Syria Cultural facts

The Syrians• 23 million people

• 74 % Sunni Muslim• 12% Alawites, a sect of Shia Muslims• 10% Christian• Small % Druze, mystical religious sect

• Alawites have dominated government for decades

• President Bashar al-Assad is Alawite• Most speak Arabic, about 9% speak Kurdish

(NE)

Ancient history• Cradle of civilization for at least 10,000 years.• Fertile Crecsent• Ancient majestic cities from 1800 BCE• Capital city: Damascus• Been part of major empires in history:

Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Macedonians & Romans

Notable places• Biggest cities are Aleppo in the Northwest,

Damascus in the Southwest are truly ancient. • Damascus first mentioned in Egyptian

document dating 1500 BCE• Aleppo may be one of the oldest continuously

occupied cities in the world. Ancient city along the Silk Road. It saw bustling trade for centuries

Modern history• For nearly four centuries Syria was part of Ottoman

Empire.• Syria and Lebanon came under French control after

WWI• Became independent in 1946.• From time to time, Syria has occupied and tried to

control Lebanon.• Current President’s father was ruler from 1971 until his

death in 2000. • Governed as a dictatorship.

Current conflict• Civil war erupted after President al-Assad violently

suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011• Rebel groups began to organize. Not all working together.

Many have increasingly been composed of Islamist factions, making U.S. nervous about assisting them vs. President.

• Feb. 2012, UN condemned massacre by gov’t in city of Homs. UN estimates about 100,000 people have been killed so far, millions displaced by the conflict

• August of 2012 President Obama issued warning to Syria not to use chemical weapons. That use could change U.S. action.

• On August 26, 2013 U.S. Sec. of State John Kerry said there was strong evidence that Syria government used chemical weapons vs. own citizens.