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The Syriac people (Syriac: ܣܘܪܝܝܐ ܐܪܡܝܐ, IPA: ['Sūryōyɛ Orōmōyɛ]) are an ethnic group of Aramaic origin, in the sense of sharing a common Syriac culture, descent, religion, and speak a variant of Aramaic. They are native to Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and neighbouring regions who can also be found in a plethora of Syriac diaspora communities around the world. In later times, many of them fled into Europe, the United States, Israel, Jordan, Canada, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands and Switzerland. Today hundreds of thousands Syriacs live in diaspora.

For the most part, they speak the Syriac language, which is known as "Suryoyo" (ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ) in their native tongue, but a large part also speak a dialect of the Neo-Aramaic language called Turoyo (ܛܘܪܝܐ). The Syriacs mostly call themselves "Suryoye" (ܣܘܪܝܝܐ) in their native tongue, but a large part also tend to use "Oromoye" (ܐܪܡܝܐ) as self-designation, since the Syriacs are descendants to the Aramaeans.

Being adherents of the West Syrian Rite, they belong to the Syriac Orthodox Church and Syriac Catholic Church, for which reason they are also known as Jacobites (named after Jacob Baradaeus). They are known as one of the first people to accept Christianity.

Their original homeland, which is known as Mesopotamia, or Beth Nahrain (ܒܝܬ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ) in the their mother tounge, lies in what is now Syria, Iraq and Turkey, specifically in the Turabdin (ܛܘܪ ܥܒܕܝܢ) region in Turkey, and in the Al Hasakah region in Syria. The strongest Syriac community in the world is found in the city of Al Qamishli (ܩܡܫܠܐ) in Syria where a large Syriac community live. Following the Syriac genocide (ܣܝܦܐ) in the early 20th century, many fled abroad, and a large portion today lives in diaspora.

References

2. http://www.themesopotamian.org/magazine/mesopotamian_v1_i4_jan05.pdf
3. http://www.kristdemokraterna.se/PressOchMedia/Pressmeddelanden/Internationellt/~/media/DBB059D6B89C42C1B8CB49B55C7CAC49.ashx
4. http://www.joshuaproject.net/peoples.php?rop3=210540
5. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14417a.htm
6. http://www.tulumba.com/storeItem.asp?ic=VI342856CI279
7. "Tur Abdin, and the Aramaean Renaissance" by John Messo

See also

• Roman Syria
• Syriac Christianity
• Syriac language

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