The Aramean flag or Syriac-Aramean flag is the ethnic flag designated for the Syriac Christians/Arameans, intended to represent their nation and homeland as well as the Syriac diaspora.[1] A first version, similar to the current one, was developed in 1980 by Bahro Suryoyo ("Syriac light"), a Syriac journal part of the Syriac federation in Sweden (Swedish: Syrianska Riksförbundet). The current version was developed in early 1982.[2]
The World Council of Arameans, an international non-government organization, chose the flag to represent the Syriac-Aramean nation worldwide on 16 July 1983 in New Jersey.[citation needed] The design was based on the Winged sun symbol, replacing the sun by a torch symbolising the Holy Spirit in Christianity.
Symbolism
The design is specifically based on a relief depicting Gilgamesh between two bull-men supporting a winged sun disk, excavated in 1927 by the German archaeologist Max von Oppenheim (1860-1946) and the French semitologist André Dupont-Sommer (1900-1983) at Tell Halaf the former Aramean city-state of Bit Bahiani which is located on the border of Tur Abdin region, today located in the Al Hasakah governorate of northeastern Syria. The relief was part of the entrance of the palace of the Aramean king Kapara. [3][4]
The main characteristic of the flag is the eagle, which stands for strength and power. The sun disk is replaced by a flame to symbolize the holy spirit and the Christian heritage of the Syriac peoples. The four stars represent the rivers in the Assyrian homeland: Tigris, Euphrates, Gihon and Pishon. The red background of the flag was chosen to represent the blood that was spilled during the Assyrian genocide. The yellow color represents the hope of an independent Syriac/Assyrian state. [5] It is intended to represent "the Aramean (Syriac) nation in the Aramean homeland and in the Aramean diaspora".[6]
Controversy
Since its inception, the Syriac flag has garnered controversy over its ties to separatism from the larger Assyrian people. Those who reject the flag claim that it is based in misinformation, as the flame was never historically used to symbolize Christianity or the holy spirit, instead being the dove. Additionally, the 4 stars at the bottom were never portrayed as such on the original Aramean relief, but rather 4 flowers, which were commonly seen in Assyrian reliefs as well.[7]
