner of the Levant]], dissolved the assembly on 5 February 1929. After a public uproar, French authorities rescinded their decision and decided to approve the draft with some changes.{{sfn|Schumann|2008|p=204}} On 14 May 1930, Ponsot issued decree number 3111, which approved the Syrian-drafted "Constitution of the [[First Syrian Republic|Syrian Republic]]", and which in Article IV of Part I states:

{{blockquote|"[The] Syrian flag will be as follows: length double width, and is divided into three parallel and equal colours, the highest green, white then black, that the white section contains in a straight line three red five-pointed stars".|Article IV, Part I, Constitution of the Syrian Republic<ref name="giannini">The 1930 Constitution is integrally reproduced in: {{cite web|url=http://www.dircost.unito.it/cs/docs/Siria%20franc.htm|title=Le costituzioni degli stati del vicino oriente|last=Giannini|first=A.|year=1931|publisher=Istituto per l'Oriente|language=fr|access-date=31 March 2012}}</ref>}}

The flag's green colour stood for the [[Rashidun Caliphate|Rashidun]], white represented the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyads]] and black symbolised the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasids]]. Originally, the three red stars represented the three districts of Syria: the "states" of [[State of Aleppo|Aleppo]], [[State of Damascus|Damascus]], and [[Al-Jazira Province|Deir ez-Zor]].<ref name=":0" /> In 1936, the [[Latakia Sanjak|Sanjak of Latakia]] and [[Jabal Druze State|Jebel Druze]] were added to Syria, and the representation of the three stars was changed, with the first representing the districts of Aleppo, Damascus and Deir ez-Zor, the second Jebel Druze, and the final star representing Sanjak of Latakia.<ref name="fotw" /> The flag was used as a symbol for the desire for autonomy, for Syrians to rally around when France reneged on its agreement to leave the country, due to the outbreak of World War II.{{sfn|Lawson|2006|p=46}}<ref name=":0" /> The symbolism was as follows: black for the dark oppressed past, white for a promising future and red for the blood to be sacrificed to move from the former to the latter.<ref name=":0" /> The flag was adopted when Syria gained its independence on 17 April 1946.<ref name="Flag" /> The standard was used until the creation of the [[United Arab Republic]], a state union of Syria and [[Egypt]], in 1958. After the collapse of the United Arab Republic, Syria continued to use the UAR's flag until 28 September 1961, when the independence flag was restored to disassociate Syria from the former failed union.<ref name="Flag" />

=== United Arab Republic and Ba'athist Syria ===
{{See also|Ba'athist Syria|Pan-Arab colors}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name = Ba'athist Syria
| Article = 
| Image = Flag of the United Arab Republic.svg
| Image_size = 
| Nickname = Flag of the United Arab Republic<br>(1958–1971)<br>Flag of the Syrian Arab Republic<br>(1980–2024)
| Use = 111111
| Symbol = {{FIAV|historical}}
| Proportion = 2:3
| Adoption = {{Start date and age|1958|2|22|df=y}} (first used the United Arab Republic)<br>{{Start date and age|1980|3|30|df=y}} (by Syrian Arab Republic)<ref name=Ipavec>{{cite web|url=http://flagspot.net/flags/sy.html |title=Syria |last=Ipavec |first=Eugene |date=17 March 2012 |publisher = [[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date=7 August 2012}}</ref>
| Relinquished = {{Start date and age|1961|9|28|df=y}} (Syrian withdrawal from UAR)<br>{{Start date and age|2024|12|8|df=y}}
| Design = A horizontal [[tricolour (flag)|tricolour]] of red, white, and black; charged with two green [[Star polygon|stars]] at the centre.
| Designer = 
| Type = National
| Image2 = Flag of Syria (1963-1972, 1-2).svg
| Imagetext2 = Original three star Ba'athist Syrian flag.
| Nickname2 = Early Ba'athist Flag
| Adoption2 = {{Start date and age|1963|3|8|df=y}}
| Relinquished2 = {{Start date and age|1972}}
| Designer2 = 
}}
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 150
| footer            = 
| image1            = Flag of the United Arab Republic (1958–1971), Flag of Syria (1980–2024).svg
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = Flag of Syria between 1958 and 1961 (as part of the [[United Arab Republic|UAR]]) and during the [[Ba'athist Syria|Ba'athist]] rule between 1980 until [[fall of the Assad regime|2024]]
| image2            = Flag of Syria (1963-1972, 1-2).svg
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = Flag of Syria between 1963 and 1972
| image3            = Flag of the Federation of Arab Republics (1972–1977).svg
| alt3              = 
| caption3          = Flag of Syria between 1972 and 1980 (as part of the [[Federation of Arab Republics|FAR]] between 1972 and 1977)
| caption4          = 
| align             = left
}}

;United Arab Republic
{{main|Flag of the United Arab Republic}}

Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the [[United Arab Republic]] (UAR). [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]], who was the [[president of Egypt]] and later president of the UAR, introduced a new flag in April 1958 to replace the previous independence flag and promote Arab unity.{{sfn|Podeh|1999|p=120}}{{sfn|Podeh|1999|p=120}} The new flag featured red, white, and black horizontal bands from the [[Flag of Egypt#Republic of Egypt (1953–1958)|Egyptian revolutionary flag]], with two green stars representing Egypt and Syria.<ref name=Mills>{{cite web |url=http://flagspot.net/flags/arabcol.html |title=Pan-Arab Colours |last=Mills |first=T. F. |publisher=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |date=10 March 2012 |access-date=24 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113021805/http://flagspot.net/flags/arabcol.html |archive-date=13 November 2012 }}</ref> It was based on the [[Arab Liberation Flag]] of the [[1952 Egyptian revolution|Egyptian Revolution of 1952]], which used four [[Pan-Arab colors|pan-Arab colours]]—black, green, white, and red—representing the Abbasid, Fatimid, Umayyad, and Hashemite dynasties. However, the new UAR flag had two stars to represent the two parts of the UAR.<ref name="cts">{{cite web|url=http://www.cometosyria.com/en/pages/National+Symbols+syria/2/1 |title= Come to Syria {{!}} Syrian flag {{!}} National Anthem of Syria {{!}} Facts about Syria |website= Cometosyria.com, Syria guide – Come to Syria}}</ref>
;Ba'athist Syria
Following the [[1963 Syrian coup d'état|1963 Ba'athist coup d'état]],{{sfn|King|2009|p=41}} a new flag was adopted by its [[National Council for the Revolutionary Command|Revolutionary Command Council]] on 8 March 1963, and was used until 1 January 1972.<ref name=Flag /> In February 1963, the Ba'athist regime came to power in [[Ba'athist Iraq|Iraq]] as well, and the two Ba'athist governments began negotiations in Cairo in order to once again form a union between Egypt, Syria and Iraq. The process failed after the Iraqi Ba'athist government was overthrown in November 1963 but both Syria and Iraq did adopt a new flag to represent the union.{{sfn|Goodarzi|2006|p=14}} This flag was not much different from the flag of the UAR, with only a change from two stars to three, in order to represent the addition of Iraq to the Federation.<ref name=Flag /> The three stars represented the unity of Egypt, Syria and Iraq, as well as three pillars of Ba'athism: unity, freedom, and socialism.<ref name=Discover>{{cite web |url=http://www.discover-syria.com/bank/6137 |script-title=ar:العلم السوري |publisher=Discover Syria |language=ar |access-date=7 September 2012 |title=Discover Syria |archive-date=15 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915204114/http://www.discover-syria.com/bank/6137 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

President [[Hafez al-Assad]] adopted a new flag on 1 January 1972, as Syria joined Egypt and [[Libya]] in the [[Federation of Arab Republics]]. The green stars were replaced by the [[Hawk of Quraish]] (the symbol of the tribe of Muhammad).<ref name=":0" /> The eagle held the ribbon with the name of the Federation, but unlike Egypt and Libya, Syria did not include its name on the coat of arms.<ref name=fotw /> This flag was an official flag during the [[Yom Kippur War]] in 1973.<ref name=Flag /> The Federation was dissolved in 1977, but Syria continued to use the flag for the next three years.<ref name=fotw /> The flag was abrogated on 29 March 1980,<ref name=Flag /> and replaced by the two-star flag<ref name=Discover /> in order to show Syria's commitment to Arab unity.<ref name="Flag" />

The [[national flag]] of [[Ba'athist Syria]] used between 1980 until 2024 was first adopted in 1958 when Syria was part of the [[United Arab Republic]], and was used until 1961. Since its first adoption, variations of the red-white-black flag have been used in various Arab Unions of Syria with [[Egypt]], [[Libya]], [[Sudan]], [[Yemen]], and [[Iraq]]. Although Syria is not part of any Arab state union, the flag of the United Arab Republic was readopted to show Syria's commitment to Arab unity.<ref name=Flag>{{cite web |url=http://www.syrianhistory.com/syrian-flag |title=Syrian Flag |publisher=History of Syria |access-date=7 August 2012 |archive-date=20 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110420134815/http://www.syrianhistory.com/syrian-flag |url-status=dead }}</ref> The usage of the flag has become disputed because it is often associated with the [[Ba'ath Party]] and has come to represent parties loyal to [[Bashar al-Assad]]'s government in the [[Syrian civil war]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/08/06/capture_the_flag |title= Capture the Flag |first= Sami |last= Moubayed |publisher= Foreign Policy |date= 6 August 2012 |access-date= 8 October 2014 |archive-date= 13 October 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141013140112/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/08/06/capture_the_flag |url-status= dead }}</ref> Since the [[Syrian revolution]] and subsequent [[fall of the Assad regime]] in 2024, the flag is no longer in use but [[Neo-Ba'athism|loyalists]] of the deposed Assad regime continue to use the Ba'athist Syrian flag in [[Western Syria clashes (December 2024–present)|parts of Western Syria]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/world/middleeast/syria-government-arrests-human-rights.html | title=Syria's New Government Steps up Pursuit of Assad Loyalists | work=The New York Times | last1=Rasgon | first1=Adam | date=28 December 2024 }}</ref>

The Ba'athist Syrian flag is described in Article 6 of the [[Constitution of Syria]]. The first paragraph of the Article states:

{{Blockquote|The flag of the Syrian Arab Republic consists of four colours: red, white and black, with two green stars, of five angles each. The flag is rectangular, with its width measuring two-thirds of its length. It is divided into three rectangles of identical dimensions and have the same length as the flag. The upper one is red, the middle being white and the bottom one is black, with the two green stars in the middle of the white rectangle.|1st Paragraph of [[Preamble and Chapter 1 of the Syrian Constitution|Article 6]] of the Syrian Constitution<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/81771718/Qordoba-Translation-of-the-Syrian-Constitution-Modifications-15-2-2012 |title=English Translation of the Syrian Constitution |page=8 |publisher=Qordoba |date=15 February 2012 |access-date=14 November 2012}}</ref>}}

===Early creation of the revolution flag===
In 2006, Safouh Al Barazi,<ref name="Al Barazi">{{Cite web |date=23 October 2022 |title=Interview {{!}} Safouh AL BARAZI: Lifelong activist for Syrian freedom |url=https://www.syriawise.com/interview-safouh-al-barazi-lifelong-activist-for-syrian-freedom/ |access-date=25 December 2024 |website=SYRIAWISE |language=en-US}}</ref> a lifelong Syrian activist and member of a prominent family from Hama, launched a campaign in Canada advocating for the adoption of the pre-Ba'athist Syrian flag, with a few alterations. This flag, featuring green, white, and black horizontal stripes with three red stars, was similar to the one originally used by Syria following its independence from French mandate rule in 1946.  

Al Barazi's efforts<ref name="Al Barazi" /> aimed to symbolize a return to Syria's democratic roots and to unify opposition against the ruling regime. His campaign gained momentum within Syrian communities in Canada, United States (Washington<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zahran |first=Sahar |date=8 December 2024 |title=العلم الذي غُزل في واشنطن وأصبح رمزًا لدى السوريين |url=https://gate.ahram.org.eg/News/5049013.aspx }}</ref>) and internationally, contributing to the flag's resurgence as a symbol of the Syrian opposition during the civil uprising that began in 2011.

The revolution flag has since been widely adopted by various opposition groups and protesters, both within Syria and among the diaspora, representing aspirations for freedom and democratic governance. Al Barazi's early advocacy<ref>{{Cite web |title=Archived: Safouh Al Barazi to Orient Net: Syria is burning while the world is watching · كلنا شركاء |url=https://all4syria.microsyria.com/l236/ |access-date=25 December 2024 |website=all4syria.microsyria.com}}</ref> in Canada and in Washington played a significant role in reintroducing this historic emblem to the forefront of the Syrian opposition movement.

===Syrian revolution/Syrian civil war===
[[File:Rally in support of the victims of the 2015 Charlie Hebdo shootin, Paris , 11 January 2015 (4).jpg|thumb|Man with the Independence flag, [[Paris]]]]
During the [[Syrian civil war]], the [[Syrian opposition to Bashar al-Assad|Syrian opposition]], represented by the [[Syrian National Council]], then by the [[National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces]]<ref name="CBS">{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/syria-halts-homs-siege-as-arab-monitors-arrive-1.1123057 |title=Syria halts Homs siege as Arab monitors arrive |date=27 December 2011 |work=CBS News |access-date=30 August 2012}}</ref> (commonly named the Syrian National Coalition) used the independence flag first used in 1932. The flag began to be used as a universal display of the protesting opposition in late 2011.<ref name="CBS" /> The opposition wanted to distinguish themselves from the Assad regime and favoured the use of the flag used when Syria gained its independence from France. The flag was mainly used in areas controlled by the Syrian opposition. The use of the modified independence flag is similar to the Libyan rebels' use of the pre-Gaddafi red-black-green-white [[Flag of Libya|Libyan flag]] from the era of the [[Kingdom of Libya]] in opposition to [[Muammar Gaddafi]]'s [[Flag of Libya#Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (1977–2011)|green flag]].<ref name=Daraghi>{{Cite news |title=Syrian rebels raise a flag from the past |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6c332676-32f4-11e1-8e0d-00144feabdc0.html#axzz22ncw5XWm |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210221223/https://www.ft.com/content/6c332676-32f4-11e1-8e0d-00144feabdc0#axzz22ncw5XWm |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |last=Daraghi |first=Borzou |date=30 December 2011 |access-date=7 August 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Multiple image
| direction         = horizontal
| image1            = Flag of Syria (2025-) (stars variant).svg
| total_width       = 300
| image2            = Flag of Iraqi Sunni Arabs.svg
| align             = right
| caption1          = Three star Syrian flag initially revived by Sunni rebels
| caption_align     = center
| caption2          = Three star Iraqi flag used by Sunni Arab rebels in Iraq
| header            = The flag shares three stars with the flag used by the similarly politically Shia-dominated [[Iraqi Sunni Arabs]]
}}

Following the [[fall of the Assad regime]], the HTS-dominated [[Syrian caretaker government]] used the revolution flag.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 December 2024 |title=Syrians bring back independence flag with Assad's ouster |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241211-syrians-bring-back-independence-flag-with-assad-s-ouster |access-date= |website=[[France 24]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Montgomery |first=Samuel |date=9 December 2024 |title=Syrian 1930s independence flag flies again across the globe |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/12/09/rebel-assad-syrian-flag-independence-france-1930s-embassies/?msockid=1f1996df85d46cf6250a83f284a36d86 |access-date= |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> The flag was also adopted by the [[Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria]] some days later.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 December 2024 |title=Kurdish Administration Says Adopts Syria's Independence Flag |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/kurdish-administration-says-adopts-syria-s-independence-flag-371f475e |access-date= |website=[[Barron's]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The caretaker government additionally displayed a [[Islamic flag|''Tawhid'' flag]] depicting the ''[[Shahada]]'' in black on a white field at its first meeting,<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 December 2024 |title=Why a photo of Syria's interim leader could hint at trouble ahead |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/syria-interim-prime-minister-salafist-flag-hayat-tahrir-al-sham-rcna183726 |access-date= |website=[[NBC News]]}}</ref> which led to criticism for its association with [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] fundamentalist groups such as the [[Taliban]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 December 2024 |title=Syrians concerned by HTS flag displayed during interim PM speech |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/syrians-concerned-hts-flag-displayed-during-interim-pm-speech#:~:text=The%20new%20opposition%20flag%20-%20consisting%20of%20green%2C,symbol%20for%20Syrian%20refugees%20and%20anti-Assad%20activists%20worldwide. |work=[[The New Arab]]}}</ref> On 13 March 2025, an [[2025 Interim Constitution of Syria|interim constitution]] made the 1:2 original independence flag the primary flag;<ref name="Flag specification" /> however, the final text ultimately retained the 2:3 proportion.<ref name=":1" />

On 31 March 2025, [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s [[iOS]] became the first [[operating system]] to update their Syrian flag [[emoji]] to display the current revolution flag. Other companies followed suit a few months later.<ref>{{cite web |year=2025 |title=Flag: Syria Emoji Meaning |url=https://emojipedia.org/flag-syria |access-date=2025-07-11 |publisher=Emojipedia}}</ref> 

On 25 April 2025, Syrian Foreign Minister [[Asaad al-Shaibani]] raised the flag during a ceremony at the [[Headquarters of the United Nations|United Nations Headquarters]] in New York, where he was also scheduled to attend a [[United Nations Security Council]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sewell |first=Abby |date=25 April 2025 |title=Syria's new foreign minister will appear at the UN in his first US visit |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/04/25/syria-shibani-un-security-council-flag/9651f0a0-21af-11f0-b141-90a412b995ee_story.html |access-date=25 April 2025 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The United Nations also updated the Syrian flag on its list of member states.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nations |first=United |title=Member States |url=https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=United Nations |language=en}}</ref>

On 20 September 2025, al-Shaibani raised the Syrian flag at the [[Embassy of Syria, Washington, D.C.|Syrian embassy in Washington, D.C.]] for the first time since the mission was suspended in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-20 |title=Syrian flag raised at Washington embassy for first time in over a decade - SANA |url=https://sana.sy/en/politics/2268470/ |access-date=2025-09-20 |language=en-US}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| direction         = horizontal
| width             = 150
| footer            = 
| image1            = Flag of the Syrian Salvation Government.svg
| alt2              = 
| caption1          = The [[Syrian Salvation Government]] used a flag consisting of the revolution flag, but with the three stars replaced by the ''[[Shahada]]''
| image2            = Flag of the Syrian Transitional Government (Shahada).svg
| alt3              = 
| caption2          = Alongside the revolution flag, a white ''[[Tawhid]]'' flag was used during the early days of the Syrian caretaker government
| align             = center
}}

== See also == <!--Do not remove unless consensus agrees-->
*[[List of Syrian flags]]
*[[National symbols of Syria]]
*[[Coat of arms of Syria]]
*[[Presidential standard of Syria]]
*[[Pan-Arab colors]]
*[[Flag of the Arab Revolt]]
*[[Flag of Bahrain]]
*[[Flag of Egypt]]
*[[Flag of Iraq]]
*[[Flag of Jordan]]
*[[Flag of Kuwait]]
*[[Flag of Palestine]]
*[[Flag of Sudan]]
*[[Flag of the United Arab Emirates]]
*[[Flag of Yemen]]

== References ==
{{clear right}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography ==
*{{cite book |last=Goodarzi |first=Jubin M. |title=Syria and Iran: Diplomatic Alliance and Power Politics in the Middle East |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-84511-127-4 }}
*{{cite book |last=Heydemann |first=Steven |title=Authoritarianism in Syria: Institutions and Social Conflict, 1946–1970 |publisher=Cornell University Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-8014-2932-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/authoritarianism00heyd }}
*{{cite book |last=Lawson |first=Fred H. |title=Constructing International Relations in the Arab World |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8047-5372-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/constructinginte00laws }}
*{{cite book |last=King |first=Stephen J. |title=The New Authoritarianism in the Middle East and North Africa |url=https://archive.org/details/newauthoritarian0000king |url-access=registration |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2009 |isbn= 978-0-253-35397-9 }}
*{{cite book |last=Podeh |first=Elie |title=The Decline of Arab Unity: The Rise and Fall of the United Arabic Republic |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-1-902210-20-9 }}
*{{cite book |last=Schumann |first=Cristoph |title=Liberal Thought in the Eastern Mediterranean: Late 19th Century Until the 1960s |publisher= BRILL |year=2008 |isbn= 9789004165489 }}
*{{cite book |last=Thomas |first=Martin |title=Empires of Intelligence: Security Services and Colonial Disorder after 1914 |publisher=University of California Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-520-25117-5 }}
*{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Elizabeth |title=Colonial Citizens: Republican Rights, Paternal Privilege, and Gender in French Syria and Lebanon |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-231-10661-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/colonialcitizens0008thom }}
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

== Further reading ==
*Mohammad Dibo [https://syriauntold.com/2016/06/14/debate-the-new-syria-between-flags-and-languages/ Debate: The New Syria between Flags and Languages], SyriaUntold 14 June 2016.
*{{cite web | last= Hanano| first=Amal | title=This Flag is my Flag | website=Jadaliyya – جدلية | url=http://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/24181 | access-date=23 November 2018}}
*{{FOTW|id=sy|title=Syria}}
{{Asia topic|Flag of|title=[[Flags of Asia]]}}
{{Arab Flags}}

{{Syria topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Syria, Flag of}}
[[Category:National symbols of Syria|Flag]]
[[Category:National flags]]
[[Category:Flags of Asia]]
[[Category:Tricolor flags]]
[[Category:Flags with stars]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1930]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1961]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1963]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1980]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 2024]]
[[Category:Horizontally symmetrical flags]]