The Syrian government has unveiled a new national visual identity, which includes a revised national emblem and changes to other sovereign visual symbols.
The launch took place during a ceremony at the People’s Palace in Damascus on Thursday evening, July 3, in the presence of transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa and top ministers and officials. Simultaneous celebrations were held in major Syrian provinces.
The identity was presented during the event attended by Enab Baladi, as part of efforts to rebuild the national image and promote unity and a collective identity, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, in a way that reflects the current phase.
The Golden Eagle
The new emblem is the Syrian Golden Eagle — a term historically linked to the Islamic conquest of Greater Syria by the companion Khalid ibn al-Walid during the Battle of “Thaniyat al-Uqab” (The Eagle’s Pass), according to a statement by the Ministry of Information reviewed by Enab Baladi.
In modern Syrian history, the golden eagle was also a continuation of what the founding fathers adopted in 1945, embodied in the design by Syrian artist Khaled al-Asali to represent the Syrian Republic.
The statement clarified that the difference between the old and new eagle lies in the fact that the 2011 revolution marked the first genuine mass political participation by Syrians in five decades — a movement that cost millions of lives through martyrdom, displacement, detention, and injury over 14 years.
That revolution broke the chains that had suppressed their freedom and political agency as rightful citizens of a land with deep historical roots. Thus, it became necessary to redefine the relationship between the state and the people — a vision articulated by President Ahmad al-Sharaa as “a government emerging from the people and serving them.”
The three stars above the eagle symbolize the end of forced fusion between the state and people and the beginning of a new relationship suited to present circumstances and future hopes.
These three stars, representing the flag in form and the people in meaning, are now placed above the eagle — which symbolizes the state, now freed from its prior militaristic associations (represented by the shield in the previous emblem), according to the statement.
It added that this people, whose aspirations reach the stars, are now guarded by a state that protects them and provides all they need to play their historic role after decades of marginalization. In return, the people — through their anticipated revival — empower this state, illuminating its future and defending it in times of danger. The stars rise above the eagle’s head and encircle it.
The eagle’s tail has five feathers, each representing one of Syria’s major geographical regions: north, east, west, south, and central. These feathers form the banner of Syrian unity. The eagle’s wings are in a state of balance — neither attacking nor defending — with each wing consisting of seven feathers, totaling 14 to represent all Syrian provinces.
This symbolic, symmetrical distribution highlights the importance of every province and its role in the stability of the state. The new emblem thus serves as a visual political covenant linking territorial unity to unified governance.
Five Core Messages
The new emblem conveys five main messages, according to the statement:
1- Historical continuity: The eagle is not a break but an extension of the 1945 design, affirming the authenticity of the Syrian identity over time.
2- Representation of the new state: The eagle symbolizes the new Syria, a modern state emerging from the will of its people.
3- Liberation and empowerment of the people: The liberation of the stars signifies the liberation of the people.
4- Unity of Syrian territories: The eagle’s tail, composed of five feathers, represents the geographical regions without discrimination or exclusion, but in integration.
5- A new national covenant defining the relationship between the state and the people.
During the unveiling ceremony at the People’s Palace, President Ahmad al-Sharaa stated that “the identity we launch today represents an indivisible, united Syria,” adding that “cultural and ethnic diversity is a source of richness, not division.”
He continued, “This identity represents the building of the Syrian individual and restores the identity of a people long forced into exile in search of safety and a promising future. It gives them back their dignity and rightful place at home and abroad.”
The ceremony included celebratory events across all Syrian provinces — starting with Damascus, where the People’s Palace and the Unknown Soldier Square hosted high-tech visual displays blending heritage and modernity, extending to public squares throughout the country.
Rebuilding the National Identity
Waseem Qaddoura, Chairman of the Visual Identity Reconstruction Project for the Syrian Arab Republic, told Enab Baladi in a previous interview that rebuilding any entity’s visual identity — whether a company or a country — requires precise and complex procedures.
He explained that the process is grounded in thorough research, including market analysis, audience studies, and behavior assessments, in order to produce outputs that accurately reflect the entity’s identity.
The Syrian visual identity project is particularly sensitive, as it relates directly to the nation’s core identity.
The process began with a comprehensive study of the existing identity, analyzing its cultural, social, and political roots and understanding national and popular symbols that evolved over time and were reflected in the country’s visual designs.
