The new Syrian banknotes bring forth a political and visual reset, removing the image of former Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad and replacing it with botanical motifs (including the Damask rose) which have divided opinion across the country’s creative community.
People loved it. People hated it. Some thought it was refreshing and colourful, while others claimed it was weak and unimaginative. One thing is for sure; everyone had strong opinions about it, sometimes voiced with fervour, especially on social media and regional press. The object in question is the new Syrian lira banknote, which went into circulation on January 1, 2026. The new monetary system came into play after the fall of former Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, who himself (along with his father, Hafez Al-Assad) was featured on the country’s banknotes, in late 2024.
If there is one thing that the whole debacle surrounding the new design has proven is that a banknote is more than just a piece of paper. It is a visual statement that represents a much deeper concept about a country and its people. “I see banknotes and coins as a remarkable intersection of economy, culture, politics,” Amman-based designer and calligrapher Hussein Alazaat, who contributed to writing Arabic calligraphy on Jordanian banknotes, told AD. “The cultural dimension of currency functions as a visual ambassador of the state. Banknotes communicate identity, values, history and a nation’s relationship with modernity. They are among the most widely circulated design objects any country produces.”
Echoing Alazaat’s sentiments is Syrian-Polish designer Kinda Ghannoum, whose portfolio includes collaborations with the Obama Foundation, Qatar Foundation and Netflix. She told AD, “The new currency design got people worked up because money is emotional, not neutral, especially in Syria. Banknotes carry ideas about identity and representation, so changing them feels like more than just a visual update; it feels like a statement about how the country is being portrayed.”
As a result of the devastating 2011 war, Syria’s economy was severely battered, and its currency lost over 99% of its value. Launched by interim Syrian president Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the new Syrian banknotes have removed two zeroes, commonly known as “redenomination,” which “simplifies daily life,” according to a Facebook post published by Syria-focused platform, Radio Free Syria, co-founded by scholar and professor Dr Line Khatib. “This means a note that previously said 10,000 will now be 100. It doesn't change the value of the money in the pocket, but it makes it so people don't have to carry "suitcases of cash" for simple groceries.”
The new banknotes feature other important qualities, concerning security and accessibility, such as the inclusion of raised lines along the edges for blind users. In addition, laser technology has been used in the production, helping to prevent forgery. The banknotes are divided into six groupings: 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 500, where each note features fruits, plants and animals that are apparently associated with Syrian nature and agriculture.
Giving off tropical vibes, partially due to the paper’s vibrant colours, the symbols include cotton, olives, wheat, butterflies, birds, horses, gazelles, conch shells and the Damask rose. Other details include geometric shapes, Arabic calligraphy and an image of the rectangular, 1950s-constructed building of the National Bank of Syria. It has been explained by various sources that the “neutral” symbols of the new currency are meant to represent the diverse provinces of the country. Unlike the previous banknotes, there is no sight of any political leaders, historical figures or landmarks.
Such a significant change in design was welcomed by many Syrians and foreigners, too. “The new Syrian currency brings joy and strengthens the sense of belonging to this land, from North to South and from East to West, moving beyond the veneration of individuals and their faces that evoke a dark period in the country's history,” wrote digital creator Salah Mansour on Facebook. Elsewhere, the Syrian writer Rime Allaf gave her opinion by stating, “Wiping the Assads’ presence from yet another Syrian platform is compensation enough and a great way to ring in the New Year.”
Another user wrote in a comment, “No big faces, no fancy structures. Just… nature.” A post by Radio Free Syria read, “For the mothers of the martyrs and those who suffered under the previous rule, seeing the Assad faces removed from the currency is a form of symbolic justice. It represents the literal removal of the old regime's image from the hands and pockets of every Syrian citizen.”
But there were plenty of naysayers, especially from the artistic community, of the new banknotes, who believe the design doesn’t truly capture the essence, identity and historical heft of Syria, considered one of the oldest countries in the world. One of their biggest arguments was that the new design seemed to have erased Syria’s history and lacked a strong narrative. Afterall, the critics come from a land that has been described as the cradle of civilisations.
It is home to ancient architectural monuments and one of the first alphabets. It has also been associated with influential leaders from the past, be it Saladin, Philip the Arab or Queen Zenobia. Ironically, Syria already had a female figure printed on its banknotes when the American government (under former president Barack Obama) initiated plans in 2016 to place the image of a woman – the American abolitionist Harriet Tubman – on the $20 bill.
In other words, all of Syria’s rich, 10,000-year history has been reduced to, as one social media user put it, “a basket of fruits.” The lack of figurative elements (the previous banknotes featured deities, personages and workers) has also raised concerns of censorship, practiced by the conservative transitional government. In his article for the Lebanese digital newspaper Al-Modon, the Syrian artist and caricaturist Boutros Al-Maari wrote, “Why the cotton flower and not a scene of cotton harvesting? Why olives and not an image of an oil press, for example? Where is humanity as an act? Where is the worker, the farmer, the builder, the thinker, the artist or the scientist?”
Some would say that previous banknotes were more sophisticated and detailed. “When I compare the new banknote to the older Syrian currency, I do think the older designs were visually stronger and more successful as pieces of design,” explained Ghannoum. “Not because they were 'perfect,’ but because they were much more intentional in how they were composed and how they communicated meaning. The older banknotes had a clear sense of hierarchy and craftsmanship. You can immediately feel that they were designed with strong art direction, where every element – figures, architecture, ornaments, typography, and background patterns – was part of one visual system.”
Others thought that the design was too general and could be applied to other nations. On Instagram, one Syrian user wrote in a comment, “I do not like the new Syrian currency, simply because it does not resemble Syria. Olives? The whole world has olives. A rose? All countries on Earth have roses. A bird? The world is full of birds. Generic elements with no memory, no specificity, no definition. The problem is not visual taste, but a problem of meaning. The currency is not a beautiful drawing, but a miniature sovereign document that says: Who are we?”
Even some of Syria’s visual artists didn’t hold back, including the prominent calligrapher Mouneer Al-Shaarany, who posted on Instagram his dismay at the currency, accompanied by a photograph of the old 500-pound banknote that featured female deities of Ugarit, an ancient coastal city in modern-day Syria. “At first glance, I thought they were labels for soft drink and juice bottles, and at second glance, I mistook them for an advertisement for a new type of ice cream,” he said. “But what I discovered left me with a look of disappointment, shame, and humiliation – another humiliation added to the many in our torn country.”
In a phone interview with AD, the Damascus-based artist clarified that his post was “sarcastic”, and what concerned him was how the banknote change was an "unconstitutional" move by the transitional government. “The whole procedure doesn’t feel right to me,” he said. “Out of everything that represents Syrian heritage, we couldn’t find anything better than a bunch of vegetables, as if we’re in a market? No one asked for the new notes to show images of presidents, but what we do ask for is that it carries the soul of the country.”
Alazaat added that while the government’s choice of a “relatively safe” design was “understandable,” a real chance of innovating the banknotes with specialists was also missed here, including its “disappointing” execution of Arabic calligraphy and typography that followed the old design. “Banknote design is never an individual effort. It requires historians, economists, security printing specialists, illustrators, typographers and calligraphers,” he explained.
“I would have established a clear art direction rooted in the richness of Syrian history and culture, while expressing it through a contemporary visual language suitable for a new national chapter... There was a valuable opportunity to redefine the typographic and calligraphic voice of the nation. Unfortunately, this opportunity feels largely missed,” he continued.
After all of this debate, can there be a middle ground? Can both opposing sides share a view that they agree upon? Irrespective of design, which one may argue is a subjective matter of taste and preference, one can hope that the new currency can ultimately uplift the Syrian economy and the spirits of people’s after years of suffering.
“The one thing most people agree on is hope,” said Ghannoum. “Regardless of the colours or symbols printed on the paper, every Syrian hopes this new currency will help stabilise the economy. In the end, the most important “design feature” of any banknote is its ability to hold value. Beyond aesthetics, people want a currency that brings dignity, stability and a sense of security to a country that has suffered for far too long. And importantly, design is never final; there is always space to improve, rethink and redesign in the future. Even this moment can be seen as part of an ongoing process toward something better.”
