3/24/2005

The Eagle


The Syrian national emblem is a reproduction of the Eagle of Saladin. This mediveal Arab hero used a golden eagle as his coat of arms and had it painted on the flags his armies carried during many victorious battles. Other Arab countries have also adopted an Eagle as their emblem, including Egypt, Libya, Palestine and Iraq. This giant eagle is engraved on the wall of the Telecommunications Building in Saadallah Al-Jabiri Street. The shield in the center carries the three stars of the old Syrian flag and the inscription on the ribbon reads "Syrian Republic." This is a bit different from the current coat of arms which has two stars (since 1982) and the words "Syrian Arab Republic" on the ribbon (since 1961).

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting to see that the eagle is used as a symbol by both Arab countries and also the USA - which uses a bald headed eagle! I always thought that the origin of the use of the eagle as a symbol was that Prophet Muhammad's (peace and blessings be upon him) banner used to be that of al uqab in the battles.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting tidbit about the eagle...

Anonymous said...

hi Ayman

this is Naief Rafeh who is proud being syrian too.
I live in Chicago right now .I would love to meet you in Damascus because I going in May there .
I love how you write a bout very sensetive things like the eagle and the mothr's day ,this is make me remember my country the one I love .I am proud of all the people who are writting in this plog .
you can see my web site naeif.com and you will know who I am and may be will see each other there in may

Ayman Haykal said...

Hi Naeif, thanks for your kind remarks. I have just visited your website. I am impressed by your efforts to make Syrian music available for American audience. It would be a pleasure to meet you in Damascus. We'll keep in touch inshallah. My email is el_sirio@yahoo.

Anonymous said...

One small correction, you know it, Saladin is Muslim (not Arab, literately) medieval hero.
The eagle was used as emblem in Syria since the classic period (kingdoms era in the 3rd millennium BC). Baal-Shammin eagle was the emblem of Palmyra in the 2nd-3rd century AD.

Anonymous said...

I am Erika - Naeif's wife. I'm American, but I do love those Syrians - esp. the cute one that lives with me. I LOVE your blog!

Insha'allah, we will meet when N and I are in Damascus in May - how about Nofara? I love that cafe!

Ayman Haykal said...

Hi Erika. Okay Nofara sounds good! Hope to see you and Naeif soon :)

Anonymous said...

Salam Alaykom Ya Ayman...

Very nice work Masha'Allah...
Keep Up the Goodwork..

check the following wesite: www.fustat.com it has some nice pictures of OldDamascus you might be interested in.
I am just like you another Shami Boy whose first love was Damascus, but living in the US now...

Shami Boy,
Houston, TX
tbsawaf@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

Salam Alaykom Ya Ayman...

Very nice work Masha'Allah...
Keep Up the Goodwork..

check the following wesite: www.fustat.com it has some nice pictures of OldDamascus you might be interested in.
I am just like you another Shami Boy whose first love was Damascus, but living in the US now...

Shami Boy,
Houston, TX
tbsawaf@hotmail.com

ألِف said...

Moslem warriors in the early days, including the whole duration of Mohammad's life and many years after didn't raise anything other than a black or white banner in their wars.
I liked the older name of "The Syrian Republic" and the "The Republic of Egypt" better.

Anonymous said...

Do you realize that most Syrians only recognize the old flag of Syria, better known as the flag of Independance. Yes, The Green stripe on top, The black stripe on the bottom, white in the middle with the three red stars. Not the current one that was imposed on Syria by the Baath tyrranical dictatorship.

Dan O'H said...

What is the copyright status of this image? If retained, & if you are the owner, please leave an appropriate comment here (or place a notification elsewhere on the site) and I will try and contact you.