Syria

The de facto flag of Syria consists of three equal horizontal bands of green, white, and black, with three red five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band. It is also known as the Independence flag, and a version with a 1:2 aspect ratio was previously used by the First and Second Syrian Republic.
==Symbolism==
The flag's green color stood for the Rashidun, white represented the Umayyads, and black symbolized the Abbasids. Originally, the three red stars represented the three districts of Syria: the "states" of Aleppo, Damascus, and Deir ez-Zor. In 1936, the Sanjak of Latakia and 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 star representing Jebel Druze, and the final star representing Sanjak of Latakia.
==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 colors 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 center. 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 1930 flag, but went back to the UAR flag in 1963, this time keeping the three stars from the 1930 flag. 
In 1972, the country joined the Federation of 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.
On December 8, 2024, the government of Ba'athist Syria collapsed following the fall of Damascus to rebel troops, which uses the green-white-black flag.
== Other flags==
===Tawhid flag ===
Along with the Independence flag, a Tahwid flag was also displayed by the Syrian transitional government at its first meeting on December 10, 2024, which consists of a white background with a black Shahada in the center. It is similar to the flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban).
Category:Syria
Category:Pan-Arab colours
Category:Five-pointed stars
Category:Arabs
Category:Islam
Category:Middle East
Category:United Nations
Category:Proportions 2-3
Category:Green
Category:White
Category:Black
Category:Red
Category:Horizontal tricolour
Category:Tricolour
Category:Stars
Category:2024