Subdivisions of Syria in Arabic and Kurmanji: governorates, districts
Syria is divided into 14 governorates and the governorates into districts. This list names every governorate with its centre and ISO code and its 60 districts in Arabic, with a transliteration, and adds the Kurmanji Kurdish names in the governorates of Aleppo and al-Ḥasakâ.
- Districts
- 61
- Groups
- 14
Updated
Governorate, district and their Arabic names
Arabic names of governorates take the form محافظة plus the name of the centre in the genitive: محافظة حلب, Muḥāfaẓâẗu Ḥalab, the governorate of Aleppo. Two names break the pattern. The city of Damascus is محافظة مدينة دمشق, the governorate of the city of Damascus, and the land around it is محافظة ريف دمشق, Rīf Dimašq, the Damascus countryside, whose centre is Damascus as well.
The count heading each governorate is written with Arabic-Indic digits and the plural مناطق, manāṭiq: ٥ مناطق for Idlib, ٩ for Rīf Dimašq. Quneitra, with two districts, takes the dual منطقتين, minṭaqtayn, as Arabic grammar requires.
Kurmanji names are given for the two northern governorates. It uses its own forms, not transliterations of the Arabic: رأس العين, Raʾsu l-ʿAyn, is Serê Kaniyê, المالكية, al-Mālikīyâ, is Dêrik, and عين العرب, ʿAynu l-ʿArab, is Kobanî. Kurmanji writes the governorate as Parêzgeha Ḧelebê or Parêzgeha Ḧesîçeyê.
The 14 governorates of Syria and their districts
Each governorate (محافظة, muḥāfaẓâ) with its ISO 3166-2 code and centre, then its districts (منطقة, minṭaqâ) in Arabic with a transliteration. In the governorates of Aleppo and al-Ḥasakâ the Kurmanji Kurdish name follows after the dot.
محافظة إدلب Idlib 5
| District |
|---|
إدلبIdlib
|
أريحاArīḥā
|
جسر الشغورǦisru š-Šuġūr
|
حارمḤārim
|
معرة النعمانMaʿarrâẗu n-Nuʿmān
|
محافظة الحسكة Hasaka 4
| District |
|---|
الحسكةal-Ḥasakâ · Ḧesîçe
|
رأس العينRaʾsu l-ʿAyn · Serê Kaniyê
|
القامشليal-Qāmišlī · Qamişlo
|
المالكيةal-Mālikīyâ · Dêrik
|
محافظة حلب Aleppo 8
| District |
|---|
أعزازAʿzāz · Azaz
|
البابal-Bāb · Bab
|
جرابلسǦarābulus · Cerablus
|
حلبḤalab · Ḧeleb
|
السفيرةas-Safīrâ · Sefîre
|
عفرينʿAfrīn · Efrîn
|
عين العربʿAynu l-ʿArab · Kobanî
|
منبجManbiǧ · Menbic
|
محافظة حماة Hama 5
| District |
|---|
حماةḤamāt
|
السلميةas-Salamīyâ
|
الصقيلبيةaṣ-Ṣuqaylabīyâ
|
محردةMuḥardâ
|
مصيافMaṣyāf
|
محافظة حمص Homs 6
| District |
|---|
تدمرTadmur
|
تلكلخTalkalaḫ
|
حمصḤimṣ
|
الرستنar-Rastan
|
القصيرal-Quṣayr
|
المخرمal-Muḫarram
|
محافظة درعا Daraa 3
| District |
|---|
إزرعIzraʿ
|
درعاDarʿā
|
الصنمينaṣ-Ṣanamayn
|
محافظة دير الزور Deir Ezzor 3
| District |
|---|
أبو كمالAbū Kamāl
|
دير الزورDayru z-Zawr
|
الميادينal-Mayādīn
|
محافظة الرقة Raqqa 3
| District |
|---|
تل أبيضTall Abyaḍ
|
الثورةaṯ-Ṯawrâ
|
الرقةar-Raqqâ
|
محافظة ريف دمشق Damascus Countryside 9
| District |
|---|
التلat-Tall
|
دارياDārayyā
|
دوماDūmā
|
الزبدانيaz-Zabadānī
|
قطناQaṭanā
|
القطيفةal-Quṭayfâ
|
مركز ريف دمشقMarkazu Rīfi Dimašq
|
النبكan-Nabk
|
يبرودYabrūd
|
محافظة السويداء Suwayda 3
| District |
|---|
السويداءas-Suwaydāʾ
|
شهباŠahbā
|
صلخدṢalḫad
|
محافظة طرطوس Tartus 5
| District |
|---|
بانياسBāniyās
|
دريكيشDuraykīš
|
الشيخ بدرaš-Šayḫu Badr
|
صافيتاṢāfītā
|
طرطوسṬarṭūs
|
محافظة القنيطرة Quneitra 2
| District |
|---|
فيقFīq
|
القنيطرةal-Qunayṭirâ
|
محافظة اللاذقية Latakia 4
| District |
|---|
جبلةǦablâ
|
الحفةal-Ḥaffâ
|
القرداحةal-Qardāḥâ
|
اللاذقيةal-Lāḏiqīyâ
|
محافظة مدينة دمشق Damascus 1
| District |
|---|
دمشقDimašq, governorate and district in one
|
Governorate codes: ISO 3166-2:SY, no changes listed, as tabulated in Wikipedia's ISO 3166-2:SY, checked 28 October 2026. Districts created after this list: Wikipedia, Districts of Syria, citing the Central Bureau of Statistics of Syria, checked 28 October 2026.
Districts added since the list
The fourteen governorates and their ISO codes have stayed as they are. The districts have not: several were split after this list was drawn up. Atarib in 2008 and Dayr Hafir in 2009 were separated from the districts of Aleppo and al-Bāb, and the Aleppo district itself is now named Mount Simeon. Qudsaya in Rīf Dimašq dates from 2009, Taldou in Homs from 2010, and al-Ḥasakâ has gained the district of al-Shaddadah. The current count is 65 districts, the city of Damascus included.
Questions about the governorates and districts of Syria
How many governorates does Syria have?
14, coded SY-DI to SY-TA in ISO 3166-2. The city of Damascus and the Damascus countryside are two separate governorates.
What is a minṭaqa?
A district, the level below the governorate. This list names 60 of them; today there are 65.
What is Kobanî called in Arabic?
عين العرب, ʿAynu l-ʿArab. It is a district of the Aleppo governorate.