Syria

Where the name comes from

Syria comes from Ancient Greek Syria, often linked to Assyria; the name’s origin and how far it reached have been debated.

First people

Some of the world’s first farming villages grew here, and Aramaic and later Arabic spread across the region.^1,2

Known for

Syria is known for Damascus and Aleppo, among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.³

Outside contact

Ottoman conquest came in 1516; after Ottoman rule ended in 1918, a short-lived Arab kingdom gave way to French rule, and France occupied Syria in 1920 and split off Lebanon.^4,5

The modern country

Independence was proclaimed in 1941, and the last French troops left in 1946.²