Syria Palaestina (Differently)

Hasmonean Kingdom of Syria Palaestina ܪܡܙܢܐ ܚܢܢܐ ܡܣܟܒܝ ܐܝ ܘܠܝܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ ܥܡܝܪܐ ܟܡܡܝܠܐ Timeline: Differently OTL equivalent: Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and parts of Jordan
Flag (adopted in 1882) Seal
Syria (green)
Capital		Damascus population - 761,553 (2013 census)
Largest city		Amman population - 1,639,187 (2013 census)
Official languages		Syriac
Other languages		Persian • English • Arabic • Hebrew
Religion		2013 census Christianity (73.2%) -Oriental Orthodox (51.4%) -Eastern Orthodox (13.2%) -Catholic (8.3%) -Other/Protestant (0.3%) Judaism (16.1%) Zoroastrianism (5.4%) Islam (4.2%) Other (1.1%)
Demonym(s)		Syrian
Government		Unitary constitutional monarchy
-	Shagusi	Aristobulus II
-	Prime Minister	Gal Gadot
Establishment
-	Independence from the Empire of West Persia	19 March 1882
Area
-	Total	307,046 km2  118,551 sq mi
Population
-	Estimate	42,388,955 (2013 census) (46th)
Currency		dinar
Drives on the		right

Political map of Syria

Syria Palaestina, officially the Hasmonean Kingdom of Syria Palaestina (Syriac: ܪܡܙܢܐ ܚܢܢܐ ܡܣܟܒܝ ܐܝ ܘܠܝܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ ܥܡܝܪܐ ܟܡܡܝܠܐ) and often simply called Syria, is a country located in the Middle Eastern region known as the Levant. It borders Egypt to the southwest, Arabia to the east, West Persia and Rhomania to the northeast and is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west. Syria's capital is Damascus, its largest city is Amman, and other important cities include Jerusalem, Aleppo, and Berot.

With over 42 million people, Syria is Asia's 21st-most populous country, ranking 46th globally. The nation covers a surface area of 307 square kilometers, making it the 19th-largest country in Asia and the 77th-largest in the world.

A country with a profound religious significance to many, especially Jews and Christians, Syria is one of the most visited countries in the world and thrives with tourism. Although a Christian majority country, Syria has been under influence of Zoroastrian and Muslim neighbors for centuries and values religious freedom as a tenet. Together with Carthage, Ethiopia, Arabia and Egypt, it is one of the five Semitic nations of the world.

History

The modern state of Syria encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the 3rd millennium BC. Aleppo and the capital city Damascus are among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. During the Hellenic Age, a dynasty took over in the Maccabee Rebellion, installing the Kingdom of Judea. The state was conquered by the Roman Republic in 37 BC, and was absorbed into Rome for the next 600 years before the Persians conquered the Theme (Roman Province) of Syria, Decapolis, and Yehud, which roughly make up the land of present-day Syria. During Seljuk rule in the 150 Years War, a Christian pastor started an armed revolt against Seljuk authorities in Jerusalem. The Christian pastor was originally from Arabia, being a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad. However, he chose to instead call himself by the last name "Hasmonean" instead of "Hashim".

During the 150 Years War, Aristobulus Asmonea-an established an independent Christian kingdom in Jerusalem following a revolt against Seljuk authorities. The Kingdom of Jerusalem quickly subjugated parts of present-day southern Syria, laying claim to all of the former Davidic Kingdom almost two millennia ago. The revolt continued until the Sassanid Empire conquered the Kingdom of Jerusalem and ended sovereign rule. However, the grandson of Aristobulus Asmonea-an, Hyracanus Asmonea-an, was spared and made into the subnational King of Yehud.

During Persian Rule, the Persian Shah allowed the Hasmonean Dynasty to rule the Viceroyalty of Syria-Israel. Similar to Egypt, when the British invaded the area, the modern state of Syria was founded. In 1882, the nation was liberated from the Empire of West Persia by the British in the Perso-British War. The Hasmonean Dynasty supported independence and called for unification of all provinces of the Holy Land to join the Independence cause. In rebellion, Yehud, Syria, Berot, and Upper Euphrates all united to form the Viceroyalty of Syria-Israel. Although officially Syria-Israel was still part of the Empire of West Persia, the government was in rebellion and soon ended the Viceroyalty, creating the Kingdom of Syria. With support from the British, the Perso-British War ended and the Hasmoneans were placed in power of the new sovereign Kingdom of Syria. The occupation by British troops heavily impacted the Syrian history, with the government requiring students take English as a language, people wearing Western-style clothes, and many other small factors. Since then, Syria has become a Western-styled nation, modeling the government and daily way of life.

Syria joined the capitalist bloc after the Great War, siding with First World powers such as the United States, Germany, Brazil, as many other western nations. Although officially in the capitalist bloc, Syria was considered neutral due to the lack of military training, with only about 6,500 active personnel in 1944. In 1951, when West Persia was in the midst of a republican insurrection, the rebels reached the Syrian borders. Although the relations between Syria and West Persia were terrible at the time, the Syrian Cabinet agreed that a pro-communist nation on the border was not the best, so Syria quickly and unexpectedly sent more than 10,000 soldiers to the northern border, pushed the rebels back to Persia, and then left the war. For seventy years, it was the only battle that modern-day Syria took place in, until it joined the Persian War on West Persia's side on 22 July 2022.

Government and politics

Gal Gadot, the current Prime Minister of Syria

Syria is ruled by the monarch, who belongs to the Hasmonean Dynasty, an ancient dynasty originated from Israel. The Hasmoneans, (ܒܢܝ ܗܠܠܝܝܐ in Syriac), were the rulers of the last independent Jewish nation, the Kingdom of Judea, in the area now called Israel.

The Prime Minister is Gal Gadot. Each Prime Minister holds office for two years, which is only renewable twice. Gal Gadot is the 1st Jewish Prime Minister. Twelve of the prime ministers have been Zoroastrian, two have been Arab, and the remaining ones were all Christian.

Demographics

Language

The official language of Syria is Syriac, which is a dialect of Aramaic. The verbal language has been historically influenced by Persian, English and Arabic, all of which are currently minority languages in Syria. Syrian Jews use Hebrew as a liturgical language, but their everyday language is still Syriac.

Religion

Ignatius Aphrem II, the current Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, the largest religious group in Syria

About 73% of Syrians are Christians, with most being members of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and the remaining ones being Eastern Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics. Minority religions include Sunni Islam, brought by Arabs, Zoroastrianism, brought by Persians, and Judaism, the oldest religion endemic to Syria, which was largely replaced by Christianity during the 1st millennium.

Subdivisions

Although a unitary state, Syrian provinces make up almost all of the nation's territory, excluding the Special Autonomous International City of Jerusalem, and the Capital Territory of Damascus. In total, there are 11 full-fledged provinces, two autonomous provinces, one autonomous city, and the capital territory.

Name	Type	Capital
Aleppo	City-Province	Aleppo City
Amman	City-Province	Amman City
Damascus	Capital Territory	Damascus City
Edom	Province	New Bozrah
Euphrates	Autonomous Province	Tamer
Gilead	Province	Mahanaim
Greater Lebanon	Province	Haifa
Idumea	Province	Ber'sheva
Jerusalem	Special Autonomous International City	Jerusalem City
Lesser Lebanon	Province	Berot
Moab	Province	Dibon
Philistia	Autonomous Province	Gaza
Samaria	Province	Fort Gerizim
Yehud	Province	Bethlehem
Zobah	Province	Dara