Portal:Syria

The Syria Portal

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 16 July 2025, Israel conducted airstrikes on several government buildings in Damascus, Syria, including the Syrian military headquarters and the vicinity of the presidential palace. The strikes killed at least 3 people and injured another 34. Israel said that it had struck the buildings as a "warning" in defense of the Druze amid the July 2025 Southern Syria clashes. Israel had invaded parts of Syria in December 2024 and proposed a demilitarized zone in southern Syria, forbidding Syrian troops from moving there. (Full article...)

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Public bus near the fortress of Qalaat al-Madiq

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?

Selected biography -

Assad in 2018

Bashar al-Assad (born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian former politician, doctor and military officer who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until his overthrow in 2024 after the Syrian civil war. As president, Assad was commander-in-chief of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and secretary-general of the Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. He is the son of Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria from 1970 to 2000.

In the 1980s, Assad became a doctor, and in the early 1990s he was training in London as an ophthalmologist. In 1994, after his elder brother Bassel al-Assad died in a car crash, Assad was recalled to Syria to take over Bassel's role as heir apparent. Assad entered the military academy and in 1998 took charge of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon begun by his father. On 17 July 2000, Assad became president, succeeding his father, who had died on 10 June 2000. Hopes that the UK-educated Assad would bring reform to Syria and relax the occupation of Lebanon were dashed following a series of crackdowns in 2001–2002 that ended the Damascus Spring, a period defined by calls for transparency and democracy. Assad's rule would become more repressive than his father's. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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