Syrian Federation
The Syrian Federation, officially the Federation of the Autonomous States of Syria, was a federal state administered by French Mandate of Syria. It was constituted on 28 June 1922 by High Commissary Gouraud (general)|Gouraud]. It comprised the States of Aleppo, Damascus, and of the Alawites, spanning an area of 119,000 to 120,000 km2. It was officially dissolved by decree of 5 December 1924 "which received its application starting on 1 January 1925".
History
The Syrian Federation was founded on 28 June 1922 as a result of Decree 1459 from the High Commissioner of the Levant, Henri Gouraud. It comprised the states of Aleppo, Damascus, and the Alawites, spanning an area of 119,000 to 120,000 km2. The federation's government consisted of the President of the Federation and the Federal Council, which initially alternated between sitting in Aleppo and Damascus. Homs was also considered a potential capital city. The first session of the Federal Council opened in Aleppo on 28 June 1922 with a speech from Gouraud. On 8 January 1923 Damascus became the permanent seat of government, creating divisions in the country's political leadership. The Syrian Federation's only president was Subhi Bey Barakat, who claimed in his first three presidential decrees to have been elected by the Federal Council on 29 June, 1922. However, according to Syrian historian and jurist Edmond Rabbath, Barakat was in fact "ineligible in the year following the end of his presidency" and therefore "appointed and not elected." Barakat was nevertheless formally elected president by the Federal Council on 17 December 1923.The Syrian Federation was officially dissolved by Decree 2980, which was issued on 5 December 1924 by High Commissioner Maxime Weygand and took effect on 1 January 1925. The decree merged the states of Aleppo and Damascus into the State of Syria and named Barakat president of the new country.