Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the golden eagle represents ‘strength, determination, speed, precision, and innovation’. [Getty]
Syria’s government on Thursday unveiled its new national insignia, marking a new chapter following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and prompting celebrations across the country.
The new visual identity, which features a golden Syrian eagle topped with three stars, was revealed during a ceremony at the People’s Palace in Damascus.
“The identity we launch today reflects Syria’s new historical phase,” President Ahmed al-Sharaa said at the event. “It draws inspiration from the golden eagle – symbolising strength, determination, speed, precision, and innovation.”
Old eagle, new eagle
The eagle, which has seven feathers on each wing representing Syria’s 14 governorates, has been presented by the government as a reflection of the country’s long and rich history.
According to state news agency SANA, the eagle symbol featured prominently during the conquest of Greater Syria by the Prophet Muhammad’s companion Khalid ibn al-Walid in the seventh century.
The agency added that the symbol reflects “what the founding fathers had envisioned in 1945”, and was adopted by Syrian designer Khaled al-Asali as the emblem of the Syrian Republic.
While the eagle has long appeared in Syrian iconography, the previous state emblem featured the Hawk of Quraysh – a symbol of Arab nationalism also used by other Arab states.
The new golden eagle is said to symbolise the collective effort of the Syrian people in the revolution, and the sacrifices of those killed, wounded, displaced, or detained in the process.
Its five tail feathers represent Syria’s north, south, east, west, and centre, highlighting the importance of unity and stability.
In his speech, al-Sharaa said that “the identity we are launching today expresses a Syria that does not accept division or partition. It is one and unified Syria, from north to south, and from east to west. Cultural and ethnic diversity is a factor of enrichment, not division or conflict.”
Three stars
The three stars above the eagle represent the Syrian “flag in form and the people in substance”, with the eagle itself representing the state. Their new placement, above rather than on a shield, symbolises a new relationship between people and the state.
The removal of the traditional shield element is intended to signal a break from the previous regime’s more militaristic identity.
Public reactions
Across Syria on Thursday, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in city squares to mark the occasion, chanting slogans and setting off fireworks in celebration.
“I’m here in the centre of Idlib with thousands of others. We listened to the president’s speech and felt proud,” resident Hussein Hassan told The New Arab’s Arabic language edition. “Today is historic as it marks the end of the old identity that reminded us of the former regime and the tyranny Syrians endured for decades.”
Celebrations were reported in all of Syria’s governorates except the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)-controlled areas of Raqqa and Hassakeh.
On social media, many Syrians expressed pride in the new symbols.
“Drum for Syria, celebrate it… and love it alone. This is a love we were deprived of for decades,” wrote Syrian researcher Mohammed al-Sakri on X.
Journalist Mohammed al-Hajj called the logo “clear, direct and modern”, saying it broke from the “old emblems, which were visually cluttered, overly symbolic, and full of text and colour”.
