SYRIA

Syrian Arab Republic Al-Jumhuriyah al-‘Arabiyah as-Suriyah CAPITAL: Damascus (Dimashq) FLAG: The national flag is a horizontal tricolor of red, white, and black stripes; in the white center stripe are two green five-pointed stars. ANTHEM: An-Nashid as-Suri (The Syrian National Anthem) begins “Protectors of the nation, peace be upon you.” MONETARY UNIT: The Syrian pound (S£) is a paper currency of 100 piasters. There are coins of 25 and 50 piasters and 1 Syrian pound and notes of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 500 Syrian pounds. S£1 = $0.0194 (or $1 = S£51.50) as of January 2003. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: The metric system is the legal standard, but local units are widely used. HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; Revolution Day, 8 March; Egypt’s Revolution Day, 23 July; Union of Arab Republics Day, 1 September; National Day, 16 November. Muslim religious holidays include ‘Id al-Fitr, ‘Id al-‘Adha’, Milad an-Nabi, and Laylat al-Miraj. Christian religious holidays include Easter (Catholic); Easter (Orthodox); and Christmas, 25 December. TIME: 2 PM = noon GMT.