Origin of the Syrians. Religious groups of Syria

90% of the population of Syria are Muslims, 10% are Christians. Muslims are predominantly Sunni (74%). The rest of the population consists of representatives of various Islamic denominations, mainly Alawites (accounting for 10% of the total population) and Druze (6%), but the country also has Shia Ismaili communities, which have increased sharply due to the influx of Iraqi refugees since 2005 G.

Islam:

Islam is the third Monotheistic religion that was founded by the Prophet Muhammad, a descendant of a long line of prophets, including Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and David (Peace be upon them).

Prophet Muhammad received revelation from Archangel Gabriel(In Islam - Jebraila), who dictated the Koran to him. The word “Allah” is translated from Arabic as “God”. After widespread expansion, Islam became the main religion of Syria.

Christianity:

Christians in Syria make up approximately 8 to 10% of the Syrian population.

But Christianity in Syria is not monolithic, but is represented by different churches, including Catholic churches, Orthodox churches and Protestant churches.

In turn, representatives of the Catholic Churches are Greek Catholics, Syrian Catholics, Armenian Gregorians, Maronites, Chaldean Catholics of the Latin rite. All have their own Patriarch, although the highest position is occupied by the Pope in the Vatican.

The Orthodox churches are also divided into - Greek-Orthodox, Syro-Orthodox and Armenian-Orthodox. These churches have their own Patriarchs, and the Armenian Orthodox Church is under the leadership of the Patriarch in Armenia.

The Protestants in Syria are few in number and are under the leadership of the Thinodus (Level of Clergy).

Their representation in the scientific and economic life of the country far exceeds the percentage of their population.

Christianity is recognized in Syria, so national holidays include Christmas, New Year and Easter.

Easter is celebrated on two different dates, one generally accepted by the West (celebrated by the Catholic Churches, Protestant Churches and the Armenian Orthodox Church) and another date accepted by the Syrian and Greek Orthodox.

Judaism:

There is also a very small Syrian Jewish community, which is limited mainly to Damascus; remnants of formerly 40,000 close-knit communities. After the 1947 UN plan for the Partition of Palestine, there were numerous protests against Jews in Damascus and Aleppo. Jewish property was confiscated or burned and after the establishment of the State of Israel, many fled to Israel, and only 5,000 Jews remained in Syria. Of these, 4,000 remained after an agreement with the United States in the 1990s. As of 2006, there are only a few hundred Jews remaining in Syria.

Religious monuments:

Umayyad Mosque:

Located in one of the most sacred places in the old city of Damascus, at the end of Suq al-Hamidiyeh. The Umayyad Mosque was built by the Arab Caliph Walid bin Abdel-Malik in 705. Damascus was the capital of the Arab Islamic Empire.

The place where the mosque now stands, inAramaicera was occupied by the TempleHadada(the Aramaic god of the ancient Syrians 3,000 years ago). Later, in the Roman era, a Temple was located on this siteJupiter. Then, in Byzantine times (in the 4th century, when Christianity spread)Christianchurch, dedicated to John the Baptist.

Initially, the Arab conquest of Damascus in 635 did not affect the church, as a structure revered by both Muslim and Christian parishioners. This preserved the church and worship, although the Muslims built an extension against the southern wall of the temple and performed their rituals there.

When Caliph Walid decided to establish the greatest mosque suitable for its splendor to the Arab world, a mosque like which “never was” and “never will be”, he negotiated with the Christian communities of Damascus and undertook to build a new Church (Church of St. John) for them , and also allocate several plots of land for other churches if they renounce their right to their part of the Mosque. They agreed.

Construction took ten years and eleven million gold dinars, as well as a large number of masons, artists, builders, carpenters and painters.This Mosque became the architectural model for hundreds of mosques throughout the Islamic world.

The Great Mosque has three minarets,which were built in different eras and in different styles.The minarets that can still be seen today are authentic minaretsand were only partially restored during the Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman periods.

The mosque is a huge complex: the mosque itself with a spacious prayer hall and a large courtyard surrounded by a colonnade.The front part of the courtyard and the surrounding colonnades are lined with colored marble, decorated with mosaic tiles and covered with gilding.

There is a burial inside the mosqueJohn the Baptist (in Islam - P Prophet of Yahya) and possibly parts of his body.The shrine is revered by both Christians and Muslims.

Chapel of St. Paul

Created in memory of St. Paul. His name was Saul, he was not one of theTwelve Apostlesand participated in his youth in the persecutionChristian.

One day, on the way toDamascushe unexpectedly heard an unknown voice “Saul! Saul! Why are you chasing me?” and went blind for three days. This was a vision of faith. Brought to Damascus, he was healed by the Christian Ananias and baptized. After which he became one of the most faithful defenders of Christianity.

The Jews, having learned about this, decided to kill him, but Apostle secretly at night he was lowered in a basket to the ground by Christians who revered himand thus was saved. The church is located at the site of his salvation.

The Apostle Paul continued to preach and teach the Gospel until his death.

Story Syria (Arabic: سوريا / Suriya, English: Syria) dates back more than five thousand years - it is a connecting link for three continents, the cradle of one of the oldest civilizations. This country never ceases to interest archaeologists, scientists, and tourists. The very first traces of humans on the territory of what is now the SAR (Syrian Arab Republic), discovered in the area of ​​Latakia and the Orontes River, are estimated to be about a million years old. In the Euphrates Valley, there is a significant part of those places where people switched from a nomadic lifestyle to agriculture. Syria's favorable geographical position at the junction of three continents - Europe, Asia and Africa - has contributed to the development of trade and the prosperity of cities at all times.

In the VI century. BC. the entire territory of Syria is part of the ancient Persian kingdom of the Achaemenids, and after its defeat in 333 BC. The Greek-Macedonian army entered the empire of Alexander the Great. Covering not only Syria, but also a number of other countries in Western Asia, North Africa and even Europe, the Arab conquest led to the emergence of the Arab Caliphate. , which fell into the hands of Arab conquerors in 635, became the capital of the first of the Arab dynasties - the Umayyads, and Syria - their crown province.

At the beginning of the 15th century. Syria was subjected to a short (less than a year) but extremely devastating invasion by Tamerlane. In 1516, after the battle in the town of Marj Dabiq, Syria became a province of the Ottoman Empire. Turkish rule, which lasted four centuries, left a heavy mark on the history of Syria, contributed to the decline of its economy and culture, and the impoverishment of the population. In September 1918, an anti-Turkish uprising began in southern Syria, and by the end of 1918 the Ottomans were expelled from Syria. Troops entered Damascus, the capital of Syria, under the command of Emir Faisal ibn al-Husseini, who was proclaimed King of Syria in 1920, but was forced to leave the country in the same year. Syria and Lebanon were placed under the mandate of France, which established a colonial regime. After the Syrian national uprising of 1925-27. France changed its apparently colonial methods of government.

From January 1944, the mandate officially ended and the country was formally declared independent. Syria became a member of the UN, and in March 1945 it was one of the initiators of the creation of the League of Arab States. The day of evacuation of foreign troops from Syria on April 17, 1946 is celebrated annually in the country as a national holiday.

With The modern flag of Syria (العلم السوريا) first appeared in 1958 and was used for three years during the period of the United Arab Republic (two stars representing Syria and Egypt). It became a national symbol again on May 30, 1980.

Green is the color of Islam; red - the blood of martyrs; black - dark colonial past; white is the color of the world.

Geography

Syria is a state in the Middle East, bordered by Lebanon and Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east and Turkey to the north, directly adjacent to the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, with a coastline of 173 km. The total length of the borders is 2414 km. The area of ​​the state is 185,180 km (86th place in the world). The territory of the state is very heterogeneous. The northwestern territories bordering Turkey are occupied by mountain spurs Taurus. The coastal zone is a rift zone, with the Al-Ghabb depression running parallel to the coast, through which the second largest river in Syria flows. Al-Asi(Orontes). On the coastal side, the depression is framed by the Jabal al-Nisairiya mountain range, dividing the country into a wet western part and a dry eastern part. The fertile coastal plain is located in northwestern Syria and stretches 130 km from north to south along the Mediterranean coast from the Turkish to the Lebanese border. Almost all of the country's agriculture is concentrated here. The highest point in Syria is Jabal Al Sheikh, mentioned in the Bible as Mount Hermon. To the south of the mountains lies the Syrian Badiyat Ashsham Desert, along with the oasis of Palmyra in the northern part of this arid region.

Population

With a population of 19,405,000, Syria ranks 55th in the world (at the beginning of 2008). The average population growth rate of the country is 2.5%, which is 6 times higher than in EU countries. The majority of the Syrian population consists of Arabs(87.8% of the total population). About 400 thousand people are Palestinian Arabs - refugees of 1947 and 1967. Of the national minorities, the most numerous are Kurds (10% of the population) and Armenians (more than 200 thousand). In addition, Aisors (Assyrians), Turkmens, Circassians, and Jews live in Syria. The bulk of the population is concentrated on the coast, along the banks of the Euphrates, mountain slopes, in intermountain basins and in the western part of the eastern plateau. The highest population density is typical for the regions of Damascus and Latakia.

Language

Modern Arabic literary- the official language in Syria and in 21 other states with a total population of about 330 million people. Arabic is one of the six working languages ​​of the UN. In all Arab countries, along with the official - classical language ( fusha - الفصحى), used in the media and government agencies, in everyday life everyone speaks the local dialect.

Religion

In the minds of most Russians, Syria is a distant Muslim country, no different from other states in the Arab world. But this is far from true. There are virtually no religious conflicts in the country. The vast majority of the population does not accept religious intolerance. Here, any citizen is first of all a Syrian, and only then a Muslim or Christian. Syria was once a generally Christian country, but today the majority of its inhabitants profess Islam However, the Constitution guarantees equal rights to all citizens and equal protection to all religions. 89% of the believing population profess Islam (including 79% Sunnis, 8% Alawites, 2% Druze belonging to Shiite sects), the rest are Christians.

Connection

In recent years, the number of mobile phones, the GSM standard network is developed everywhere. There are two cellular operators in Syria - MTN(yellow signs) and Syriatel(red signs). For a stay of more than a week in Syria, it is recommended to purchase a SIM card from a local operator. You can purchase it at any mobile phone store. To do this, you need a copy of your passport, a form indicating the names of your parents and, don’t be surprised, a thumbprint. All incoming calls are free. Communication with Russia is carried out using code 007 - city code or mobile. operator - telephone number (or +7), communication within the country through 0, similar to our 8. Internet. The Internet is widespread in Syria almost everywhere. Internet cafes and computer clubs offer the use of the Internet (sometimes not very fast), scanning and printing services for documents. There are sites that are closed for access, for example Youtube, Facebook. Prices vary from 60 liras in ordinary cafes to 650 liras in expensive hotels per hour of work.

Time

In Syria, time is one hour behind Moscow. The entire country is in the same time zone. Syria, like Russia, switches to summer time.

Today Syria is in the world news. The future of geopolitics directly depends on how the “Syrian card” is played.

1.The capital Damascus is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Estimates of its age vary - from 4,000 to 10,000 years. Perhaps only one city is older than it - Palestinian Jericho. There is another city in Syria with more than 4,000 years of history - Aleppo.

2. In Damascus and Aleppo, entire neighborhoods have been preserved, the houses in which are more than 400 years old, and some streets were designed in antiquity. Straight Street is mentioned in the Bible. In Damascus you can find Roman fortifications, Byzantine temples and the oldest Arab mosques built on ancient temples (for example, the minaret of Isa (Jesus) on the ancient Temple of Jupiter). The oldest Christian temple is the underground chapel of St. Ananias (1st century).

3.Aleppo (second name for Aleppo)- the largest city in the country. A city with a population of over a million, it is located near the Turkish border and is larger than Novosibirsk. The first president of Armenia was born in Aleppo. The second millionaire is Damascus.

4. Syria is located in the north of the most ancient center of civilization - the Fertile Crescent (Egypt, Mesopotamia, Levant).

5. From its borders there are 250 kilometers to Egypt, 120 to Cyprus, 700 to Greece and about 650 to Russia.

6. The territory of Syria is larger than Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary or Austria, but smaller than Belarus.

7. About 20 million Arabs and 2 million Kurds live in Syria, speaking the Kurdish language - a descendant of the Median. In addition to Arabs and Kurds, large groups live here Armenians, Circassians, Muslim Greeks, Syrian Turkmens.

8. Syrian Arabs speak a special dialect of Arabic, noticeably different from the literary one. Residents of the central and northeastern regions also speak different dialects.

9. Thanks to literary Arabic, more than 200 million Arabs from the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf can understand each other.

10. In Arabic the name of Syria sounds like "Suriyya", and in the full version “al-Jumukhiriyya al-Arabiya al-Suriyya” (Syrian Arab Republic).

11. About 90% of the population lives in the Euphrates River valley or in fertile areas near the Mediterranean Sea, which together makes up only a third of the country's territory. The rest of the area is occupied by the Syrian Desert, which has been dividing the two regions since ancient times - Mesopotamia and Levant(fertile triangle by the sea: Israel, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon). The differences in culture and location of these two regions have repeatedly caused conflicts.

12. How Syria is similar to Russia is its location at the junction of European and Eastern cultures. One part of it gravitates towards the West, the other towards the Arab world of the East. The coastal regions are occupied predominantly by Christians mixed with Muslim sects and non-Sunni movements, while the desert regions along the Euphrates gravitate toward Sunni conservatism. Thanks to my position, Syria is one of the most ancient trading states. Some of the city's markets are about five hundred years old.

13. Of the two million Syrian Christians, about half are Orthodox. The majority of the population (about 18 million) are Muslims.

14. Syria is the birthplace of many Christian, Islamic and other religious sects and original movements. Followers Alawism, an esoteric branch of Islam, outnumbers Christians twice as many. Alawites are allowed to drink wine, pray twice a day and fast for only two weeks. They consider their religion to be secret knowledge accessible only to a select few. President Bashar al-Assad is an Alawite.

16. Independent Syria has existed within its modern borders since April 17, 1946, when it liberated itself from French colonial rule.

17. The most ancient world civilizations were located on the territory of the country: Assyria, the Hittite kingdom, Babylonia, the Persian Empire, the power of Alexander the Great. This land was occupied in turn by the Roman Empire, Byzantium, the Arab Caliphate, the Crusaders, the Mongols, and the Ottoman Empire. In 1920, the country became a French colony.

18. Today Syria is the “hottest” spot on the planet. During the war (2011 - present), sanctions were imposed against Syria by the EU and the Gulf countries, the tourism sector practically disappeared, oil sales fell sharply, and militants looted more than 1,000 factories and enterprises in Aleppo. According to the UN Institute for Training and Research, about 300 cultural monuments have been destroyed.. One of the triggers for discontent among the Sunni population in the eastern regions was the severe drought (2006-2011), which especially affected the Euphrates Valley and desert regions.

19. Syria - the cradle of Christianity. Several tens of thousands of Assyrians live in the country - descendants of the population of Great Assyria. They speak New Aramaic languages. It is in Aramaic that some of the books of the Bible are written; this is the language spoken by Jesus Christ and those around him. The people profess predominantly Christianity, and The Assyrians were among the first to accept this faith in the 1st century.

20. YouTube, Blogspot and Facebook are blocked in Syria.

21. The country has free medicine and education, and pensions are accrued from the age of 60. Civil servants are compensated for the costs of private clinics, and literacy is 83% (before independence it was 10%), which is much higher than in Iraq and Egypt.

22. For more than 50 years, Syria has been under the control of the Baath Party (Arab Socialist Renaissance Party, abbreviated as “revival”).

23. According to the traditional Arabic calendar, the first day of the week is Sunday “Al-Ahad” (the first), and the last day is Saturday “As-Sabt” (rest). Just like in Russia celebrated on March 8, Mother's Day, New Year, Independence Day and May 1

24. Syria's relations with the USSR and Russia have always been quite warm. This is due both to the common socialist past and to opposition to the American policy of domination in the Middle East. Thus, back in 1971, the material and technical base of the USSR Navy was located in the city of Tartus, and in 2005, Syria’s 10 billion dollar debt was written off. However Syria still does not recognize Israel. And if your passport contains an Israeli visa, then most likely, access to this country will be denied.

25. Syria is the birthplace of outstanding Christian and Islamic thinkers. Among them philosopher Posidonius(1st century BC), philosopher Lucian of Samosatsky(2nd century), ascetic writer Isaac the Syrian(VII century), rationalist philosopher and freethinker Abul-Ala al-Maarri(XI century) (it was his statue that was beheaded by jihadists in 2013), Arabic medieval mathematician As-Salar(XII century).

John Chrysostom, who was born nearby, preached in Syrian land.

The Islamic factor has a tangible impact on the internal situation and foreign policy of many states in Muslim regions. Recently, it has also acquired unprecedented significance in the international political arena. News agencies around the world report hourly on new events in one country or another in which Islamic religious and political groups took part.

The hearth and territorial base of these groups is Syria. The religion of 90% of the citizens of this country is Islam, which encourages people to associate terrorism and the Islamic faith. In the media space, one can increasingly see the clichés “Syrian terrorists”, “Syrian suicide bombers” and so on.

Such associations help to escalate the conflict and stimulate a feeling of “Islamic danger.” Suffice it to recall the bloody history of Charlie Hebdo, which was provoked by their religious caricatures, and the latest attacks on official, peaceful Islam, they say, the roots of the problem are in...

90% of the population of Syria are Muslims, 10% are Christians. Muslims are predominantly Sunni (74%). The rest of the population is made up of various Islamic denominations, mainly Alawites (10% of the total population) and Druze (6%), but the country also has Shia Ismaili communities, which have increased sharply due to the influx of Iraqi refugees since 2005.

Islam is the third Monotheistic religion that was founded by the Prophet Muhammad, a descendant of a long line of prophets, including Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and David (Peace be upon them).

The Prophet Muhammad received a revelation from the Archangel Gabriel (Jabrail in Islam), who dictated the Koran to him. The word “Allah” is translated from Arabic as “God”. After widespread expansion, Islam became the main religion of Syria.

Christianity:

Christians in Syria make up approximately 8 – 10% of the Syrian population.

But Christianity in Syria is not...

Geography

Syria or the Syrian Arab Republic is a state in the Middle East, in the eastern Mediterranean, bordered by Lebanon and Israel in the southwest, Jordan in the south, Iraq in the east and Turkey in the north. It is washed by the Mediterranean Sea in the west. The area is 185.2 thousand...

Syria is a state in Western Asia. It borders with Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon, and is washed by the Mediterranean Sea in the west. Area - 185.2 thousand...

Syria

Aleppo
Al Qamishli
Bosra
Wadi An Nasara
Damascus
Damascus (surroundings)
Daraa
Deir ez-Zour
Idleb
Latakia
Dead cities
Palmyra
Raqqa
Sueida (Sweida)
Tartus
Hama
Hims (Homs)

History of Syria (Arab….

Syria (Arab...

Syria is the oldest civilization in the Middle East

Civilization arose here in the 4th century. BC. According to Karl Baedeker, the German founder of the publishing house of guides to various cities and countries, the capital of Syria, Damascus, is the oldest existing capital in the world.

The modern state of the Syrian Arab Republic borders Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. It is washed in the west by the Mediterranean Sea.

State symbols

Flag - The modern flag of Syria was reintroduced in 1980. This flag was previously used by the United Arab Republic.
The colors of the flag are traditional for the flags of Arab countries. The two stars stand for Egypt and Syria, two nations that were part of the United Arab Republic. Green is the color of the Fatimids (the dynasty of Muslim caliphs from 969 to 1171...

Syrian Arab Republic (Arab....

107 000

Syrians- Semitic people, the main population of the Syrian Arab Republic. The total number is about 50 million people. The majority of Syrians (about 40%) are Muslims. They also live in Kuwait, Germany, North and South America, Africa, and Australia. They speak the Syriac dialect of Arabic. Intense Arabization occurred after the annexation of Syria to the Arab Caliphate in the 7th century, before which the population spoke Aramaic. At the moment, one of the dialects of the Aramaic language can be found in the Qalamun region, located west of Damascus. The Syrian population is approximately 90% Muslim, of which about 80% are Sunni, the rest are Shia, and the remaining 10% of Syrians are Christian. Among the Christians here, there are Maronites, Orthodox, Jacobites, Greek Catholics, and Nestorians. and Protestants,

Tribal division

The Syrians still maintain tribal divisions. The largest tribes are the Ruala, Shammar, Akeydat, Valad Ali, Beni Khaled, Mawali, Hadeddiyin, Fadl, etc. In the east of Syria live predominantly Bedouins, this region is called the “country of the Bedouins”, where customary Bedouin law still applies to this day.

Story

For a long time, from the 16th century to 1918, Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire, then it passed to France as a mandate region. As a result of this event, numerous uprisings and liberation movements took place in Syria, which grew into - gg. into a national uprising. In 1943, Syria gained sovereignty and became an independent state. It was during this period that the population of this country developed a national identity.

Farm

One of the main activities for Syrians is agriculture; they are engaged in industry, trade, agriculture and crafts. Traditional crafts are developed: weaving, carpentry, blacksmithing and jewelry. Various industrial crops are grown: grains, legumes, vegetable gardens, and melons and melons. Semi-nomads are engaged in livestock farming, and the population of some Syrian regions is also engaged in camel farming, mainly nomads in the south of the country. Some Syrians work in industry.

Nutrition

The traditional food for the Syrian peasant is porridge made from boiled crushed wheat (burghul), flatbreads made from barley or wheat, goat's milk and various types of greens. Dairy products, dates and meat occupy a special place in the diet of nomads and semi-nomads. Christian communities also grow grapes to produce grape vodka infused with anise (arak).

Anthropological type