Syria

Syria
Adopted	May 29, 1980 (layout of stars chaged in 2019)
Proportions	2:3

The flag of Syria consists of three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small, green, five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centred in the white band.

The flag of Syria is the same as the former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt. It is similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centred in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centred in the white band.

Symbolism

The colours of the flag are traditional Pan-Arab colours, also seen on the flags of Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, and Iraq. Red symbolizes the struggle and sacrifice for freedom; white signifies peace; and black stands for the dark colonial past.

The two stars signify that Syria was the second member of the United Arab Republic.

History

In 1917, Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, king of the Hejaz (now in Saudi Arabia), adopted the Arab Revolt Flag, intended to represent all Arab lands. It consisted of three horizontal stripes of black, green, and white with a red triangle at the hoist. The four colours recalled the major dynasties of Arab history—the ʿAbbāsids, Fāṭimids, Umayyads, and Hāshimites. In March 1918, the Arab Revolt Flag was raised in Damascus as independence was proclaimed for "natural Syria" (modern Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan). The single white star on the triangle marked it as the first independent Arab state after the Hejaz.

Within four months, however, France had taken control of Syria, established a mandate, and gave it a flag; a small French flag in the canton, and a blue background with a white crescent in the center, adopted by Henri Gouraud. On September 1, the mandate was split into various French territories. On June 22, Gouraud established a state, and a new flag was adopted, which used a green-white-green tricolor and contained a bigger French canton.

Eventually, a unified Syrian state was proclaimed under a flag of horizontal green-white-black stripes bearing three red stars in the centre. Following complete independence in the 1940s, Syria continued to struggle for Arab unity, and in 1958 it joined Egypt in the United Arab Republic. Its' flag, based on the Arab Liberation flag of the Egyptian 1952 revolution, had horizontal stripes of red-white-black with two green stars for the constituent states. In 1961, Syria broke from the union.

In subsequent years it had two different flags expressing the political policies of the era. In 1961, it used the 1932 flag, but went back to the UAR flag in 1963, this time keeping the three stars from the 1932 flag.

On 1972, the country joined the Federation of the Arab Republics, an attempt by Muammar Gaddafi to create a unified Arab state. Following the joining, the three stars were replaced by the coat of arms of the union.

Even after its' dissolution, the country would keep the flag until March 29, 1980, when Syria readopted the flag of the United Arab Republic as its own national banner. This is still the national flag, although the ruling Baʿth Party also displays a version of the Arab Revolt Flag.

On May 28, 2019, the stars of the Wikipedia file of the flag have been made bigger. After the change, there has been an edit revert war about the file, eventually dying out on July 18. As of right now, the flag with smaller stars, exist as other versions on the Wikipedia file.

Other flags

The presidential standard uses a version of the Syrian flag with changed proportions. The armed forces also uses the Syrian flag, adds a golden version of the armed forces' coat of arms in the canton, and adds some golden Arabic text at the top and bottom of the stars, which translates to "Homeland - Honor - Loyalty" and "The Syrian Arab Army".

Both the flags of the army, navy and air force contain an empty field with their respective coat of arms in the center. The ensign of the air force contains a teal background, with the presidential standard in the canton, and the country's roundel in the center.

Presidential Standard

Syrian Armed Forces

Syrian Arab Army

Syrian Arab Navy

Syrian Arab Air Force

Syrian Arab Air Force (ensign)