Country history · Asia

History of Syria

85 recorded states lay in what is now Syria, from Ebla (3000 BCE) to Syria. 3 of them have a full profile, and 25 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)15 without a known seat not shownOpen in the atlas →

Profiles

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

31st century BCE

  1. Ebla3000 BCE – 1600 BCE · profile

30th century BCE

  1. Mari2900 BCE – 1761 BCE · profile

27th century BCE

  1. Nagar2600 BCE – 2200 BCE · city state

26th century BCE

  1. Emar2500 BCE – 1185 BCE · city state
  2. Tuttul2500 BCE – 1760 BCE · city state
  3. Urkesh2500 BCE – 1350 BCE · city state

21st century BCE

  1. Qatna2000 BCE – 1340 BCE · kingdom

19th century BCE

  1. Yamhad1810 BCE – 1517 BCE · kingdom
  2. Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia1808 BCE – 1776 BCE · kingdom
  3. Ashnakkum1800 BCE – 1700 BCE · city state
  4. Ilansura1800 BCE – 1700 BCE · city state
  5. Kahat1800 BCE – 1700 BCE · city state
  6. Kingdom of Ugarit1800 BCE – 1185 BCE · profile

18th century BCE

  1. Apum1775 BCE – 1728 BCE · kingdom
  2. Kingdom of Hana1720 BCE – 1350 BCE · kingdom

16th century BCE

  1. Arwad1500 BCE – 64 BCE · city state
  2. Kadesh1500 BCE – 1200 BCE · city state
  3. Niya1500 BCE – 1340 BCE · city state
  4. Nuhashshe1500 BCE – 1300 BCE · kingdom
  5. Simyra1500 BCE – 738 BCE · city state
  6. Tunip1500 BCE – 1300 BCE · city state
  7. Upi1500 BCE – 1200 BCE · kingdom

15th century BCE

  1. Kingdom of Amurru1400 BCE – 1190 BCE · kingdom

14th century BCE

  1. Viceroyalty of Carchemish1340 BCE – 1180 BCE · kingdom

12th century BCE

  1. Kingdom of Carchemish1180 BCE – 717 BCE · kingdom
  2. Hamath1100 BCE – 720 BCE · kingdom

11th century BCE

  1. Aram-Zobah1050 BCE – 950 BCE · kingdom
  2. Aram-Damascus1000 BCE – 732 BCE · kingdom
  3. Aram-Maacah1000 BCE – 900 BCE · kingdom
  4. Bit Adini1000 BCE – 856 BCE · kingdom
  5. Geshur1000 BCE – 900 BCE · kingdom

10th century BCE

  1. Bit Bahiani950 BCE – 808 BCE · kingdom
  2. Bit Agusi900 BCE – 740 BCE · kingdom
  3. Lu'ash900 BCE – 738 BCE · kingdom

2nd century BCE

  1. Nabataean Kingdom168 BCE – 106 CE · kingdom
  2. Osroene132 BCE – 244 CE · kingdom
  3. Ituraea115 BCE – 20 BCE · principality

1st century BCE

  1. Emesene dynasty64 BCE – 72 CE · kingdom
  2. Decapolis (Levant)63 BCE – 106 CE · tribal confederation
  3. Tetrarchy of Philip4 BCE – 34 CE · principality

1st century

  1. Kingdom of Herod Agrippa37 CE – 100 CE · kingdom

3rd century

  1. Ghassanid Kingdom220 CE – 638 CE · kingdom
  2. Palmyrene Empire260 CE – 273 CE · kingdom
  3. Tanukhids270 CE – 400 CE · tribal confederation

5th century

  1. Salihids400 CE – 502 CE · tribal confederation

6th century

  1. Ghassanids502 CE – 638 CE · kingdom

9th century

  1. Tulunid emirate868 CE – 905 CE · emirate

10th century

  1. Hamdanid emirate of Mosul905 CE – 990 CE · emirate
  2. Ikhshidid emirate935 CE – 969 CE · emirate
  3. Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo945 CE – 1004 CE · emirate
  4. Numayrids990 CE – 1081 CE · emirate
  5. Uqaylid dynasty990 CE – 1096 CE · emirate

11th century

  1. Lu'lu'id Aleppo1004 CE – 1016 CE · emirate
  2. Mirdasid Emirate1024 CE – 1080 CE · emirate
  3. Emirate of Atsiz1071 CE – 1079 CE · emirate
  4. Principality of Philaretos Brachamios1071 CE – 1086 CE · principality
  5. Seljuk Sultanate of Syria1079 CE – 1095 CE · sultanate
  6. Munqidhite Emirate of Shaizar1081 CE – 1157 CE · emirate
  7. Nizari Ismaili state1090 CE – 1256 CE · theocracy
  8. Seljuk Emirate of Aleppo1095 CE – 1117 CE · emirate
  9. Seljuk Emirate of Damascus1095 CE – 1104 CE · emirate
  10. County of Edessa1098 CE – 1150 CE · crusader state
  11. Principality of Antioch1098 CE – 1268 CE · crusader state

12th century

  1. County of Tripoli1102 CE – 1289 CE · crusader state
  2. Burid Emirate of Damascus1104 CE – 1154 CE · emirate
  3. Zengid dynasty1127 CE – 1250 CE · emirate
  4. Zengid dynasty of Mosul1127 CE – 1233 CE · emirate
  5. Nizari Ismailis of Syria1132 CE – 1273 CE · theocracy
  6. Ayyubid Emirate of Hama1178 CE – 1341 CE · emirate
  7. Ayyubid Emirate of Homs1179 CE – 1262 CE · emirate
  8. Ayyubid Emirate of Aleppo1186 CE – 1260 CE · emirate
  9. Ayyubid Emirate of Damascus1193 CE – 1260 CE · emirate

20th century

  1. Occupied Enemy Territory Administration1917 CE – 1920 CE · other
  2. Arab Kingdom of Syria1918 CE – 1920 CE · kingdom
  3. Alawite State1920 CE – 1936 CE · other
  4. French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon1920 CE – 1946 CE · colony
  5. State of Aleppo1920 CE – 1924 CE · other
  6. State of Damascus1920 CE – 1924 CE · other
  7. Jabal Druze State1921 CE – 1936 CE · other
  8. Syrian Federation1922 CE – 1924 CE · other
  9. State of Syria1925 CE – 1930 CE · other
  10. Syrian Republic1930 CE – 1958 CE · republic
  11. Syria1946 CE – present · republic
  12. United Arab Republic1958 CE – 1961 CE · republic
  13. Syrian Arab Republic1961 CE – present · republic

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of Anatolia and the Levant → States of Mesopotamia and Iran → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of Syria. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/syria
MLA
“History of Syria.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/syria. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of Syria.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/syria.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of Syria’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/syria (Accessed: ).