Syrians Lawrence Schrott
Syrian Flag
Ethnicity (Abc-Clio World Geography) The largest group of ethnicity for Syrians is Arabs. They aren t from the Arabian Peninsula, but they speak Arab. The next largest ethnic group is the Kurds. A small amount of Syrians are Armenian. Assyrians are another ethnicity of Syrians. Syria is made up of Syrians with many different ethnicities.
Language (Abc- Clio World Geography) Most Syrians speak Arabic. Arabic is very similar to Aramaic and Hebrew. Aramaic is another language that some Syrians speak. Aramaic is an endangered language, not many people in other areas speak it that much. People also use the language Kurmanji. Armenian is spoken in some areas of Syria. This language is used in some business situations.
Etiquette (Abc- Clio World Geography) Syrians are very generous people. When they just meet people, they might invite them over for dinner right away. Guests are expected to take their shoes off. Guests are usually surprised when they drink Arabic coffee and get to the grounds at the bottom of the cup. Food is given to guests even if they are full.
Etiquette continued - Cafes (Abc- Clio World Geography) Cafes are very popular in Syria. Usually only men are allowed in, but some allow women. They will serve coffee, tea, a yogurt drink, and sweet sodas. They will also serve snacks and sometimes large meals. The water pipe is where most men go to smoke and talk with each other. Alcohol is permitted, but people drink it in moderation.
Syrian Café : Damascus. Men go to enjoy time together and drink alcohol.
Etiquette Continued Weddings (Abc-Clio World Geography) Syrians usually get invited to random strangers weddings. Every marriage is usually different from one another. A lot of people do have arranged marriages. People pay the wife s dad a dowry, which is an offering of goods. Weddings are usually in two parts. The first part is the ceremony, and the second part is a large celebration.
This dark Syrian man is marrying this light Syrian women. This is a happy time for both of their families. It is always an honor to be married.
Food (ABC-CLIO World Geography) A favorite dish of most chefs is usually kubbeh. Kubbeh is minced meat, wheat, onion, and nuts in balls or patties served either cooked or raw. Syrians like stuffed vegetables and stuffed leaves. Pastries are usually stuffed with meat and sauce. Lamb is the most common meat. Hummus is a common food as well.
Hummus. A classic Syrian dish.
Food Continued (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life) Meals are very long in Syria. They last from at least 2 hours to even longer than 4. Food is usually eaten by hand. The only potato dish that is eaten a lot are French fries. They are served with every meal. Syrians eat all the parts of animals. Including the brain, sex organs, and intestines. A Syrian specialty are artichokes stuffed with meats.
Artichokes with Stuffed Meats
Holidays (ABC-CLIO World Geography) National Day is a day to celebrate the evacuation of all French troops. St. George s Day is celebrated in memory of a Christian Saint. Some public holidays that Syrians celebrate are Independence day, New Years Day, Mother s day, Feast of the Sacrifice, Christmas day, and more.
Arts (ABC-CLIO World Geography) Syria is known for it s technological innovation dealing with arts and crafts. One art they do is mosaics, made of wood and tile. People earn profits from making them. Syrian ceramics is popular, tile and bowl making. Calligraphy is another art in Syria. They are made into different shapes and objects. Architecture is also very important.
Syrian Mosaic made of tiles. Women work long and hard to make them. They are often furniture inside of kitchens and on patios.
Major Religion: Holy Places (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices) Sunni Islam is the major religion that most Syrians practice. They worship in the mosque. The most important mosque in Syria is Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. They also worship in the Great Mosque in Aleppo. The final mosque that they worship is in Damascus and is called the Takiyya Mosque complex.
Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. The most important mosque in Syria.
Major Religion: Festivals (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices) Government offices, banks, and post offices are always closed on Fridays. They also celebrate the Muslim New Year, the birth of the prophet Muhammad, and Ramadan. People fast during the day and have a big family meal after sunset. Children often receive gifts from family members as well.
Desert Pastries made for the Ramadan festival. The most important festival during the whole year.
Major Religion: Dress (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices) Some Syrians who practice Sunni Islam dress differently. There are Kurds, Bedouins, Turks, and Palestinian who all have different traditional styles of dress. City people dress differently than urban people. Most places have a favorite fabric, weave, stitch, and color. Some people will dress Western occasionally.
Major Religion : Diet (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices) Syrian Muslims have some restrictions. Most are not permitted to drink alcohol or consume pork. Pigs are known to be filthy animals in Syria. The animals they are permitted to eat, anything other than pigs and carnivorous animals, are slaughtered before they are consumed.
Major Religion : Rituals (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices) Sunni Islam men pray in public quite often. The Friday noon prayer is the most important prayer of the whole week. Men attend public worship at the mosques more often than women do. Women are segregated in the mosque when they do attend. Women pray at their homes or they all will pray at one women s home. Weddings are major events.
Major Religion: Rituals Continued (World Encyclopedia of Religious Practices) Deaths are taken very seriously by people who practice Sunni Islam. After the person dies there are three days of mourning by family and friends. The dead body is washed, wrapped in cloth, and placed facing Mecca. Women who attend the death wear black, sometimes they will do this for many months after the death.
Other Religions (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices) The other religions in Syria are Alawites, Ismailites, Druze, Christians, Jews, Tazidis. The Alawites are almost completely found in Syria. They are very influential. The Druze is a smaller religion. They are a very secret religion and aren t public with anything. Christianity used to be the most popular. Jewish is the oldest religion in Syria.
Folklore (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life) Syrians believe it fate. They also love proverbs. They like when they reflect their strong attachment to family and social relationships. For example, Where there is no people, there is Hell. Syrians have one main hero, Queen Zenobia. She achieved independence from Rome and attacked Roman terrorists.
Queen Zenobia, the most famous women in Syrian history. Women look up to this successful queen.
Rites of Passage (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life) Marriage is the main goal in every Syrian s life. Weddings are a right of passage. Children live at home until marriage. Although, sons might bring their wives to come live with their family. Some Syrians date before marriage, they choose some one that their family would approve of. A son is required to take care of their dying parent until death.
Interpersonal Relations (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life) Syrians are loud and aggressive people. They are polite at first, but they do rude things. They cut in line, bump into people, drive offensively honking their horns, blast music, and talk loudly at night. They laugh, joke, and always want to party. Men and women are open in public with people of the same sex, kissing and holding hands.
Interpersonal Relationships Continued (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life) Syrians like personal relationships and don t like standing out in the crowd. Men like insulting each other whenever they can. Syrians also like showing off their heritage. Most want democratic lifestyle, others want a strong president. Syrians stand close together, talk loudly, and use a lot of dramatic hand gestures.
Living Conditions (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life) One fourth of Syrians are agricultural. There is not a highly skilled labor force. Unemployment is about 9%. Most Syrians live in apartments with families of 5 or more people. Wealthy people have large homes. Plumbing and telephone systems aren t really good. Health care is free, but limited. A lot of infants die early in life.
Syrian apartment buildings. They aren t really that nice. Many people usually live in one apartment.
Family Life (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life) Family is very important for Syrians. There are no nursing homes, elderly are taken care of by their families. There are some cases of child abuse, but most child and parent relationships are close. Syrians want to get married and have children. They usually marry their first cousins. Most people don t get divorced, but the father gets custody of the children if they do.
This whole Syrian family lives together. The girls will live with their family until they get married.
Family life Continued (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture and Daily Life) Women in Syria cook most of the meals, but men do have some cooking knowledge. Most kitchens don t have appliances like microwaves and fridges. Food are usually bought freshly every day. There is a separate shop for each food and four different bakeries. It takes most of the day to purchase, prepare, and clean up food. Women don t have equal rights.
Syrian bakery in Ann Arbor. People come here for nice, fresh baked goods. They can sit in and eat or take it out and eat on the go. Bakeries are very popular.
Clothing (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life) Syrians wear Arab and Western-style clothes. Jeans, t-shirts, and running shoes are usually never worn. Men and Women wear long pants that almost always cover their knees, and sleeves that cover their elbows. Women never have short hair, and men never have long hair. Women wear colorful clothes, a lot of jewelry, and high heels.
Syrian business women dress fancy when they go to work. Most women look really good. They take care of themselves.
Education (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life) Mandatory school for Syrian children is 6 years. Higher education is paid for by the government and there are 4 Syrian universities. These universities have huge classes and outdated teaching methods. Syrians in school have to wear green, military style uniforms. They have to attend school 6 days a week. In high school, they have to take English or French for 2 years.
BBC Four. A Syrian school that doesn t usually have that much money. Children attend school for 6 years before they go to a university like this one.
Work (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture and Daily Life) Syrians used to work for the government or in agriculture. Government decided to privatize the economy, and it opened up more opportunities. There aren t a lot of private companies in Syria. Most Syrians now a days work in large government buisnesses.
Sports (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life) Syrians love soccer. A lot of people play in the street for little friendly soccer games. Boys usually play soccer in open soccer fields or in playgrounds. Martial arts are also popular. A lot of classes are available to take. Syrians also like swimming, tennis, track, and ping pong. Some Syrians body build. There are soccer and basketball teams. Rarely, people race camels.
Syrians race camels.
Entertainment (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture and Daily Life) For main entertainment, people go to the coffee house and talk. Social activities involve different groups of people. Young men usually hang out on the streets. Women do crafts, cook, and dance together. On Fridays, Syrians go to mountain resorts to relax. Syrians wear very nice, classy clothes when they go for walks at night.
Entertainment Continued (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture and Daily Life) Syrians go to a lot of movie cinemas. They either show tearjerking Egyptian films or really violent American or Asian films. Only rowdy young men go to the cinema. Wealthy Syrians rent movies and watch them at home. Syrians enjoy music. Women don t belly dance in public, but men do.
Gender Issues (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life) Syrian men usually tell Women that they aren t allowed to do something. She says, What about our Queen Zenobia?, the most known women figure in Syria. Women have almost no rights in their marriage, and their husband may abuse them. The government has made shelters for women who face violence.
Social Problems (Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cultures) The economy is struggling, there is high unemployment, and a low living standard. Many students travel and go away for school, and most of the time they don t return. Social status deals with skin color. The lightest skinned people are at the top, and darker skinned people are at the bottom.
Contemporary Issues - Refugees (Abc-Clio World Geography) Refugees from surrounding countries make up 10 percent of Syrians. They add to high unemployment rates. A lot of the refugees that come in are below the poverty rate. Most people are not allowed to legally work if they are refugees. Women prostitute to keep money for their families.
Contemporary Issues : Civil War (ABC-CLIO World Geography) For the president to maintain power, police had to arrest and take away many people who went against the president. Most websites were blocked. Syrians joined together to over run the president. Protests kept growing and getting harder for police to stop. Many people have been killed in these violent brawls. Other countries have tried to help Syria stop the violence going on.
Contemporary Issues : Discrimination against Kurds (ABC-CLIO World Geography) Kurds are usually the ones who get discriminated the most. They deal with arbitrary arrests, killings, and revocation of their citizenship. A census declared that all Kurds would be stateless, with no proof of citizen documentation. They weren t allowed to own property, homes, or businesses. They are also denied access to hospitals.
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