People from Syria consist of various majority and minority ethnic groups. The latest population census of the Syrian population indicates that the Arabs constitute the most significant percentage of the Syrian ethnic groups, with 74 percent of the total population. Different religious sects further divide the Arabic ethnicities. The Kurdish, also known as Yazidi, is the second-largest group and makes up 9.5 percent. Most Syrian ethnic groups are minority groups, such as the Chechens, Alawites, Druze, Chaldeans, and Kabardas, who make up 6 percent of the population.
The Arabs
The Arabs are the most dominant ethnic group in Syria. The Arab population in Syria comprises various Islamic sects, such as the Alawite, Shia, and Sunni, who have ruled Syria over the decades. These Islamic sects differ in past histories of the significant Islamic prophets, such as their time on earth and their birth years.
Sunni Arabs make up the most considerable percentage, with 70 percent of the Syrian population. The Sunni Arabs consist of the most prominent Islamic religious sects in Syria, believed to be the faithful Islamic followers of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad. They have not provided direct rulers to the Syrian Presidency, but they consist of the most significant representation of government officials.
The Alawites are a small Arabic sect that incorporates pagan, Islamic, and Christian traditions believed to have originated from Ibn Nusayr. They are considered one of the earliest Arabic sects who went by Nusayris before the French took over Syria in 1920. Although the Alawites consist of 10 percent of the Arab population, they hold more governmental power.
Shia constitutes the third-largest sect after the Sunni and Alawites. They share similar fundamental practices and beliefs with the Sunni though historians believe they were the ancestors of the Alawites. The Shia consider Imam Ali as the predecessor of Prophet Muhammad, a factor that contradicts the Sunni belief, which considers him the fourth successor.
The Kurdish People
The Kurdish people comprise the second largest population in Syria after the Arabs. There are about 2.5 million Kurds. Their existence in Syria dates back to the Ayyubid Dynasty and Ottoman rule. They mainly dominate the northern parts of Syria.
Despite the original Syrian Kurds, the Kurdish population was also boosted by the Kurdish migrants from Turkey after failed rebellions in the 1920s. They mainly speak Arabic and the Kurdish-kirimanji dialect. The Kurdish people have held a significant role in the Syrian Civil War as activists against the Syrian government in 2012.
Syrian Minority Groups
Other than the Arabs and the Kurdish groups, the Syrian population also consists of minority groups that make up 6 percent of its people. Some ethnic groups, classified as minority groups, include the Druze, Circassian, Armenians, Chechens, Assyrians, and Turkomans, also called the Turkish. These minority groups share different religious beliefs, languages, and cultures.
The Assyrians and Armenians represent the Christian community. The Circassian ethnicity, approximately 55,000 people, is mainly Muslim and primarily Sunni Muslims. They are originally from Russia and migrated to Syria following the Russian conquest.
The Druze are the third-largest minority group in Syria. They mainly inhabit the southwestern part of Syria near Jordan. They are primarily an Arab-speaking group but incorporate many religious beliefs such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Greek philosophy, and Judaism.
The Turkish people, who are also known as Turkomens or Turkmen, also make up the Syrian minority group with a population of 100,000 people. They originated from Central Asia after the Turkic Seljuk conquest in 1055. They are Sunni Muslims concentrated in northern Syria.
The Christian Population
Before the Syrian Civil War, the Christian community consisted of 10 percent of the Syrian population, among the most significant Middle-Eastern Christian proportion. The Christian population is composed of different denominations and ethnicities. Its main denominations are Orthodox, composed of the Greek and Syrian orthodox. There are also Catholics composed of Roman, Syrian, and Greek Catholics.
Some ethnicities that profess Christianity include the Armenians, Assyrians, Maronites, and Chaldeans. However, the Armenian and Assyrian make up the most prominent Christian population. The Armenians mainly belong to the Orthodox Church, with some members of the Catholic Church. Most of them live in Damascus and Aleppo and try to live free from publicity and politics. On the other hand, the Assyrian population is mainly members of the Catholic Church, with a few members belonging to the Assyrian Ancient Church. The Assyrians especially occupy the north-eastern side of Syria.
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