Sepia collage: an outline map of Syria with Damascus marked by a red star, surrounded by etched historical photographs of the Citadel of Aleppo, Krak des Chevaliers, the norias of Hama, the Umayyad Mosque, Bab Sharqi, the Roman theatre of Bosra and Palmyra's arch and Temple of Bel.

1922 — 2025 · 25 presidents · 10 flags

رؤساء سورياSyria's Presidents

A century of power and flags, told as a paper collage: twenty-five presidents, from Subhi Barakat in 1922 to Ahmed al-Sharaa in 2025, and the ten flags raised over them.

Explore the timeline Watch the film

The timeline

Scroll to travel from 1918 to today: the year, the president and the story change as you go.

1918

Twenty-five presidents

In order of office. Each card opens the collage, the animated film and the moments behind it.

Ten flags, rising

From the Arab Revolt banner of 1918 to the flag of 2025. Select a flag to see who governed under it.

The films

The animated pieces made from the collages. Sound is effects only, no music.

The full timeline 4:06Flags intro, all 25 presidents on a 1920–2026 ruler, and the flags ending.

Social reel 0:39Vertical cut: five presidents a screen, ending on the flags.

Flags intro 0:17Every national flag since 1918, stacked as torn paper cards.

Sources & credits

Images are public domain or used under their Creative Commons licences. Attribution for each collage is listed below.

Creative Commons (attribution required)

Landmark photographs (cover, opening map & backgrounds)

Flags, newspapers, maps & type

National flags: Wikimedia Commons artwork (public domain).
Newspaper clippings: Al-Ahram, Al-Anwar, Al-Muntada, Barada, Journal des Débats and others, from public-domain scans; Voice of America reports (public domain).
Maps: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Type: Bodoni Moda, Tajawal, Courier Prime (SIL Open Font License).