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Flag of Syria

The flag of Syria is the national flag used by Syria and is a horizontal tricolour of green, white, and black with three red five-pointed stars in the centre.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated July 27, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

The flag of Syria is the national flag used by Syria and is a horizontal tricolour of green, white, and black with three red five-pointed stars in the centre. The current design was formally adopted on 3 July 2025 by Syria’s Constitutional Declaration. Before that, Syria used the red-white-black flag with two green stars from 1980, while the green-white-black three-star flag had long been associated with the Syrian opposition and earlier independence-era Syrian states.

History

Syria has used several flags since independence in 1946. The green-white-black three-star design was associated with the 1930s independence era, while the red-white-black two-star flag was adopted in 1980 and remained the state flag until the post-Assad transition.

Design and symbolism

The current flag has three equal horizontal stripes: green on top, white in the middle, and black on the bottom, with three red stars centred on the white band. The colours are part of the pan-Arab palette, and the stars have been linked to Syrian historical statehood and political identity.

Article 6 of Syria’s 2025 Constitutional Declaration defines the flag’s appearance and proportion. This made the three-star tricolour the official flag of Syria.

Political use

The three-star flag was widely used by the Syrian opposition before becoming the national flag. It remained strongly associated with anti-Assad politics and the transition that followed the fall of the Assad regime.

Key facts

  • The current Syrian flag is green, white, and black with three red stars in the white stripe.
  • The Constitutional Declaration of 2025 formally defined the flag and its proportions.
  • The older Ba'ath-era flag used from 1980 featured red, white, and black stripes with two green stars.
  • The green-white-black three-star design was used in earlier Syrian statehood periods and became a symbol of the opposition during the Syrian civil war.
  • The colours belong to the wider pan-Arab colour tradition used across several Arab flags.
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Canadian context

The flag is relevant to Canadian readers through Canada’s Syrian diaspora, diplomacy, and coverage of Syrian political change.

Frequently asked questions

What is the flag of Syria?
It is a green, white, and black horizontal tricolour with three red stars centred on the middle stripe.
When was the current Syrian flag adopted?
It was formally adopted on 3 July 2025 under Syria’s Constitutional Declaration.
What was Syria’s previous national flag?
The previous state flag was a red, white, and black tricolour with two green stars, used from 1980 until the transition period.
What do the stars on the Syrian flag mean?
Sources link the three stars to earlier Syrian state entities and to the flag’s historical independence-era symbolism, though meanings have varied over time.
Why are the Syrian flag colours similar to other Arab flags?
They are part of the pan-Arab colour tradition, which appears on several Arab national flags.

References

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Syria
    Supports: Current design, adoption date, proportion, and constitutional basis
  2. Encyclopaedia Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Syria
    Supports: Historical development, pan-Arab colours, and opposition use
  3. Graphic Maps — https://www.graphicmaps.com/syria/flag
    Supports: Older national flag design and adoption date
  4. Flagpedia — https://www.flagpedia.net/syria
    Supports: Former red-white-black flag description and two-star design
  5. Flags of the World — https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/sy.html
    Supports: Text of Article 6 and description of the 2025 flag