| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 100,000 (2010)[a][1][2][3] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Cities: Aleppo, Qamishli, Damascus, Latakia, Al Hasakah, Tell Abyad, Raqqa and Deir ez Zor Villages: Kessab and Yakubiyah | |
| Languages | |
| Armenian (Western), Arabic, Turkish | |
| Religion | |
| Armenian Apostolic, Armenian Catholic, Armenian Evangelical | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Loms, other Armenians |
| Part of a series on |
| Armenians |
|---|
 |
| Armenian culture |
| By country or region |
Armenian diaspora |
| Subgroups |
| Religion |
| Languages and dialects |
|
Armenian: Eastern (Zok) • Western (Homshetsi) Sign languages: Armenian Sign • Caucasian Sign Persian: Armeno-Tat Cuman: Armeno-Kipchak Armenian–Lom: Lomavren |
| Persecution |
The Armenians in Syria are Syrian citizens of either full or partial Armenian descent.
Syria and the surrounding areas have often served as a refuge for Armenians who fled from wars and persecutions such as the Armenian genocide. However, there has been an Armenian presence in the region since the Byzantine era.[4]
According to the Ministry of Diaspora of Armenia, the estimated number of Armenians in Syria is 100,000, with more than 60,000 of them centralized in Aleppo. With other estimates by Armenian foundations in Syria putting the number around 70–80,000.[1][2] However, since the start of the conflict, 16,623 Syrian citizens of ethnic Armenian background have arrived in Armenia. Of these displaced persons, 13,000 remained and found protection in Armenia as of July 2015. The government is offering several protection options including simplified naturalization by Armenian descent (15,000 persons acquired Armenian citizenship), accelerated asylum procedures and facilitated short, mid and long-term residence permits.[5]
According to Hranush Hakobyan by 2016 only 15,000 Armenians were left in Syria and the rest have been settled in Armenia or Nagorno-Karabakh,[6] with another 8,000 having left for Lebanon, and others going to destinations including Europe, the United States and Canada.[7][8] However, Armenian foundations in Syria estimate around 35,000 are left based on rough estimates, including a method which multiplies the number of students enrolled in Armenian minority schools by 3 or 4, since minors would only take up around 25–30% of an age pyramid.[1][9]
The Syrian border villages of Kessab and Yakubiyah had Armenian majorities prior to the civil war.[10] Kessab was attacked and looted by Islamist Syrian rebels who were given safe passage by Turkey through Turkish land, though they were later expelled by the Syrian Army. Yacubiyah had its Armenian population expelled by Jabhat al-Nusra.[11][12]
In 2018 Professor John Shoup said that the Armenian population in Syria formed about 2% of the country's total population, making them the fifth largest ethnic group in the country.[4]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ a b c "Surviving Aleppo: An Interview with Nerses Sarkissian". 9 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Problems of the Armenians of Syria: The Armenian Community of Damascus".
- ^ "THE VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF ARMENIAN DIASPORA". Ministry of Diaspora of Armenia. Archived from the original on 2014-02-19. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b Shoup, John A. (2018), "Syria", The History of Syria, ABC-CLIO, p. 6, ISBN 978-1440858352,
Syria has several other ethnic groups, the Kurds... they make up an estimated 9 percent...Turkomen comprise around 4-5 percent of the total population. The rest of the ethnic mix of Syria is made of Assyrians (about 4 percent), Armenians (about 2 percent), and Circassians (about 1 percent).
- ^ "United Nations in Armenia".
- ^ "В Сирии осталось 15 тысяч армян | Лрагир".
- ^ "Playgrounds, chocolate Santas, warm hugs welcome Syrian refugees". CBC News. 2016-01-18. Archived from the original on 2023-04-05.
- ^ "Around 10,000 Syrian Armenians moved to Armenia and 8,000 to Lebanon – Shahan Ka". Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ "Господин Попов, про сирийских армян в Карабахе еще доказательства нужны? | Vesti.az | Главные новости Азербайджана | Новости Азербайджана". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
- ^ Unknown, Unknown. "Wahhabi / Takfiri Cleric Smashes a Statue of the Virgin Mary in town of Yakubiyah". Orontes. jimdo.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "Armenian Homes in Kessab Looted, Occupied". Asbarez.com. March 25, 2014. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
- ^ "Christian hamlet escapes Syria war but falls prey to looters". Archived from the original on 2013-02-09.