Demographic Consequences of the Syrian Conflict for the Armenian Community of Syria

Abstract

The paper looks into demographic consequences of the Syrian conflict for the Armenian community. The first section studies the dynamics of the number of Armenians living in Syria from the period of when the community was established (1915–1920s) till 2011. It also outlines some issues related to collecting and systematizing population data both in Syria in general and within the Armenian community particularly. The second part of the paper deals with the geography of the Armenian community and the number of Armenians living in different Syrian cities and towns. It is stressed that during the 20th century the geography of the Armenian presence narrowed due to “weakening” of Armenian communities in some Syrian towns or villages. The third section focuses on some of the main demographic consequences of the conflict in Syria for the Armenian community. It is highlighted that due to mass emigration during the war the number of Armenians living in Syria has dropped nearly three times. A sharp decline like that is a great challenge to preserving the community especially since a big share of the Armenians who emigrated are of young age. Also, the decline in number has affected the potential of the Armenian organizations and institutions in Syria. Another major challenge due to Armenian emigration is the transformation of the traditional ethno-confessional image of some of the Syrian cities and towns (mainly Aleppo) which can affect the relations between different ethno-confessional groups in Syria.