World History Timeline

Countries / Middle East

History of Syria

17 notable historical events in Syria, in chronological order.

War · 14Politics · 7Dynasty · 2Treaty · 1Revolution · 1Religion · 1

13th century BCE

  1. c. 1274 BCE★★★★★

    Battle of Kadesh

    Ramesses II's Egyptian army fights the Hittites near Kadesh in Syria, one of the largest chariot battles of antiquity.

    War· Syria

12th century BCE

  1. c. 12th century BCE★★★★★

    Late Bronze Age collapse

    Many Eastern Mediterranean states, including the Hittite Empire, collapse or decline sharply during a prolonged period of upheaval.

    PoliticsWar· Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Greece

7th century

  1. August 636★★★★★

    Battle of the Yarmuk

    Rashidun Muslim forces defeat the Byzantine army, opening the way to the conquest of Syria and the Levant.

    War· Syria, Jordan
  2. 661 – 750★★★★★

    Umayyad Caliphate founded

    Muawiya I establishes the Umayyad dynasty with its capital at Damascus, making the caliphate hereditary.

    DynastyPolitics· Syria

12th century

  1. 1147 – 1149★★★★★

    Second Crusade

    Launched after the fall of Edessa and led by Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany, the crusade ends in failure before Damascus.

    WarReligion· Syria, Turkey, France, Germany

13th century

  1. 1250 – 1517★★★★★

    Mamluk Sultanate established in Egypt

    Mamluk slave-soldiers overthrow the Ayyubids and seize power in Egypt, ruling Egypt and Syria for over two and a half centuries.

    DynastyPolitics· Egypt, Syria

16th century

  1. 1516 – 1517★★★★★

    Ottomans conquer the Mamluk Sultanate

    Selim I defeats the Mamluks, annexing Syria, Egypt and the Hejaz and making the Ottomans the leading power of the Muslim world.

    War· Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia

18th century

  1. 1798 – 1801★★★★★

    Napoleon's campaign in Egypt and Syria

    French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte occupy Egypt but are eventually forced out; the expedition sparks European Egyptology.

    War· Egypt, Syria, Israel

20th century

  1. April 24, 1915 – 1917★★★★★

    Armenian genocide

    During the First World War, Ottoman authorities carry out mass deportations and killings of Armenians, causing roughly a million or more deaths.

    WarPolitics· Turkey, Armenia, Syria
  2. May 16, 1916★★★★★

    Sykes–Picot Agreement

    Britain and France secretly agree to divide the Ottoman Empire's Arab lands into post-war spheres of influence.

    TreatyPolitics· Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine
  3. June 1916 – 1918★★★★★

    The Arab Revolt

    With British backing, Sharif Hussein of Mecca launches an uprising against the Ottoman Empire seeking Arab independence.

    WarRevolution· Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria
  4. May 15, 1948 – 1949★★★★★

    1948 Arab–Israeli War

    Neighbouring Arab states go to war with Israel; the war ends with the 1949 armistice agreements, and about 700,000 Palestinians flee or are expelled from their homes.

    War· Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq
  5. June 5, 1967 – June 10, 1967★★★★★

    Six-Day War

    Israel fights Egypt, Jordan and Syria, capturing the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Golan Heights.

    War· Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Syria
  6. October 6, 1973 – October 25, 1973★★★★★

    Yom Kippur War

    Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack on Israel to regain Sinai and the Golan; the war ends in a ceasefire and paves the way for later negotiations.

    War· Israel, Egypt, Syria

21st century

  1. March 15, 2011★★★★★

    Syrian civil war

    Protests against Bashar al-Assad's government are suppressed and escalate into a multi-sided civil war, causing a major refugee crisis.

    War· Syria
  2. June 29, 2014★★★★★

    ISIS proclaims a caliphate

    The Islamic State group proclaims a 'caliphate' over territory seized in Iraq and Syria; it loses nearly all of it by 2017–2019.

    WarPolitics· Iraq, Syria
  3. December 8, 2024★★★★★

    Fall of the Assad regime

    Opposition forces led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham enter Damascus; Bashar al-Assad leaves Syria, ending over 50 years of Assad family rule.

    WarPolitics· Syria
History of Syria · World History Timeline