Flag of Syria
the independence flag
Three horizontal stripes of green, white and black, with three red five-pointed stars in a row on the white stripe.
At a glance
- Adopted
- March 13, 2025the old independence flag of 1930, used again from December 2024 and made official in the March 2025 Constitutional Declaration
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Damascus
- Continent
- Asia
- Colours
- green
- white
- black
- red
What it means
- Green, white and black: a common explanation is that they recall three great dynasties of early Islamic history: green for the Rashidun, white for the Umayyads and black for the Abbasids
- Another reading: black for a dark past, white for a hopeful future, and red for the sacrifices made to get there
- Three red stars: first the three regions of Aleppo, Damascus and Deir ez-Zor; from 1936 they were linked to other regions that joined Syria
Where it came from
This design was first set in 1930, when Syria was under French rule, by the decree that approved the Syrian Republic's constitution. It flew when Syria became independent in 1946, which is why it is called the independence flag.
History
In 1958 Syria joined Egypt in the United Arab Republic, and a red, white and black flag with two green stars replaced it. Syria brought back the independence flag in 1961, then from 1963 used red-white-black flags again; the two-star version returned in 1980.
In 2011 the Syrian opposition took up the old green-white-black flag. After the government of Bashar al-Assad fell on 8 December 2024, the new authorities began using it, and the Constitutional Declaration of 13 March 2025 made it the national flag.
Fun facts
- This flag is almost 100 years old but became official again only in 2025.
- Phone makers had to change their Syria flag emoji in 2025.
- In April 2025 the flag was raised at United Nations headquarters in New York.
- Syria swapped between green-white-black and red-white-black flags several times.
Easy to mix up with
Iraq
YemenQuestions
What does the flag of Syria look like?
Three horizontal stripes of green, white and black, with three red five-pointed stars in a row on the white stripe.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Syria mean?
Green, white and black: a common explanation is that they recall three great dynasties of early Islamic history: green for the Rashidun, white for the Umayyads and black for the Abbasids; Another reading: black for a dark past, white for a hopeful future, and red for the sacrifices made to get there; Three red stars: first the three regions of Aleppo, Damascus and Deir ez-Zor; from 1936 they were linked to other regions that joined Syria.
When was the flag of Syria adopted?
The current flag of Syria was adopted on March 13, 2025. (the old independence flag of 1930, used again from December 2024 and made official in the March 2025 Constitutional Declaration)
What colours are on the flag of Syria?
The flag of Syria uses green, white, black and red.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Syria?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Iraq. Iraq has red, white and black stripes with green Arabic writing on the white
Famous landmarks in Syria
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)