What Do The Colors And Symbols Of The Flag Of Syria Mean?

Syria has been in a civil war for a number of years now. As a result, there are two governments claiming to be the rightful leadership of the country. One of the governments is the one by Ba’ath Party with Bashar al-Assad at the helm while the other one is run by the Syrian National Coalition. The former government uses the United Arab Republic Flag while the latter uses the Independence flag.

Flag Used by the Incumbent Government

This flag was first used in Syria in 1958 until 1961 when it was discarded. After that, the nation used it again from 1980 to the present day. There have been several variations of the design but there are three colors that are always present: red, white, and black. This flag has also been used in a number of Arab states such as Sudan and Egypt. Despite the fact that Syria is not a member of the Arab Union, the nation still uses the flag to reaffirm its obligation to unity in the Arab world. The current flag has been a subject of dispute because it is seen to represent the unwanted regime of Bashar al-Assad and the Ba’ath Party.

The flag’s design features three bands of red, white, and black from the top to the bottom respectively. All three bands are of equal width. The middle white band has two green stars with each star bearing five angles. The width of the flag is two-thirds of the total length of the flag. The design is a slight variation of the Arab Liberation flag which had the extra green color. The four colors on the flag are symbolic of the four major empires in the Arab world.

The red color represents the Hashemite dynasty and the blood that was spilt during the struggle for freedom. The white color is for the Umayyad dynasty and also represents the future as a bright and peaceful prospect. The Fatimid dynasty is represented by the green color. The green also represents the stars representing Syria and Egypt. The Abbasid dynasty and oppression are represented by the black color.

Flag Used by the Opposition

Because of the continuing civil war in Syria, the opposition decided to use a slight variation of the design that was used by Syria after gaining independence from France. The modified design gained popularity among the opposition in the later stages of 2011. Since then, the opposition has used the flag as a symbol of open defiance to the oppression set forth by the incumbent government. The flag has come to represent the independence and freedom that the people of Syria will get from the oppression.

In terms of design, the flag features the same four colors as before namely red, white, green, and black. The flag has three bands with the topmost band being green while the bottom one is black. The middle band is white and features three red stars, each with five points as well. The green represented the Rashidun, the Umayyads represented by the white, and the Abbasids represented by the black color. The three red stars represent three major regions of Syria.