Syria: flag, capital, currency and history

Flag of Syria

Download the flag of Syria as a scalable SVG or as a PNG in three sizes. The flag emoji is 🇸🇾.

History of Syria

The area of Syria was home to early urban centres such as Ebla and later fell under Assyrian, Persian, Greek and Roman rule. Muslim armies conquered it in the 630s, and Damascus became the capital of the Umayyad caliphate in 661. The region was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1516 until the First World War. France received a League of Nations mandate over Syria after the war, and Syria became fully independent in 1946. It joined Egypt in the short-lived United Arab Republic from 1958 to 1961. A civil war began in 2011, and the long-ruling government fell in December 2024.

Key dates

1. c. 2400 BCThe city of Ebla flourishes in northern Syria.
2. 636Muslim forces defeat the Byzantines at the Battle of the Yarmouk.
3. 661Damascus becomes the capital of the Umayyad caliphate.
4. 1516The Ottoman Empire conquers Syria.
5. 1946Syria becomes fully independent as French forces withdraw.
6. 2011Protests escalate into a prolonged civil war.
7. 2024The government of Bashar al-Assad falls in December.

A short overview, not a full history. Dates are given for well-documented events only.

Currency of Syria

Syria uses the Syrian pound (SYP, £). Use our free currency converter to check exchange rates.

Frequently asked questions

Neighbours of Syria

IraqBaghdadIsraelJerusalemJordanAmmanLebanonBeirutTürkiyeAnkara

More countries in Western Asia

ArmeniaYerevanAzerbaijanBakuBahrainManamaGeorgiaTbilisiIraqBaghdadIsraelJerusalemJordanAmmanKuwaitKuwait City