User:Sarah SchneiderCH/sandbox

Syrians (سُورِيُّون, Sūriyyīn) are the inhabited the region of Syria for millennia, situated in the Middle East. With a rich cultural heritage and a lengthy and intricate history, Syrians have made notable contributions to various fields, including literature, art, music, and science.

The term  Syrian  is generally used to refer to individuals who was either born in Syria or holds Syrian nationality, regardless of their gender or ethnic background. However, in some contexts, it is primarily applied to  Syrian Arabs . In 2018, the Syrian Arab Republic had an estimated population of 19.5 million, which includes, aside from the aforementioned majority, the largest Syrian ethnic minority the Kurds, as well as Assyrians, Turks, Armenians and others.

Before the Syrian Civil War, there was quite a large Syrian diaspora, who had immigrated to North America (United States and Canada), European Union member states (including Sweden, France, and Germany), South America (mainly in Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and Chile), the West Indies, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Six million refugees of the Syrian Civil War also live outside Syria now, mostly in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Etymology
Various sources indicate that the name Syria itself is derived from Luwian term "Sura/i", and the derivative ancient Greek name: Σύριοι, Sýrioi, or Σύροι, Sýroi, both of which originally derived from the Akkadian word Aššūrāyu (Assyria) in northern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq However, during the Seleucid Empire, this term was also applied to The Levant, and henceforth the Greeks applied the term without distinction between the Assyrians of north Mesopotamia and Arameans of the Levant.

Applications of the name
The terms "Syrian" and "Assyrian" were used interchangeably by the Greeks to refer to the indigenous Arameans, Assyrians, and other inhabitants of the Levant and Mesopotamia. The Romans imposed the term "Syrian" upon the Arameans of the modern Levant when they created the province of Syria. The Arabs called the region al-Sham, and the modern national identity of Syria emerged in the 1800s. Throughout history, the designation of "Syrian" has been subject to debate and has been used to refer to various peoples, including Jews and Arameans.

History
The history of the peoples in Syria is long and complex, with the region being home to a diverse array of ethnic and religious groups for thousands of years. Some of the earliest known inhabitants of the region were the Sumerians, who lived in Mesopotamia, which included parts of modern-day Syria, around 4000 BC. Other early civilizations that inhabited the region included the Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Sasanians. In the centuries that followed, the region was conquered by various groups, including the Greeks under Alexander the Great and the Romans, who established the province of Syria in 64 BC. The Byzantine Empire also controlled the region for several centuries before the rise of Islam in the 7th century AD.

Syria has become Arabised through the Muslim conquest of Syria in the 7th century led to the spread of Islam and the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate, which was based in Damascus. Over the centuries that followed, the region was ruled by various Muslim dynasties, including the Abbasids, Fatimids, and Ayyubids.

During the Ottoman period, which lasted from the 16th century until the end of World War I, Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire and was ruled by a series of Ottoman governors.

In the 20th century, Syria gained independence from France in 1946 and was ruled by a series of military and civilian governments until the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011. Today, Syria is home to a diverse array of ethnic and religious groups, including Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, and Assyrians, as well as Sunni and Shia Muslims, Christians, and Druze.

Genetics
Genetic tests on Syrians were included in many genetic studies. The paternal Y-DNA haplogroup J1 accounted for 33.6% of Syrians. The J2 group accounted for 20.8% of Syrians; other Y-DNA haplogroups include the E1B1B 12.0%, I 5.0%, R1a 10.0% and R1b 15.0%. The Syrians are closest to other Levantine populations: the Lebanese, the Palestinians and Jordanians; this closeness can be explained with the common Canaanite ancestry and geographical unity which was broken only in the twentieth century with the advent of British and French mandates. Regarding the genetic relation between the Syrians and the Lebanese based on Y-DNA, Muslims from Lebanon show closer relation to Syrians than their Christian compatriots. The people of Western Syria show close relation with the people of Northern Lebanon.

Mitochondrial DNA shows the Syrians to have affinity with Europe; main haplogroups are H and R. Based on Mitochondrial DNA, the Syrians, Palestinian, Lebanese and Jordanians form a close cluster. Compared to the Lebanese, Bedouins and Palestinians, the Syrians have noticeably more Northern European component, estimated at 7%. Regarding the HLA alleles, Syrians, and other Levantine populations, exhibit "key differences" from other Arab populations; based on HLA-DRB1 alleles, Syrians were close to eastern Mediterranean populations, such as the Cretans and Lebanese Armenians. Studying the genetic relation between Jews and Syrians showed that the two populations share close affinity.

Language
Arabic is the mother tongue among Syrian Arabs and others who take it as a mother tongue or as a second language as well as the official state language. The Syrian variety of Levantine Arabic differs from Modern Standard Arabic. In addition to other languages spoken in Syria Kurdish, Turkish, Neo-Aramaic (four dialects), Circassian, Chechen, Armenian, and finally Greek.

Religion and minority groups
Religious differences in Syria have historically been tolerated, and religious minorities tend to retain distinct cultural, and religious identities. Sunni Islam is the religion of 74% of Syrians. The Alawites, a variety of Shia Islam, make up 12% of the population and mostly live in and around Tartus and Latakia. Christians make up 10% of the country. Most Syrian Christians adhere to the Byzantine Rite; the two largest are the Antiochian Orthodox Church and the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. The Druze are a mountainous people who reside in Jabal al-Druze who helped spark the Great Syrian Revolt. The Ismailis are an even smaller sect that originated in Asia. Many Armenian and Assyrian Christians fled Turkey during the Armenian genocide and the Assyrian genocide and settled in Syria. There are also roughly 500,000 Palestinians, who are mostly descendants of refugees from the 1948 Israeli-Arab War. The community of Syrian Jews inside Syria once numbered 30,000 in 1947, but has only 200 today.

Cuisine


Syrian cuisine is dominated by ingredients native to the region. Olive oil, garlic, olives, spearmint, and sesame oil are some of the ingredients that are used in many traditional meals. Traditional Syrian dishes enjoyed by Syrians include, tabbouleh, labaneh, shanklish, wara' 'enab, makdous, kebab, Kibbeh, sfiha, moutabal, hummus, mana'eesh, bameh, and fattoush.

A typical Syrian breakfast is a meze. It is an assortment platter of foods with cheeses, meats, pickles, olives, and spreads. Meze is usually served with Arab-style tea - highly concentrated black tea, which is often highly sweetened and served in small glass cups. Another popular drink, especially with Christians and non-practicing Muslims, is the arak, a liquor produced from grapes or dates and flavored with anise that can have an alcohol content of over 90% ABV (however, most commercial Syrian arak brands are about 40-60% ABV).