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The History of Syria is as ancient and fascinating as the country. The country is in Southwest Asia and is bordered by many countries like Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south and Iraq to the east. Turkey is located to the north, Lebanon, the Mediterranean Sea and the island of Cyprus is on the west. Damascus is the capital city of Syria. Travelers are fascinated with the History of Syria while traveling here.

The History of Syria goes back to the Eblan civilization of Syria. Around the city of Ebla in northern Syria an ancient civilization was discovered in 1975. This Semitic empire spread from the Red Sea north to Turkey and east to Mesopotamia from 2500 to 2400 B.C. It was conquered by the Hittites later. Sumerians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Babylonians and Hittites occupied Syria later.

Another important point in the History of Syria was during the second millennium BC, when it was successively occupied by the Canaanites, Phoenicians and Arameans. Later the Persians took Syria as part of their empire and were transferred to the Ancient Macedonians after Alexander the Great conquered it. Afterwards Syria was conquered by the Romans and the Byzantines. Another Historical Fact of Syria was that the city of Antioch was the capital of Syria in the Roman period. This city was one of the largest cities in the world. Another important milestone in Syrian History was its significance in the history of Christianity. It was here that Saul of Tarsus was converted on the Road to Damascus and later was known as the Apostle Paul.

Syria was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century and became a part of the Islamic Empire. Damascus was made the capital of this empire by the Umayyad dynasty in the mid 7th century. In the 12th century the Syrian coastline were briefly held by Frankish overlords during the Crusades. It was known as the Crusader state of the Principality of Antioch. Another turning point in the History of Syria was in the 1400's when Timur the Lame, or Tamerlane invaded Syria. He sacked Aleppo and captured Damascus.

From the 16th through 20th centuries Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire. While Syria fought along the German side during World War I, the British and French planned to dissolve this great Ottoman territory. Through the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 the Ottoman territory was divided into two zones. The northern zone which included Syria and Lebanon was controlled by France while the southern zone which included Jordan, Iraq and Palestine went to the British.

An independent Arab Kingdom of Syria was established under Faisal I of the Hashemite family in 1920. Later Syria was put under French mandate by the League of Nations. In September of 1936 Syria and France negotiated a treaty of independence. The turning point in the History of Syria came on January 1, 1944 when Syria was recognized as an independent republic.

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