SYRIA OFFICIALLY SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC COUNTRY WESTERN ASIA DE JURE SYRIAN TERRITORY BORDERS LEBANON MEDITERRANEAN SEA TURKEY TO THE NORTH IRAQ JORDAN ISRAEL GOVERNMENTS CONTROL STATE AREA LESS THAN FERTILE HIGH DIVERSE ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS SYRIAN ARABS GREEKS ARMENIANS ASSYRIANS KURDS CIRCASSIANS MANDEANS TURKS RELIGIOUS SUNNIS CHRISTIANS ALAWITES DRUZE SHIITES SALAFI YAZIDIS SUNNI ARABS MAKE UP LARGEST POPULATION GROUP NAME SYNONYMOUS THE LEVANT ARABIC THE MODERN ANCIENT KINGDOMS EBLA CIVILIZATION OF THE MILLENNIUM CAPITAL DAMASCUS CITIES IN THE WORLD ISLAM SEAT UMAYYAD CALIPHATE PROVINCIAL CAPITAL THE MAMLUK SULTANATE AFTER THE END CENTURIES OTTOMAN IN WORLD WAR FRENCH MANDATE ARAB STATE EMERGE ARAB PARLIAMENTARY REPUBLIC MEMBER THE UNITED LEGALLY FRENCH TROOPS LEAVE THE COUNTRY PERIOD LARGE NUMBER MILITARY COUP ATTEMPTS SHOOK BRIEF UNION EGYPT THE UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC TERMINATED THE ARAB REPUBLIC CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE BAATH PARTY EMERGENCY LAW EFFECTIVELY SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT AMERICAN FREEDOM HOUSE BASHAR PRESIDENT FATHER HAFEZ OFFICE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION SUSPENDED THE ARAB LEAGUE THE ORGANISATION OF ISLAMIC COOPERATION THE UNION MEDITERRANEAN UPRISING ASSAD GOVERNMENT THE ARAB SPRING CRACKDOWN THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR BECOMING ONE VIOLENT SYRIAN INTERIM GOVERNMENT THE OPPOSITION UMBRELLA GROUP SYRIAN NATIONAL COALITION REPRESENTATIVES OF ALTERNATIVE SUBSEQUENTLY DERIVED THE CENTURY LUWIAN TERM DERIVATIVE ANCIENT GREEK ASSYRIA NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA SELEUCID EMPIRE POINT THE GREEKS DISTINCTION ARAMEANS MAINSTREAM MODERN ACADEMIC OPINION THE ARGUMENT THE GREEK WORD RELATED COGNATE AKKADIAN BELIEVED SIRYON SIDON GAVE MOUNT HERMON THE DISCOVERY OF INSCRIPTION SEEMS SUPPORT THEORY WHOSE HOMELAND NORTHERN IRAQ DESIGNATED THE WORD CHANGED OVER TIME LIES EASTERN ARABIA THE SOUTH ASIA MINOR STRETCHING INLAND PARTS UNCERTAIN BORDER THE NORTHEAST PLINY THE ELDER WEST COMMAGENE SOPHENE ADIABENE DIVIDED NUMBER PROVINCES THE ROMAN EMPIRE POLITICALLY INDEPENDENT EACH OTHER JUDAEA PALAESTINA REGION THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES THE EXTREME SOUTHWEST PHOENICE HOMS REGIONS HOLLOW SOUTH ELEUTHERIS RIVER CENTERS NEOLITHIC CULTURE AGRICULTURE CATTLE BREEDING THE FIRST TIME NEOLITHIC PERIOD PPNB HOUSES MUREYBET PEOPLE MADE OF STONE GYPS BURNT LIME BLANCHE FINDS OBSIDIAN TOOLS ANATOLIA EVIDENCES TRADE HAMOUKAR EMAR ROLE LATE NEOLITHIC BRONZE ARCHAEOLOGIST CIVILIZATION INDIGENOUS CIVILISATION THE REGION THE KINGDOM IDLIB NORTHERN SYRIA APPEARS FORTUNE MESOPOTAMIAN SUMER AKKAD HURRIAN PEOPLES GIFTS PHARAOH CONFIRM CONTACT WRITTEN TRADING AGREEMENT BETWEEN VIZIER IBRIUM AMBIGUOUS KINGDOM SCHOLARS BELIEVE THE LANGUAGE SEMITIC LANGUAGES RECENT EBLAITE LANGUAGE EAST SEMITIC LANGUAGE AKKADIAN LANGUAGE LONG WAR MARI THE WHOLE AKKADIAN EMPIRE SARGON OF AKKAD GRANDSON EBLAN DOMINATION HALF HURRIANS SETTLED NORTHERN EAST THE REST AMORITE THE LAND AMURRU THE NORTHWEST SEMITIC LANGUAGE AMORITES CANAANITE LANGUAGE SAW PROSPERITY HAMMURABI UGARIT CIRCA CLOSE LATAKIA CANAANITE LANGUAGES DEVELOPED UGARITIC ALPHABET DESTRUCTION THE HANDS SEA PEOPLES YAMHAD ALEPPO OLD ASSYRIAN EMPIRE RULED DYNASTY THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE TABLETS NEAR EAST AUTHORITY ALALAKH QATNA THE EUPHRATES VALLEY DOWN THE BORDERS ARMY FAR AWAY ON THE BORDER ELAM HITTITES BATTLE GROUND FOREIGN HITTITE EMPIRE MITANNI EGYPTIAN EMPIRE MIDDLE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE DEGREE BABYLONIA EGYPTIANS THE HITTITES EVENTUALLY UPPER EMPIRE HUGE PREVIOUSLY SEMITIC CONFLICT THE WEST SEMITIC SPEAKING WESTERN FIGHTING REACHED ZENITH THE BATTLE KADESH THE MIDDLE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE ANNEXED REIGN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE DECLINE ARAMEAN TRIBES THE INTERIOR BIT BAHIANI HAMATH LUHUTI ARAMEA ARAM SYNTHESIS REMNANTS NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH CENTRAL ASIA MINOR PALISTIN CARCHEMISH SAMAL CANAANITE PHOENICIANS DOMINATE PALESTINE CITY STATES AMRIT SIMYRA ARWAD PALTOS RAMITHA COASTAL SPREAD INFLUENCE BUILDING COLONIES MALTA IBERIAN PENINSULA SPAIN AND PORTUGAL NORTH THE MAJOR CITY STATE CARTHAGE TUNISIA THE CENTER MAJOR ENTIRE BEYOND FELL VAST NEO ASSYRIAN EMPIRE IMPERIAL ARAMAIC LINGUA FRANCA OF LANGUAGE WAS TO DOMINANT ISLAMIC CONQUEST VEHICLE THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY SYRIA AND LEBANON ASSYRIAN THEMSELVES BRUTAL INTERNAL CIVIL COALITION SUBJECT THE MEDES BABYLONIANS CHALDEA PERSIANS SCYTHIANS CIMMERIANS THE FALL RAVAGED THE LAST STAND THE ASSYRIAN VICTORIOUS ACHAEMENID HEGEMONY SOUTHWEST ASIA SPENT RETAINED DIPLOMATIC ACHAEMENID EMPIRE SATRAPY MACEDONIAN EMPIRE ALEXANDER THE GREAT CORRUPTION DESCRIBE ITSELF LANDS THUS WORLD THE EAST SYRIANS SYRIACS DISTINCT CONFUSION CONTINUE THE MODERN WORLD SOUTHERN SELEUCID SYRIA TAKEN JUDEAN HASMONEANS SLOW DISINTEGRATION HELLENISTIC EMPIRE ARMENIAN TIGRANES THE GREAT SAVIOR THE SELEUCIDS ROMANS DECADES DRIVEN POMPEY THE GREAT CAPTURED ANTIOCH TURNING ROMAN PALMYRA RICH SOMETIMES POWERFUL NATIVE ARAMAIC NETWORK CITY ONE RICHEST KING ODAENATHUS THE PERSIAN EMPEROR SHAPUR THE ROMAN SUCCESSOR WIDOW ZENOBIA PALMYRENE EMPIRE JUDAH FINALLY AREAS NORTH EAST ARAMAIC LAN