Syria launches new national emblem signifying 'united, indivisible' state

Design of golden eagle with three golden stars represents 'strength and determination' and 'liberation of the people'

Syria has unveiled a new national emblem which reflects the country’s “united, indivisible” identity, according to Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara.

Mr Al Shara launched the new emblem at the People’s Palace in Damascus on Thursday, with Syrians taking to the streets in the capital and in provinces to celebrate.

The design features the golden eagle, which symbolises “strength, determination, speed, mastery, and innovation in performance”, Mr Al Shara said. Three gold stars above the bird of prey represent the “liberation of the people”.

The eagle’s tail has five feathers that represent the country's main geographic regions − north, east, west, south and central − symbolising Syrian unity.

Its wings are made of 14 feathers, representing Syria’s governorates. The “symbolic, symmetrical arrangement” of the wings aims to show “the importance of each Syrian governorate and its role in the stability of the state”, reported state-run news agency Sana.

“Syrian people … History tells us that the era of your decline has passed, the time of your rise has come, your blood was not shed in vain, your suffering was heard, your migration has ended, your prisons have been dissolved and patience has brought you victory,” Mr Al Shara said at the unveiling ceremony.

“We cannot celebrate this occasion without extending a sincere and grateful salute to all the Syrian youth who contributed to building this identity, to all those who participated in it inside and outside the country, taking the initiative, being creative, defying circumstances and believing that beloved Syria deserves more.”

Syrians celebrate the launch of their new national emblem, in the west-central province of Hama. Reuters

Mr Al Shara, a former militant with Al Qaeda in Iraq, came to power last December, after his Hayat Tahrir Al Sham rebel group led a lightning offensive that ended former president Bashar Al Assad’s 24-year rule.

The government, which is dominated by HTS figures, is trying to unify and rebuild the country after more than 13 years of civil war.

Mr Al Shara said the new national emblem aims to restore “confidence and dignity” among Syrians, both at home and abroad, and signifies a state “that does not accept division” and where cultural and ethnic diversity is a factor of enrichment, not conflict.

However, attacks on minorities in the past six months underline the challenges it faces in creating such a state.

A suicide bombing that killed at least 25 people at a church in Damascus last month was claimed by a HTS splinter group that is said to operate like ISIS and is highly critical of Mr Al Shara.

The group also claims to have taken part in a retaliatory killing spree against members of the Alawite minority in March, in which more than 800 people, mostly civilians, were killed, according to an estimate by the UK-based Syrian Network for Human Rights.