Syrian Turkmen

Syrian Turkmen
Suriye Türkmenleri
Regions with significant populations
See areas of settlement
Languages
Turkish  · Arabic
Religion
Predominantly Sunni Islam, minority Alevism
Related ethnic groups
Turkish people  · Iraqi Turkmen  · Turks in Egypt  · Lebanese Turkmen  · Israeli Turkmen  · Azerbaijanis

Syrian Turkmen (Arabic: تركمان سوريا, romanized: Turkumān Sūriyā; Turkish: Suriye Türkmenleri)[a] are Syrian citizens of Turkish origin who mainly trace their roots to Anatolia (i.e. modern Turkey). Turkish-speaking Syrian Turkmen make up the third largest ethnic group in the country, after the Arabs and Kurds respectively.[1][2][3][4][5]

The majority of Syrian Turkmen are the descendants of migrants who arrived in Syria during Ottoman rule (1516–1918);[6][7] 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) periods. Some estimates indicate that if Arabized Turkmen (those who no longer speak Turkish as their main language) are taken into account, they form the second-largest group in the country.[5] The majority of Syrian Turkmen are Sunni Muslims.[5]

Syrian Turkmen share common genealogical and linguistic ties with the Turkish people in Turkey and Iraqi Turkmen, but do not identify themselves with the Turkmen of Turkmenistan and Central Asia.[7][8] Most live near the Syrian-Turkish border, in an area that runs from the northwestern governorates of Idlib and Aleppo to the Raqqa Governorate. Others reside in the Turkmen Mountain near Latakia, the city of Homs and its vicinity until Hama, Damascus, and the southwestern governorates of Daraa (bordering Jordan) and Quneitra (bordering Israel).[9]

During the ongoing Syrian Civil War, many Syrian Turkmen have been involved in military actions against both the Syrian Armed Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and have looked to the Turkish Armed Forces for support and protection. Many united under an official governing body, the Syrian Turkmen Assembly, and established the military wing of the assembly, the Syrian Turkmen Brigades.[10] However, not all Turkmen support the Turkish occupation of northern Syria, and some have sided with the SDF, forming the Seljuk Brigade.


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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference UNHCR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Shoup was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Piccinin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Behnstedt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Khalifa 2013, pp. 3–5.
  6. ^ Özkaya 2007, p. 112.
  7. ^ a b The New York Times (2015). "Who Are the Turkmens of Syria?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 January 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017. In the context of Syria, though, the term ["Turkmen"] is used somewhat differently, to refer mainly to people of Turkish heritage whose families migrated to Syria from Anatolia during the centuries of the Ottoman period — and thus would be closer kin to the Turks of Turkey than to the Turkmens of Central Asia...Q. How many are there? A. No reliable figures are available, and estimates on the number of Turkmens in Syria and nearby countries vary widely, from the hundreds of thousands up to 3 million or more.
  8. ^ Peyrouse 2015, p. 62.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Heras2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Dispossessed Turkomans in Syria wait for Turkey's support Archived 25 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine