The Levant is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, it is equivalent to the historical region of Syria, which included present-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Palestine. In its widest historical sense, the Levant included all of the Eastern Mediterranean with its islands; that is, it included all of the countries along the Eastern Mediterranean shores, extending from Greece to Cyrenaica in eastern Libya.
The Dom are a people with origins in the Indian subcontinent which through ancient migrations are found scattered across the Middle East, North Africa, Caucasus, Central Asia and still parts of the Indian subcontinent. The traditional language of the Dom is Domari, an endangered Indo-Aryan language, thereby making the Dom an Indo-Aryan ethnic group. They have been associated with another traditionally itinerant ethnic group of Indo-Aryans variously called the Rom/Roma/Romani people : the two groups have been said to have separated from each other or, at least, to share a similar history. Specifically, the ancestors of both the Dom and the Rom/Roma/Romani left the Northern Indian subcontinent sometime between the 6th and 11th century.
Domari is an endangered Indo-Aryan language, spoken by older Dom people scattered across the Middle East and North Africa. The language is reported to be spoken as far north as Azerbaijan and as far south as central Sudan, in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Syria and Lebanon. Based on the systematicity of sound changes, we know with a fair degree of certainty that the names Domari and Romani derive from the Indo-Aryan word ḍom. The language itself actually derives from an Indo-Aryan language. The Arabs referred to them as nawar as they were a nomadic people that originally immigrated to the Middle East from India.
Islam is the most practiced religion in Syria, constituting approximately 71% of the population and forming a majority in all districts of the country. The Muslims in Syria follow various different sects of Islam and are from various ethnic and linguistic groups.
Syria is a multi-ethnic country, made up of several ethnic groups.
Syrian Turkmen, are Syrian citizens of Turkish origin who mainly trace their roots to Anatolia. The majority of Syrian Turkmen are the descendants of migrants who arrived in Syria during Ottoman rule (1516–1918); however, there are also many Syrian Turkmen who are the descendants of earlier Turkish settlers that arrived during the Seljuk (1037-1194) and Mamluk (1250-1517) rule. Today, the Turkish-speaking Syrian Turkmen make up the third largest ethnic group in the country, after the Arabs and Kurds respectively; yet, some estimations indicate that if Arabized Turkmen are taken into account then they form the second biggest group in the country. The majority of Syrian Turkmen are Sunni Muslims.
Islam is a major religion in Israel. Muslims, who are mostly Arab citizens of Israel, constitute 17.7% of the Israelis, making them the largest minority group in Israel.
The Arab League is a social, cultural and economic grouping of 22 Arab states in the Arabic speaking world. As of 2018, the combined population of all the Arab states was around 407-420 million people.
Religion in Syria refers to the range of religions practiced by the citizens of Syria. Historically, the region has been a mosaic of diverse faiths with a range of different sects within each of these religious communities. The majority of Syrians are Muslims, of which the Sunnis are the most numerous, followed by the Shia groups, and Druzes. In addition, there are several Christian minorities. There is also a small Jewish community.
Bilal is a Gypsy singer from Lebanon, who is notable for singing not only in Arabic, but mainly in Domari, his native language, that of the Doms, the nomadic community he belongs to.
The ethnic groups in the Middle East refers to the peoples that reside in West Asia and Egypt in North Africa. The region has historically been a crossroad of different cultures. Since the 1960s, the changes in political and economic factors have significantly altered the ethnic composition of groups in the region. While some ethnic groups have been present in the region for millennia, others have arrived fairly recently through immigration. The five largest ethnic groups in the region are Arabs, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Persians, and Turks but there are dozens of other ethnic groups which have hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of members.
Deir al-Asafir is a village in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, located 12 kilometers southeast of Damascus. It is situated in a heavily farmed area in the Ghouta region. Nearby localities include Babbila to the west, al-Malihah to the northwest, Zabdin to the north, Shabaa to the southwest.
The Domari-speaking community in Syria, commonly identified as Dom and Nawar, is estimated to number 100–250,000 or 250–300,000 people. The vast majority is sedentary. There are semi-nomadic groups, some moving outside the country. In Aleppo, the Dom community is probably the largest, while they are reported to live in Damascus, Homs and Latakeh as well. The community is highly marginalised in society, and they are referred to as Qurbāṭ and Qarač in the northern part, and Nawar elsewhere. These terms are used for various groups that mainly share socio-economic profile. The community is divided into clans.
Romani people in Libya speak the Domari language. They immigrated to the territory of the present day Libya from South Asia, particularly from India, in Byzantine times. Romani people self-segregated themselves for centuries from the dominant culture of Libya, who view Romani as dishonorable though clever. Historically, Gypsies in Libya have provided musical entertainment as weddings and other celebrations. The Romani people or Gypsies in Libya include subgroups like Nawar, Halebi and Ghagar.
Romani people in Egypt speak the Domari language. They immigrated to the territory of the present day Egypt from South Asia, particularly from India, in Byzantine times. Romani people self-segregated themselves for centuries from the dominant culture of Egypt, who view Romani as dishonorable though clever. Historically, Gypsies in Egypt have provided musical entertainment at weddings and other celebrations. The Romani people or Gypsies in Egypt include subgroups like Nawar, Halebi and Ghagar.
Some reports suggest the existence of Romani people in Morocco. Thomas (2000) states that "Xoraxane or Muslim Gypsies have been reported in Morocco. It is suspected that Kalo Gypsies from Spain have migrated to Morocco for business reasons. However no government statistics can substantiate this supposition. Similarly, it may be true that French speaking Gypsies or Manouche may have in the past or still today traveled and worked in Morocco but there is no evidence of this at the moment." Phillips (2001) mentions rather speculatively that "Some Kali or Gitan are probably in Morocco." The available reports are not sufficiently precise to confirm the Romani identity or even existence of such groups, but in the event that they exist and are of Romani origin, they would have immigrated to the territory of the present day Morocco ultimately from South Asia, and proximately from Spain and/or Algeria.
Romani people in Algeria are reported to include at least two groups: the Afrikaya, and the Xoraxane. The Afrikaya are possibly of Manouche origins, and speak French. The Xoraxane are Muslim and their original language is Romani. Roma in general ultimately come from South Asia, particularly from Northern India, having reached the Mediterranean region in Byzantine times.
Romani people in Sudan speak the Domari language. They immigrated to the territory of the present day Sudan from South Asia, particularly from India, in Byzantine times. Romani people self-segregated themselves for centuries from the dominant culture of Sudan, who view Romani as dishonorable though clever. Historically, Gypsies in Sudan have provided musical entertainment as weddings and other celebrations. The Romani people or Gypsies in Sudan include subgroups like Nawar, Halebi and Ghagar.
Romani people in Tunisia speak the Domari language. They immigrated to the territory of the present day Tunisia from South Asia, particularly from India, in Byzantine times. Romani people self-segregated themselves for centuries from the dominant culture of Tunisia, who view Romani as dishonorable though clever. Historically, Gypsies in Tunisia have provided musical entertainment as weddings and other celebrations. The Romani people or Gypsies in Tunisia include subgroups like Nawar, Halebi and Ghagar.
