Since the establishment of the Syrian Republic on 14 May 1930, Syria has had several coats of arms, albeit fairly consistent in composition – a supporter (often the Hawk of Quraish) bearing a shield, with the official Arabic name of the country on a scroll beneath.

The eagle holds in its claws a ribbon that reads "The Syrian Republic" in Kufic script, as the concept of Arab nationalism had not yet formalised.

[2] During Syria's union with Egypt in the United Arab Republic (UAR) from 1958 to 1961, the pan-Arab Eagle of Saladin was adopted as the basis for the national coat of arms.

[5] Though this observation is not confirmed,[5] this distinction led to initial resistance from some conservative Syrians, who opposed adopting Egypt’s emblem due to its depiction of an eagle as a spear-eater.

The revised design featured an Arab shield with three green stars at its center, embraced by a Hawk (al-‘Uqab) with three surrounding lines.

The hawk clutched a scroll in its talons, inscribed in Kufic script with the words "Syrian Arab Republic" (al-Jumhūriyyah al-‘Arabiyyah as-Sūriyyah).

The shield featured three green stars on a silver background, encircled by three lines in the following order: red (outermost), white, and black (innermost).

This redesign maintained the symbolic elements of Syria’s national identity while incorporating the Hawk of Quraish, which later became the emblem of the Federation of Arab Republics (1972–1977), alongside Egypt and Libya.

In 1972, the Hawk of Quraish (al-‘Uqab), was incorporated into the flag and emblem of the Federation of Arab Republics, a loose political union between Syria, Egypt, and Libya.

Retired Brigadier General Dr. Adeeb Al-Shaa’r explained the significance of the emblem, stating that the hawk symbolizes pride, courage, and leadership among birds of prey.

After the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, the newly formed Syrian transitional government updated the coat of arms with a new escutcheon based on the flag Syria used upon independence from France in 1946.