Description

The State of Syria (1924–1930) was a French Mandate state declared on 1 December 1924 from the union of the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus. It was the successor of the Syrian Federation which had been created by providing a central assembly for the State of Aleppo, the State of Damascus and the Alawite State. The Alawite State did not join the State of Syria.

The Syrian Republic was formed in 1930 as a component of the French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon, succeeding the State of Syria. A treaty of independence was made in 1936 to grant independence to Syria and end official French rule, but the French parliament refused to accept the agreement. From 1940 to 1941, the Syrian Republic was under the control of Vichy France, and after the Allied invasion in 1941 became a sovereign state. In 1958, Syria joined with Egypt in forming the United Arab Republic.

The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon was a League of Nations mandate created after World War I to govern the region. Unlike traditional colonialism, it was meant to act as a temporary trusteeship until self-government was possible. The area was administered by the French through various entities like the Syrian Federation, State of Syria, and Mandatory Syrian Republic, as well as smaller states. In 1946, the French mandate ended when both Syria and Lebanon declared independence, and French troops withdrew.

An essai is a type of trial strike, typically a non-circulating, non-legal tender coin with a slightly higher mintage than the usual pattern coin.