Syrian Venezuelans

Syrian Venezuelans refers to Venezuelan citizens of Syrian origin. Syrians are the largest immigrant group of Arabic origin in Venezuela.

Syrian Venezuelans
sirio-venezolano
الهجرة السورية إلى فنزويلا
Total population
Syrian-born residents

Venezuelans of Syrian descent
(various estimates):

  • 700,000
    (Fidel, 2010).[3]
  • 1,000,000
    (Levi, 2017).[4]
  • 1,000,000
    (Nachawati, 2017).[5]
  • 1,000,000
    (Gómez, 2017).[6]
Regions with significant populations
Caracas, Puerto La Cruz, Maracaibo, Margarita Island, Maracay, Valencia, Ciudad Guayana, Maturin, Barquisimeto, Cumaná
Languages
Venezuelan Spanish and Syrian Arabic
Religion
Predominantly Christianity,[7] minority Druze[8]
Related ethnic groups
Syrian and Syrian diaspora

Migration history

Syrian migration to Venezuela began towards the end of the nineteenth century, when thousands of Syrian Christians and Jews arrived escaping the downfall of the last years of existence of the Ottoman Empire. Since then, the flow of people between Syria and Venezuela has been constant.[9]

The huge Syrian migration to Venezuela took place during the oil boom of the 1950s. Almost every town and village which had missed having Syrian settlers from the earlier immigrations, which began in the late 1880s, now has at least one Syrian family. They have joined the approximately 500,000 prior immigrants and their descendants, reinforcing Arab culture amongst the older Syrian community which had been almost totally assimilated.[10]

Emigration

Some Syrian-Venezuelans returned during the last decade to Syria, establishing themselves mainly in Aleppo, Tartus and Jaramana (in the outskirts of Damascus). The Syrian city of As-Suwayda; which is known also as Little Venezuela, stands out because of the mix of its streets between the Syrian and Venezuelan dialects, the presence of both languages in posters and advertisements, the restaurants and cafes where both gastronomy are merged and where Caribbean Salsa and the music of Umm Kulthum can be heard.[11] More than 200,000 people from the Suwayda area carry Venezuelan citizenship and most are members of Syria's Druze community, who immigrated to Venezuela in the 20th century.[12]

Religion

The majority of Syrian-Venezuelans are Druze,[13] Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox.[7]

Venezuela is home of the largest Druze communities outside the Middle East,[14] the Druze community are estimated around 60,000,[15] and they are mostly Lebanese and Syrian.

A few Syrian Muslims and Jews settled in Venezuela.

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Censo 2011 Redatam".
  2. "Table 16: Total migrant stock at mid-year by origin and by major area, region, country or area of destination, 2015". United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  3. Vasquez, Fidel (October 2010). "Venezuela afianza relaciones con Siria" (in Spanish). Aristobulo Isturiz PSUV. Retrieved 15 January 2017. En Venezuela residen un poco más de 700 mil árabes de origen sirio
  4. Jordan, Levi. "Syria Steps into Latin America". Americas Society Council of the Americas. Retrieved 15 January 2017. Syria hopes will serve as an avenue to attract investment dollars from the one-million-strong community of Venezuelans of Syrian descent
  5. Nachawati, Leila (March 2013). "Cómo será recordado Chávez en Siria" (in Spanish). ElDiario.es. Retrieved 15 January 2017. Se calcula que cerca de un millón de habitantes del país tiene origen sirio, personal o familiar.
  6. Gomez, Diego (Feb 2012). "EL LEVANTE Y AMÉRICA LATINA. UNA BITÁCORA DE LATINOAMÉRICA EN SIRIA, LÍBANO, JORDANIA Y PALESTINA". distintaslatitudes.net (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 January 2017. de acuerdo con el Instituto de Estadística de Venezuela, cerca de un millón de venezolanos tienen orígenes sirios y más de 20 mil venezolanos están registrados en el catastro del consulado sudamericano en Damasco.
  7. S Rowe, Paul (2018). Routledge Handbook of Minorities in the Middle East. Routledge. p. 352. ISBN 9781317233794.
  8. "Sending relief--and a message of inclusion and love—to our Druze sisters and brothers". Los Angeles Times. 6 April 2021.
  9. Gomez, Diego (Feb 2012). "EL LEVANTE Y AMÉRICA LATINA. UNA BITÁCORA DE LATINOAMÉRICA EN SIRIA, LÍBANO, JORDANIA Y PALESTINA". distintaslatitudes.net (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 January 2017. La migración siria hacia los países hispanohablantes inició hacia fines del siglo diecinueve, cuando miles de cristianos y judíos sirios llegaron a América escapando el descalabro de los últimos años de vida del Imperio Otomano. Desde entonces, el flujo de personas entre Siria y Venezuela ha sido constante.
  10. Salloum, Habeeb. "Arabs Making Their Mark in Latin America: Generations of Immigrants in Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico". Al Jadid. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  11. Nachawati, Leila (March 2013). "Cómo será recordado Chávez en Siria" (in Spanish). El Diario. Retrieved 15 January 2017. Algunos regresaron durante los últimos años a Siria, estableciéndose principalmente en Alepo, Tartus y Jaramana (en las afueras de Damasco), además de en Sweda. Destaca esta última ciudad, de mayoría drusa, por la mezcla que se palpa al recorrer sus calles entre dialecto sirio y venezolano, la presencia de ambos idiomas en cartelería y anuncios, los restaurantes y cafeterías donde se fusionan ambas gastronomías y donde puede escucharse tanto la salsa caribeña como la música de Om Kolthum
  12. "Chavez tells Israelis to disobey 'genocidal' govt". 26 September News. Sep 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2017. More than 200,000 people from the Sweida area carry Venezuelan citizenship and most are members of Syria's Druse sect, who immigrated to Venezuela in the past century.
  13. Khalifa, Mustafa (2013), "The impossible partition of Syria", Arab Reform Initiative: 6–7
  14. "Sending relief--and a message of inclusion and love—to our Druze sisters and brothers". Los Angeles Times. 6 April 2021.
  15. "Sending relief--and a message of inclusion and love—to our Druze sisters and brothers". Los Angeles Times. 6 April 2021.
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