Syria

The name and culture of Syria has ancient origins, referring to a region once known as the Levant. Absorbed into the Ottoman Empire during the 16th Century, the modern state of Syria was created as part of the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, originally as a territory under French mandate. Between 1925 and 1927 a series of battles ensued between French troops and Syrian dissidents supporting independence. Syria remained under French control until 1941, when it again proclaimed its independence. In 1946, the Syrian Republic was established and recognized.

The country aligned itself with other Arab nations during the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, and its subsequent defeat led to a period of instability lasting throughout the 1950s. Historically aligned with the USSR and Egypt, Syria merged with the latter in 1958 forming the United Arab Republic (1958-1961). However, a military seizure of power in September of 1961 dissolved the union and led to the establishment of the Syrian Arab Republic (الجمهورية العربية السورية), a name that the nation retains today.

Syria fought Israel again during the Six Day War (1967), during which the Golan Heights were lost. The territory was regained briefly during the Yom Kippur War (1973), but retaken by Israel which has retained possession ever since. Syria was heavily involved during the Lebanese Civil War, sending troops into Lebanon itself to support insurgent forces (particularly the Amal Movement) and plausibly to seek control over the entire territory. Syrian military forces remained in Lebanon long after the war ended, but were forced to withdraw finally in 2005 under international pressure.

Syrian Camouflage Patterns