Syria
حماة الديار
Humat ad-Diyar
Guardians of the Homeland
Key Facts
- 1. After the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024, the Syrian transitional government has yet to settle the anthem question; on 18 January 2025 the Syrian Football Association notified FIFA that "Fi Sabili al-Majd" would serve as a temporary anthem at the national team's international fixtures, leaving the official status of "Humat ad-Diyar" undetermined.
- 2. The lyricist, Khalil Mardam Bey, was not only a poet but also a senior diplomat and politician, serving as Syria's prime minister from 1948 to 1949.
- 3. The composer Mohammed Flayfel also wrote "Mawtini", the melody adopted decades later as Iraq's national anthem, which makes him the rare author of two Arab anthems.
- 4. Written entirely in classical Arabic with no colloquial dialect, the song belongs to the pan-Arab literary register of the 1930s, and its opening line returned as a protest chant during the 2011 uprising.
Lyrics
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialWritten in 1936 under French Mandate rule and adopted in 1938, "Humat ad-Diyar" is the work of two figures who shaped Syrian public life as much as its poetry. The lyricist, Khalil Mardam Bey, served as Syria's prime minister in 1948-1949; the composer, Mohammed Flayfel, also wrote the music for "Mawtini", a song that would later become Iraq's national anthem. Syria briefly set the song aside during the United Arab Republic with Egypt and restored it in 1961. The text is a single poem in classical Arabic, written in the elevated pan-Arab register of the 1930s, and its opening line was reclaimed by demonstrators during the 2011 uprising as a chant of the people rather than the state.
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Sources & References
- Humat ad-Diyar . Wikipedia (English) (2025)
- Fi Sabili al-Majd . Wikipedia (English) (2025)
- Syria considers changing national anthem . Yeni Şafak (2025)
Source & Review
- Source status
- Reliable secondary source
- Translation
- AI-assisted working translation
- Rights status
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