Provinces of Syria

Buy data    Donate

Updates: 

Several sources are saying that there is a province called Al-Ghab, or Alghaba. They suggest that it was split from Hamah. However, there are not enough official references to it yet for me to add it to the table. Does anyone have more information about it?

I updated the population figures to 2002 estimates using data on this stats page from the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development . I also added some alternate names, and changed the spellings of two English province names that I found not to be very common.

I found a precise date for one of the changes reported in the book.

Country overview: 

The Ottoman Empire had a Syria province, containing the vilayets of Aleppo, Beirut, Syria (or Damascus), and Zor. During World War I, the British and French seized the southern part of the Ottoman Empire and parceled it out between themselves. The Treaty of Sèvres (1920-08-10) mandated Syria and Lebanon to France. Syria and Lebanon became independent and separate countries on 1944-01-01. Syria formed a union with Egypt, the United Arab Republic (U.A.R.), on 1958-02-01. They both became regions of the U.A.R. Syria withdrew from the union on 1961-09-29.

Other names of country: 

1. Arabic: al-Jumhuriya al-Arabiya as-Suriya (formal)
2. Danish: Syrien
3. Dutch: Syrië, Syrische Arabische Republiek (formal)
4. English: Syrian Arab Republic (formal)
5. Finnish: Syyria
6. French: Syrie f, République f Arabe Syrienne (formal)
7. German: Syrien, Arabische Republik f Syrien n (formal)
8. Icelandic: Sýrland
9. Italian: Siria f
10. Norwegian: Den arabiske republikk Syria (formal) (Bokmål), Den arabiske republikken Syria (formal) (Nynorsk), Syria
11. Portuguese: Síria, República f Árabe Síria f (formal)
12. Spanish: Siria, República f Árabe Siria f (formal)
13. Swedish: Syrien

Origin of name: 

Syria is probably from Phoenician tsur: rock

Primary subdivisions: 

Syria is divided into fourteen muhafazah (provinces, or governorates).

Further subdivisions:

The provinces are divided into sixty manatik (sing. mantika: districts), which are further divided into nawahi (sing. nahia: subdistricts). The nawahi contain villages, which are the smallest administrative units.

Territorial extent: 

Syria claims the Turkish province of Hatay, which the Syrians call Iskenderun.

Origins of names: 

1. Aleppo: said to derive from Arabic Hala al-Shahbaa: milking the fair cow, referring to a legend that the patriarch Abraham milked a cow there
2. Al Jazira: Arabic for the island, referring to the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
3. Jabal Druze: Arabic jabal: mountain, named for Mount Druze in southern Syria

Change history: 

1. 1920: France organized its mandate of Syria. Beirut became the capital. There were six semi-autonomous areas: Aleppo, Alexandretta, Damascus, Jabal Druze, Alaouites (Alawiya, `Alawite), and Lebanon (Great Lebanon; French: Grand Liban).
2. 1923: Northern strip of Syria restored to Turkey by the Treaty of Lausanne.
3. 1925: Syria state formed by merging Aleppo and Damascus provinces.
4. 1926-05: Status of Lebanon changed from province to state, with its borders somewhat enlarged.
5. 1930-05-14: The French imposed a new constitution, under which the French mandate consisted of the republics of Latakia (former Alaouites; French: Lattaquié), Lebanon, and Syria (including Alexandretta), and the semi-autonomous area of Jabal Druze.
6. 1936: Latakia and Jabal Druze merged with Syria under new treaty with France.
7. 1938-09-02: Alexandretta became independent as the Republic of Hatay (later merged with Turkey).
8. 1944-01-01: Lebanon split from Syria.
9. ~1946: Syria reorganized into the districts of Aleppo, Damascus, Euphrates (Al Furat), Hama, Hauran, Ḥimṣ, Jabal Druze, Al Jazira, and Latakia.
10. ~1954: Name of Hauran changed to Dar`ā; name of Jabal Druze changed to As Suwaydā'; name of Al Jazira changed to Al Ḥasakah.
11. ~1960: Euphrates split into Al Rashid and Dayr az Zawr; Idlib split from Aleppo.
12. ~1962: Damascus split into Dimashq (Damascus) province and Damascus city (Madīnat Dimashq).
13. ~1963: Name of Al Rashid changed to Ar Raqqah.
14. 1964-08-27: Quneitra province split from Dimashq.
15. 1967: Israel occupied the Golan Heights. This represents most of Quneitra and part of Dar`ā.
16. ~1972: Ţarţūs split from Latakia.
17. 1987: Status of Damascus city changed from governorate to province; Dimashq province brought under the jurisdiction of Damascus and called Rif Dimashq rural area.

Other names of subdivisions: 

1. Aleppo: Alep (French); Alepo (Spanish); Haleb, Ḥalab (variant)
2. Al Ḥasakah: Al Hasaka, Al-Haska, Al Hassake, El Haseke, Haseke, Hassakeh, Hazakieh (variant); Hassetché (French); Al Jezira, Jezireh (obsolete)
3. Quneitra: Al Qunatirah, Al Qunayţirah, Al Quneitera, El Quneitra, El Kenitra, Kunaitra, Kuneitra, Qunaytira, Qunitra (variant)
4. Ar Raqqah: Al Rakka, Raqqa (variant); Al Rashid, Rashid (obsolete)
5. As Suwaydā': Djebel Druze, Jabal Druze, Jebel Druse, Jebel ed Druz, Al Jubal ad Druze (obsolete); Gebel Druso (Italian-obsolete); Al Sueida, Es Sueida, Es Suweida, Soueida, Suwaidaa, Suwaydá, Swaidaa, Sweida (variant); Suayda (French)
6. Damascus: Damas, Damas-Ville (French); Damasco (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish); Damaskus (German, Norwegian, Swedish); Damascus City, Dimashq, Dimishq, Madînat Dimashq (variant)
7. Dar`ā: Dara'a, Dária, Dera`a, Derraa (variant); Hauran (obsolete)
8. Dayr az Zawr: Dair-Ezzor, Dayr az Zaur, Deir Al Zour, Deir ez Zor, Der Azzor, Dier Elzour (variant)
9. Hama: Ḥamāh (variant)
10. Ḥimṣ: Homs (variant)
11. Idlib: Adlib, Edleb, Idleb (variant)
12. Latakia: Al Lādhiqīyah, El Ladhiqiya, Lattakia, Lattakieh, Lattikia (variant); Lattaquie (French)
13. Rif Dimashq: Damas Campagne (French); Damascus Countryside, Damascus Rural (variant)
14. Ţarţūs: Tartaus, Tartous (variant)