Syria

الجمهورية العربية السورية Al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah as-Sūriyyah Syrian Arab Republic
Coat of arms of Syria Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Homat el Diyar Guardians of the Homeland
Capital	Damascus 33°30′N 36°18′E
Largest city	capital
Official languages	Arabic
Government	Presidential republic
- President	Bashar al-Assad
- Prime Minister	Muhammad Naji Etri
Independence	from France
- First declaration	September 19361
- Second declaration	January 1 1944
- Recognized	April 17 1946
Area
- Total	183,885 km² (88th) 71,479 sq mi
- Water (%)	0.06
Population
- July 2005 estimate	19,043,000
- Density	103/km² 267/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$71.74 billion
- Per capita	$5,348
HDI  (2004)	0.716 (medium)
Currency	Syrian pound (SYP)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Internet TLD	.sy
Calling code	+963

Syria (Arabic: سوريا Sūriyā or سورية Sūriyah), officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية العربية السورية ), is a country in Southwest Asia, bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Lebanon.

Considered to be one of the 15 so-called "Cradle of Civilization" states, the modern state of Syria can trace its roots to the fourth millennium B.C.E.; its capital city, Damascus, was the seat of the Umayyad Empire and a provincial capital of the Mamluk Empire.

Since 1963 the country has been governed by the Baath Party; the head of state since 1970 has been a member of the Assad family. Syria's current President is Bashar al-Assad, son of Hafez al-Assad, who held office from 1970 until his death in 2000.

Because of its strategic geographic location, Syria continues to be a focus of transit trade among many countries of the Middle East and to be a vital factor in Arab politics and in Arab-Israeli hostilities.

Geography

Map of Syria

File:SatSyria.jpg

Satellite image of Syria (border lines added).

The name Syria” comes from the ancient Greek name for the Syrians, “Syrioi” (in Herodotus 7.63), a shortened form of “Assyria”, ultimately from the Akkadian Assur”.

Syria borders the Mediterranean Sea and Lebanon to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north.

Land area is 71,749 square miles (183,885 square kilometres), which is slightly larger than the state of North Dakota in the United States. This does not include the Golan Heights, where in 2007 there were 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites. The territory, which consists of deserts, plains, and mountains, does not coincide with ancient Syria, which was the strip of fertile land between the eastern Mediterranean coast and northern Arabia.

The lowest point is an unnamed location near Lake Tiberias, at 656 feet (200 meters) below sea level, and the highest point is Mount Hermon at 9232 feet (2814 meters) above sea level.

Syria consists mostly of arid plateau, divided into a coastal zone—with a narrow, double mountain belt enclosing a depression in the west— and a much larger eastern plateau. Fertile land is the nation's most important natural resource, and efforts have been made, and in the 1980s were continuing, to increase the amount of arable land through irrigation projects. The northeast of the country "Al Jazira" and the South "Hawran" are important agricultural areas.

Mostly desert, Syria has hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along the coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus. The temperatures at Damascus range from 40°F (4.4°C) in January to 100°F (37.7°C) in July and August. Three-fifths of the country has less than 10 inches (250mm) of rain a year.

The most important river is the Euphrates, which represents more than 80 percent of Syria's water resources. Its left-bank tributaries, the Balikh and the Khabur, are both major rivers and also rise in Turkey. The right-bank tributaries of the Euphrates, however, are small seasonal streams called wadis. In 1973, Syria completed construction of the Tabaqah Dam on the Euphrates River, creating a reservoir named Lake Assad, a body of water about 50 miles (80km) long and averaging eight kilometers in width.

Natural resources include petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, and hydropower.

Natural hazards include sand storms and dust storms. Environmental issues include deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, desertification, water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes, and inadequate drinking water.

Major cities include the capital Damascus in the southwest, Aleppo in the north, and Homs. Most of the other important cities are located along the coast line.

History

Map of Syria

Ancient Syria

Syrian civilization dates back to at least the fourth millennium B.C.E. Many sites in Syria evoke the beginnings of recorded human history.

Archaeologists have demonstrated that Syria was the centre of one of the most ancient civilizations on Earth. Around the excavated city of Ebla in north-eastern Syria, discovered in 1975, a great Semitic empire spread from the Red Sea north to Turkey and east to Mesopotamia from 2500 to 2400 B.C.E. Scholars believe the language of Ebla to be the oldest recorded Semitic language. At Ebla (Tel Merdikh), a royal palace was discovered containing one of the largest and most comprehensive archives of the ancient world. Ebla's archive consists of more than 17,000 clay tablets dealing with matters of industry, diplomacy, trade, art and agriculture. Ebla became world-famous for two industries: the manufacture of finely carved wood, inlaid with ivory and mother of pearls; and of silk cloth of gold. Today these industries still prosper, with Syrian brocade and mosaics fashioned according to the artisan tradition of ancient Ebla.

File:Philippus Arabs.JPG

Phillippus Araps (Roman Emperor) -detail of Syrian 100 pound note

File:Ebla clay tablet.jpg

Clay tablet from Ebla's archive.

Other notable cities excavated include Mari, Ugarit and Dura Europos. At Mari (Tel Hariri) numerous palaces, temples and murals were found that reflect advanced cultural and commercial activity. The kingdom of Ugarit (Ras Shamra) offered humankind its first alphabet.

Syria was occupied successively by Canaanites, Hebrews, Arameans, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Armenians, Romans, Nabataeans, Byzantines, Arabs, and, in part, Crusaders before finally coming under the control of the Ottoman Turks. Syria is significant in the history of Christianity; according to the Bible, Paul was converted on the Road to Damascus and joined the first organized Christian Church in Antioch in ancient Syria (now in Turkey), from which he left on many of his missionary journeys.

Islamic era

History of the Levant
Stone Age
Kebaran · Natufian culture · Halafian culture · Jericho
Ancient History
Sumerians · Ebla · Akkadian Empire · Canaan · Phoenicians Amorites · Aramaeans · Edomites · Hittites Nabataeans · Philistines ·Israel and Judah Assyrian Empire · Babylonian Empire Persian Empire · Seleucid Empire · Hasmonean kingdom Roman Empire · Byzantine Empire
The Middle Ages
Umayyad · Abassid Seljuk · Fatimid Crusades · Ayyubid · Mamluks Ottoman Empire · Greater Syria
Modern Times
Jordan · Israel Palestinian territories Syria · Lebanon

Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world with residents as early as 3,000 B.C.E. It came under Muslim rule in AD 636. Immediately thereafter the city's power and prestige reached its peak and it became the capital of the Umayyad Empire, which extended from Spain to the borders of Central Asia from AD 661 to AD 750. Syria acted as a cultural hub that took in influences from many sources and sent them out to other parts of the empire and Damascus achieved a glory unrivaled among cities of the eighth century. The Umayyads were overthrown by the Abbasid dynasty in AD 750, and the seat of the Abbasid caliphate was established at Baghdad, Iraq.

Damascus became a provincial capital of the Mamluk Empire around 1260. It was largely destroyed in 1400 by Tamerlane, the Mongol conqueror, who moved many of its craftsmen to Samarkand. Rebuilt, it continued to serve as a capital until 1516. In 1517, it fell under Ottoman rule. The Ottomans remained for the next four hundred years, except for a brief occupation by Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt from 1832 to 1840.

World War I

In World War I, sided with the Central Powers. In 1916, the Allies, to enlist support against Turkey, offered the Arabs the hope of independence, while in May of the same year, Britain and France secretly concluded the Sykes-Picot agreement, by which most of the Arab lands under Turkish rule were to be divided between Britain and France — Syria and Lebanon to France, and Israel and Jordan to Britain.

French mandate

File:Hashim Atassi signing Franco Syrian treaty 1936.jpg

The National Bloc signing the Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence in Paris in 1936. From left to right: Saadallah al-Jabiri, Jamil Mardam Bey, Hashim al-Atassi (signing), and French Prime Minister Léon Blum.

In 1920, France was granted a mandate over Syria by the League of Nations. Anti-Turkish feeling changed to anti-French feeling. The French put down an armed rebellion in 1920 and a second uprising that lasted from 1925 to 1927. French and Syrian leaders had reached agreement on substantial Syrian independence by 1938, but the French government refused to ratify the treaty. In 1939, France ceded to Turkey the former Turkish district of Alexandretta, in which the ancient Syrian capital of Antioch is located.

World War II

World War II broke out in 1939. After the surrender of France to Germany in 1940, Syria came under the control of the Vichy government. British and free French forces invaded Syria in 1941, and the Free French government recognized Syria’s independence but the occupation continued. Elections in 1943 brough a new Syrian government under the presidency of the Syrian nationalist Shukri al-Kuwatli.

Independence

File:Shukri al- quwatli.jpeg

Shukri al Quwatli, Syria's first post-independence President.

In 1946, the independence treaty of 1944 was recognized and free French and British troops left Syria, the last leaving April 15, 1946. Independence was declared on April 17, which was made an official national holiday commemorated each year as the Jalaa Day (Independence Day).

Political instability marked the post-war period. Three coups took place. On March 30, 1949, General Husni al-Zaim, a member of the Kurdish minority, seized power, to be overthrown in August of that year by another military junta. Elections were held in November of that year. A former police chief, led by Colonel Adib al-Shishakli, led the third coup that year. A further coup on November 29, 1951, led by Shishakli, resulted in a military dictatorship that lasted until March 1954, when he was ousted by another military group that reinstated Hashim al-Atasi as president, reconvened the 1949 chamber of deputies, and restored the constitution of 1950.

The 1948 Arab-Israeli War

In 1944, a “Greater Syria” movement began to push for a Syrian Arab state that would include Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Israel. Syria joined the Arab League, which was formed to prevent the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. Syrian forces fought in the 1948 war between Arab forces and the new state of Israel. .Syrian and Israeli frontier forces clashed in 1951 over an Israeli drainage project in the demilitarized zone between the two countries.

Into Soviet sphere

The Syrian government objected in 1955 to the creation of the Baghdad Pact, a defensive alliance between Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and Britain. Attacks on Egypt in 1956 by Israel, Britain, and France intensified the growing Syrian resentment towards the West. Syria denounced the 1957 Eisenhower Doctrine, to combat potential communist aggression in the Middle East. In September of 1957, Syria accused Turkey of massing troops on the border to carry out a US-backed attack on Syria. The USSR supported Syria, and the matter was brought before the UN General Assembly in October. The USSR agreed to provide construction project aid to Syria, over a period of 12 years.

Federation with Egypt

In February 22, 1958, Syria and Egypt merged as one state and created the United Arab Republic UAR, with Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt as president. Nasser appointed the UAR cabinet, and Syrian politicians held a number of departments. In the following months Nasser dissolved all Syrian political parties. From September 1958 to February 1959 a land reform program was introduced, and private agricultural farms and territories were nationalized and were given to peasants. In July 1961 a socialist program was introduced, nationalizing all private banks and factories. In September 28, 1961, a group of army officers led by Karim an-Nahlawi seized power and declared Syria independent again. Nasser decided not to resist the separatists.

Baath takeover

A new national government was set up in December 1961, to be overthrown in a bloodless military coup on March 8, 1963. The Baath Party took control of the government. Major-General Amin el-Hafez became Chairman of the National Council, which was replaced, in May 1964, by a presidency council of three civilian and two military members. On February 23, 1966, a military coup lead by Hafez al-Assad and Salah Jadid, both members of the Baath party, forced Amin Hafez to resign, placed several long-time Baathist leaders under arrest, and installed Nur ad-Din al-Atasi, a former deputy prime minister, as head of state.

Six-Day War

During 1966 and early 1967, Syrian-based guerrilla attacks and Israeli reprisals catalyzed a chain of events leading to the outbreak of the Six-Day War between Israel and the Arab nations in 1967. Israeli forces overran the Syrian positions on the Golan Heights, advanced rapidly, and occupied al-Qunaytirah, only 40 miles (65km) from Damascus. On June 10 the UN ceasefire proposal was accepted and observers were placed between Israeli and Syrian forces. Syria broke relations with Britain and the United States.

Assad seizes power

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Hafez al-Assad

In November 1970 General Hafez al-Assad seized power. Becoming President in March 1971, he formed a new Cabinet in December 1972.

Yom Kippur War

In October 1973, Syrian troops attacked Israel on the Golan Heights, while Egypt struck along the Suez Canal. After Syrian advances, Israel drove the Syrians from the Golan Heights and advanced to within 20 miles of Damascus. A ceasefire was agreed and both parties signed a disengagement agreement in May 1974, which provided for a neutral zone, patrolled by UN forces, and for the repatriation of prisoners of war.

As Egypt pursued a bilateral agreement with Israel, Syria linked with Jordan. In 1975, at the request of the Lebanese government, Syria intervened and became bogged down in the Lebanese civil war. The civil war was declared over in October 1990. Syria helped the Lebanese government to re-establish control. In 1980 Syria signed a 20-year cooperation treaty with the USSR. Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981. Syrian and Israeli forces clashed in 1982, when Israel invaded Lebanon.

Strife at home

A serious challenge arose in the late 1970s, from Sunni Muslims called the Muslim Brotherhood who reject the values of the secular Baath program and object to rule by the Alawis, whom they consider heretical. In response to an attempted uprising by the brotherhood in February 1982, the government sent 12,000 troops to crush the opposition centred in the city of Hama. During the two weeks the city was under siege its infrastructure was devastated by artillery fire and many thousands of civilians were killed and wounded. In 1984, when Hafez al-Assad was in hospital after a heart attack, his brother Rifaat tried to seize power using internal security forces under his control. Hafez managed to assert control and sent Rifaat into exile.

Iran-Iraq War

During the Iran-Iraq War Syria sided with Iran and was isolated by the other Arab countries, with the exception of Libya. There have been accusations, mainly by the US and Israel, that Syria served as a conduit for Iranian arms destined for Hezbollah. Britain broke diplomatic relations with Syria in 1986 and the United States imposed sanctions, both accusing Syria of sponsoring terrorism.

1991 Gulf War

About 21,000 Syrian ground forces served with the anti-Iraq coalition in the Gulf War. Syria's 1991 participation against Saddam Hussein marked a watershed in Syria's relations both with other Arab states and with the West. Syria participated in the multilateral Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid in October 1991, and during the 1990s engaged in direct, face-to-face negotiations with Israel. These negotiations failed, and there have been no further Syrian-Israeli talks since President Hafez Al-Assad's meeting with then US President Bill Clinton in Geneva in March 2000.

Assad’s son succeeds

Hafez al-Assad died of a heart attack on June 10, 2000, after 30 years in office. Within a few hours following al-Assad's death, the Parliament amended the constitution, reducing the mandatory minimum age of the President from 40 to 34 years old, which allowed his son, Bashar al-Assad legally to be eligible for nomination by the ruling Baath party. On July 10, 2000, Bashar al-Assad was elected President by referendum in which he ran unopposed, garnering 97.29 percent of the vote.

Bashar Al-Assad promised political and democratic reform. Human rights activists became more outspoken during a period referred to as "Damascus Spring" (July 2000 to February 2001). Enthusiasm faded quickly as the government cracked down on civil forums and reform activists, but there was still a notable liberalization compared to the totalitarianism of Hafez. The lifting of bans on Internet access, mobile telephones and the spread of computer technology has had a great impact on the previously isolated Syrian society, and the secret police's presence in society has been eased.

UK prime minister Tony Blair met Assad in November 2001 after terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. They spoke about the war on terrorism but failed to reach an understanding. In May of 2002, when the US government added Syria to its “axis of evil”—countries believed to sponsor terrorism or have the ability to use weapons of mass destruction—as defined by President George Bush.

Iraq invaded

When the U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq in March 2003, Syria avoided direct involvement, but tried to prevent an exodus of refugees into the country from neighbouring Iraq. Syria opposed the Iraq War in March 2003, and bilateral relations with the U.S. swiftly deteriorated.

Withdrawal from Lebanon

On February 14, 2005, Rafik Hariri, the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, was killed by a car bomb in Beirut. Many members of the Lebanese opposition and international observers alleged that Hariri was assassinated by Syria. In April 26, 2005, Syria withdrew all of its troops.

On June 16, 2006, the defence ministers of Iran and Syria signed an agreement for military cooperation against what they called the "common threats" presented by Israel and the United States.

Governorates and districts

Syria has fourteen governorates, or muhafazat (singular: muhafazah). The governorates are divided into sixty districts, or manatiq (sing. mintaqah), which are further divided into subdistricts, or nawahi (sing. nahia).

A governor, whose appointment is proposed by the minister of the interior, approved by the cabinet, and announced by executive decree, heads each governorate. The governor is assisted by an elected provincial council. Note that parts that used to be under the Quneitra governorate are under Israeli control since 1967 (see Golan Heights).

Template:Syria Labelled Map

Major cities

Damascus - Aleppo - Latakia - Homs - Hama

Minor cities

Al-Hasakah - Deir ez-Zor - Ar-Raqqah - Idlib - Daraa -As-Suwayda - Tartus

Towns

Al Qamichli- Al-Rastan - Masyaf - Safita - Jabala - Ath-Thawrah - Duma - Banias - An-Nabk- Qusair - Maaloula - Zabadani - Bosra

Major villages

Kefer behem - Albaida - Marmarita - Mashta Al helou- Rhablee - Sirghaya - Fairouzeh - Zaidal

Politics

File:Presidentsyria.jpg

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.

Syria is a parliamentary republic. All three branches of government are guided by the views of the Baath Party, whose primacy in state institutions is assured by the constitution. In addition, six other political parties are permitted to exist and, along with the Baath Party, make up the National Progressive Front (NPF), a grouping of parties that represents the sole framework of legal political party participation for citizens. While created ostensibly to give the appearance of a multi-party system, the NPF is dominated by the Baath Party and does not change the essentially one-party character of the political system. The Baath Party dominates the Parliament, which is known as the People's Council (majlis ash-sha'b). Elected every four years, the Council has no independent authority. Although parliamentarians may criticize policies and modify draft laws, they cannot initiate laws, and the executive branch retains ultimate control over the legislative process. It essentially functions as a rubber-stamp for the executive authority.

There was a surge of interest in political reform after Bashar al-Assad assumed power in 2000. Human rights activists and other civil society advocates, as well as some Parliamentarians, became more outspoken during a period referred to as "Damascus Spring" (July 2000-February 2001).

Government

The Syrian constitution vests the Arab Baath Socialist Party with leadership functions in the state and society and provides broad powers to the president. The president, approved by referendum for a 7-year term, also is Secretary General of the Baath Party and leader of the National Progressive Front.

The president has the right to appoint ministers, to declare war and states of emergency, to issue laws (which, except in the case of emergency, require ratification by the People's Council), to declare amnesty, to amend the constitution, and to appoint civil servants and military personnel. Along with the National Progressive Front, the president decides issues of war and peace and approves the state's 5-year economic plans. The National Progressive Front also acts as a forum in which economic policies are debated and the country's political orientation is determined.

Human rights

A state of emergency imposed by the government has remained in effect since 1963 despite public calls by Syrian reformists for its repeal. Since then, security forces have committed human rights abuses including arbitrary arrest and detention, prolonged detention without trial, unfair trials in the security courts, and infringement on privacy rights. Amnesty International estimates around 600 political prisoners remain.

Prison conditions do not meet international standards for health and sanitation. The regime restricts freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, and political opposition. According to Arab Press Freedom Watch, the current government has a poor record on freedom of expression.

In 2005 Freedom House rated political rights and civil liberties in Syria as “7” (1 representing the most free and 7 the least free rating) and gave it the freedom rating of “Not Free” [3]. There have been no changes in these ratings since 1972.

Human Rights Watch World Report 2007 confirmed that the human rights situation in Syria continued to deteriorate further in 2006. ‘thousands of political prisoners, many of them members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and Communist Party remained in detention’ (HRW World Report 2007, p1). The Syrian authorities have refused to confirm the numbers and names of those detained but the Syrian Human Rights Committee based in London estimated the figure to be approximately 4,000.

Syria continues to use the death penalty and HRW have documented many instances of arbitrary detention, torture and disappearances in 2006.

Kurds continue to suffer discrimination and violence. At ten percent of the population they form the largest ethnic minority group in Syria. An estimated 300,000 Syria born Kurds are still denied citizenship.

Despite a constitution which guarantees gender equality there have been no changes in 2006 to the discriminatory laws which affect millions of women in both the public and private spheres. For example the penal code continues to contain a provision that allows a judge to suspend punishment for a rapist if he marries his victim and within marriage women are still treated as their husband’s chattel.

Economy

Syria is a middle-income, developing country with a diversified economy based on agriculture, industry, and energy. During the 1960s, citing its state socialist ideology, the government nationalized most major enterprises and adopted economic policies designed to address regional and class disparities. This legacy of state intervention and price, trade, and foreign exchange controls still hampers economic growth, although the government has begun to revisit many of these policies, especially in the financial sector and the country's trade regime. Despite a number of significant reforms and ambitious development projects of the early 1990s, as well as more modest reform efforts currently underway, Syria's economy still is slowed by large numbers of poorly performing public sector firms, low investment levels, and relatively low industrial and agricultural productivity.

Despite the mitigation of the severe drought that plagued the region in the late 1990s and the recovery of energy export revenues, Syria's economy faces serious challenges. With almost 60% of its population under the age of 20, unemployment higher than the current estimated range of 20%-25% is a real possibility unless sustained and strong economic growth takes off. Oil production has levelled off, but recent agreements allowing increased foreign investment in the petroleum sector may boost production in two to three years.

The bulk of Syrian imports have been raw materials essential for industry, agriculture, equipment, and machinery. Major exports include crude oil, refined products, raw cotton, clothing, fruits, and cereal grains. Earnings from oil exports are one of the government's most important sources of foreign exchange.

Of Syria's 72,000 square miles (186,000 km²), roughly one-third is arable, with 80% of cultivated areas dependent on rainfall for water. In recent years, the agriculture sector has recovered from years of government inattentiveness and drought. Most farms are privately owned, but the government controls important elements of marketing and transportation.

Demographics

Most people live in the Euphrates River valley and along the coastal plain, a fertile strip between the coastal mountains and the desert. Overall population density is about 258 per square mile (99/km²). Education is free and compulsory from ages 6 to 11. Schooling consists of 6 years of primary education followed by a 3-year general or vocational training period and a 3-year academic or vocational program. The second 3-year period of academic training is required for university admission. Total enrolment at post-secondary schools is over 150,000. The literacy rate of Syrians aged 15 and older is 86% for males and 73.6% for females.

Ethnic groups

Arabs (including some 400,000 Palestinian refugees) make up over 90% of the population. The Kurds, linguistically an Indo-Iranian people, constitute the largest ethnic minority, making up about 9% of the population. Most Kurds reside in the northeast corner of Syria and many still speak the Kurdish language. Sizable Kurdish communities live in most major Syrian cities as well. The Assyrian Christians are also a notable minority (about 3%) that live in north and northeast Syria. Syria also holds the 7th largest Armenian population in the world. In addition, 1.2 million Iraqi refugees are living in Syria as of March 20, 2007

Ethnic Syrians are an overall Semitic Levantine people. While modern-day Syrians are commonly described as Arabs by virtue of their modern-day language and bonds to Arab culture and history — they are in fact a blend of the various ancient Semitic groups indigenous to the region who in turn admixed with Arab settlers and immigrants who arrived following the Arab expansion. There is also a smaller degree of admixture from non-Semitic peoples that have occupied the region over time.

Religion

Syria's population is approximately 90% Muslim and 10% Christian. Among Muslims, 74% are Sunni; the rest are divided among other Muslim sects, mainly Alawis and Druze, but also a small number of non-Druze Isma'ili and Twelver Shi'a, which has increased dramatically due to the influx of Iraqi refugees. Christians, a sizable number of which are also found among Syrian Palestinians, are divided into several groups. Chalcedonian Antiochian Orthodox ("Greek Orthodox") make up 50-55% of the Christian population; the Catholics (Latin, Armenian, Maronite, Caldean, Melkite and Syriac) make up 18%, Assyrian Christians, Armenian Oriental Orthodox centred in Aleppo, the native Syriac Orthodox Church and several smaller Christians groups account for the remainder. Christian Syrians are highly educated and mostly belong to a high socioeconomic class. Their representation in the academic and economic life of Syria far exceed the percentage of their population. There also is a tiny Syrian Jewish community that is confined mainly to Damascus; remnants of a formerly 40,000 strong community. After the 1947 UN Partition plan in Palestine, there were heavy pogroms against Jews in Damascus and Aleppo. The Jewish property was confiscated or burned and after the establishment of the State of Israel, many fled to Israel and only 5000 Jews were left in Syria. Of these, 4000 more left after agreement with the United States in the 1990s. As of 2006, there are only 100-200 Jews left in Syria.

Languages

Arabic is the official and most widely spoken language. Kurdish is widely spoken in the Kurdish regions of Syria. Many educated Syrians also speak English or French, but English is more widely understood. Armenian and Türkmen are spoken among the Armenian and Türkmen minorities. Aramaic, the lingua franca of the region before the advent of Islam and Arabic, is spoken among certain ethnic groups: as Syriac, it is used as the liturgical language of various Syriac denominations; modern Aramaic (particularly, Turoyo language and Assyrian Neo-Aramaic) is spoken in Al-Jazira region. Most remarkably, Western Neo-Aramaic is still spoken in the village of Ma`loula, and two neighbouring villages, 35 miles (56 km) northeast of Damascus.

Culture

Syria offered the world the Ugarit cuneiform, the root for the Phoenician alphabet, which dates back to the fourteenth century B.C.E. The alphabet was written in the familiar order we use today.

Archaeologists have discovered extensive writings and evidence of a culture rivaling those of Mesopotamia and Egypt in and around the ancient city of Ebla. Later Syrian scholars and artists contributed to Hellenistic and Roman thought and culture. Cicero was a pupil of Antiochus of Ascalon at Athens; and the writings of Posidonius of Apamea influenced Livy and Plutarch.

Philip Hitti claimed, "the scholars consider Syria as the teacher for the human characteristics," and Andrea Parrout writes, "each civilized person in the world should admit that he has two home countries: the one he was born in, and Syria."

Syria is a traditional society with a long cultural history. Importance is placed on family, religion, education and self discipline and respect. The Syrian's taste for the traditional arts is expressed in dances such as the al-Samah, the Dabkes in all their variations and the sword dance. Marriage ceremonies and the birth of children are occasions for the lively demonstration of folk customs.

Traditional Houses of the Old Cities in Damascus, Aleppo and the other Syrian cities are preserved and traditionally the living quarters are arranged around one or more courtyards, typically with a fountain in the middle supplied by spring water, and decorated with citrus trees, grape vines, and flowers.

Outside of larger city areas such as Damascus, Aleppo or Homs, residential areas are often clustered in smaller villages. The buildings themselves are often quite old (perhaps a few hundred years old), passed down to family members over several generations. Residential construction of rough concrete and blockwork is usually unpainted, and the palette of a Syrian village is therefore simple tones of greys and browns.

Syrians have contributed to Arabic literature and music and have a proud tradition of oral and written poetry. Syrian writers, many of whom immigrated to Egypt, played a crucial role in the nahda or Arab literary and cultural revival of the nineteenth century. Prominent contemporary Syrian writers include, among others, Adonis, Muhammad Maghout, Haidar Haidar, Ghada al-Samman, Nizar Qabbani and Zakariyya Tamer.

Syria has a small cinema industry, with production entirely in the hands of the state National Cinema Organisation, which employs film-makers as civil servants. Funding is only sufficient to produce approximately one feature film every year, and these are often then banned by the political censor, but have won prizes at international festivals. Notable directors include Omar Amirali, Usama Muhammad, and Abd al-Latif Abd al-Hamid. Syrian directors have also worked abroad, in Egypt and Europe.

There was a private sector presence in the Syrian cinema industry until the end of the 1970s, but private investment has since preferred the more lucrative television serial business. Syrian soap operas, in a variety of styles (all melodramatic, however), have considerable market penetration throughout the eastern Arab world.

Although declining, Syria's world-famous handicraft industry still employs thousands.

Syrian food mostly consists of Southern Mediterranean, Greek, and Middle Eastern dishes. Some Syrian dishes also evolved from Turkish and French cooking. Dishes like shish kebab, stuffed zucchini, yabra' (stuffed grape leaves, the word yapra' derıves from the Turkish word 'yaprak' meaning leaf), shawarma, and falafel are very popular in Syria as the food there is diverse in taste and type. Restaurants are usually open (food is served outdoors).

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  Shrine of Zaynab bint Ali at Damascus, Syria

• Eggelin Tomb Tower Palmyra Syria.jpeg

  Eggelin Tomb Tower in Palmyra

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  Saladin's grave in Damascus

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  The Umayyad Mosque courtyard, Damascus

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  Citadel of Aleppo

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  St.Simon (Samaan) church in Aleppo is considered to be one of the oldest remained churches in the world

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  Roman theatre in Bosra

• Hama-AlNouri minaret.jpg

  Hama, Syria - a minaret of Al Nouri mosque

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  Town Square of Sweida (As Suwayda)

Holidays

Date	English name	Local name	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day	عيد راس السنة الميلادية ‘Īd Ra’s as-Sanät al-Mīlādīyä
March 8	March 8 Revolution	ثورة الثامن من اذار Ṯaurät aṯ-Ṯāmin Āḏār	Celebrates seizure of power by Baath Party
March 21	Mother's Day	عيد الأم ‘Īd al-’Umm
April 17	Independence Day	عيد الجلاء ‘Īd al-Ğalā’	Celebrates evacuation of last French troops
variable	Gregorian Easter	عيد الفصح غريغوري ‘Īd al-Fiṣḥ Ġrīġūrī	According to the Gregorian calendar
variable	Julian Easter	عيد الفصح اليوليوسي ‘Īd al-Fiṣḥ al-Yūliyūsī	According to the Julian calendar
May 1	Labor day	عيد العمال ‘Īd al-‘Ummāl
May 6	Martyr's Day	عيد الشهداء ‘Īd aš-Šuhadā’	Anniversary of execution of Syrian nationalists in Damascus by the Turks
October 6	October War	حرب تشرين التحريرية Harb Teshreen Al-Tahririyyah	Celebrating Yom Kippur War
December 25	Christmas	عيد الميلاد المجيد ‘Īd al-Mīlād al-Mağīd
Dates following the lunar Islamic calendar
Dhul Hijja 10	Eid al-Adha	عيد الأضحى ‘Īd al-’Aḍḥà
Shawwal 1	Eid al-Fitr	عيد الفطر ‘Īd al-Fiṭr
Rabi`-ul-Awwal 12	Mawlid	المولد النبوي al-Maulid an-Nabawī	Muhammad's birthday

1

Fairs and festivals

}

• Music of Syria

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Syria
• Foreign relations of Syria
• Great Syria
• List of prominent Syrian people
• Military of Syria
• Transportation in Syria
• Scouting in Syria

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Boczek, Boleslaw Adam (2006). International Law: A Dictionary. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810850788
• Karoubi, Mohammad Taghi (2004). Just Or Unjust War? Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 0754623750

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Syria

Festival/Fair	City	Month
Flower Festival	Latakia	April
Traditional Festival	Palmyra	May
International Flower Fair	Damascus	May
Marmarita Festival	Marmarita	August
Vine Festival	As Suwayda	September
Cotton Festival	Aleppo	September
Damascus International Fair	Damascus	September
Festival of Love and Peace	Lattakia	September
Bosra Festival	Bosra	September
Film and Theatre Festival	Damascus	November
Jasmine Festival	Damascus	April

Syria Portal

Government

• Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• The Syrian Baath Party
• Syrian Parliament

Culture

• The Syrian National Film Organization
• Syrian General Organization of Radio and TV
• Al Assad National Library

Society

• syriapath for Syrians and Syrian expats

Economy

• Central Bank of Syria
• The Commercial Bank of Syria

News

• syria-news Popular local news website
• syria today news News Agency
• SANA Syrian Arab News Agency Government News Agency
• Syrian General Organization of Radio and TV
• Cham Press A complete roundup of news about Syria (in Arabic & English)
• Syria, a Presidential Republic Under Military Rule Ynetnews (Israeli newspaper) article about Syria

Cities & Towns

• Mashta Al Helou Official Website
• Safita Official Website
• alkafroun Official Website
• Marmarita Official Website

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• Syria  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "Syria"

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