Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire and used the Ottoman flag.
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In 1918 the British forces established an Arab military administration in Damascus and inner Syria under Faysal (son of Hussein ibn Ali, Grand Sharif of Mecca and King of Hejaz), using the 'Arab Revolt' flag.

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• Sanjak of Damascus (Summer 1920) (Damascus or Syria proper): A green-white-green horizontal tricolor with a canton of the French flag. According to Jaume Oll?/em> however, the flag of Damascus (adopted 1922) was blue with a white circle.

  

• the French canton also appears in this flag. The white circle is 8:12:8 (height) of the flag and French canton is 1/3. The white circle is centered in the whole flag. For more details see Der Flaggenkurier 7/8 article from Falko Schmidt (in German), who previously sent me a summary in English in which he said that the flag was in use from 1922 to 1924. In June 22nd 1922, Damascus joined the Syrian federation and on December 5th 1924, Damascus was merged with Alepo and converted in Syrian State.
• Sanjak of Aleppo [nowadays Khaleb] (Summer 1920)
• Alawite State (September 29th, 1923, including Alexandretta), later renamed Sanjak of Latakia (after its chief town, September 22nd 1930): White, French flag in the canton, triangles in other corners of red, gold sunburst in center. Separate existence as a French mandate in 1920-30 and as a republic in 1930-6.

  

   

   In June 1922 France established a loose federation between the four Syrian puppet states (Damascus, Latakia, Aleppo, and Jebel Druze); Lebanon was considered a separate entity thereafter. According to Jaume Oll?/em>, the federal flag is created, horizontal green-white-green with French flag in canton.

  Green-white-black horizontal tricolor with three red five-pointed stars pointing downwards, ratio 2:3. According to National Geographic 1934, the stars should be upward and the ratio 5:8, but maybe they got the flag from Syrians already preparing/wishing for independence. Maybe the autonomous republic was proclaimed in 1934. The flag adopted had a ratio 1:2 (see Flagsmaster, last issue [c.1998], flag of 1936). It was first hoisted in Aleppo [nowadays Khaleb] on January 1st, 1932 and in Damascus on June 11th. The three stars stood for the districts that formed the Republic (Aleppo, Damascus and Deir es Zor).

Elections were held in 1932 and a Treaty acceptable to both parties was concluded in 1936, adding Latakia (including Alexandretta) and Jebel Druze to the 'Republic'. The stars then stood for Aleppo with Damascus and Deir es Zor (one), Jebel Druze (one) and Latakia (one).

On September 2nd 1938 the French turned the Alexandretta district into the autonomous Republic of Hatay. It was thereafter handed to Turkey (June 23rd, 1939).

  During the Second World War, after invading Vichy-governed Syria, General Catroux proclaimed the independence of Syria in September 1941. The French troops evacuated Syria in May 1945.

Green-white-black horizontal tricolour with three red five-pointed stars pointing upwards, ratio 1:2. Source: National Geographic, February 1951.

Syria and Egypt united on 22nd February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. Red-white-black horizontal tricolor with two green stars.

Syria left the union with Egypt (UAR) on 28th September 1961 and reverted to the 1946-58 flag.

The Ba'ath party made a coup d'état in 1963. Red-white-black horizontal tricolor with three green stars.

Syria joined Egypt and Libya on 1st January 1972 to form the Federation of Arab Republics. They adopted the same flag, with minor variations, for the three countries: red-white-black horizontal tricolour with the hawk of Quraish (the tribe of Mohammad) looking to the hoist (at the right side) [?] on the white band with a small inscription of the name of the federation below. Unlike Egypt or Lybia, the name of the country did not appear below the scroll.

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