page_title: Syrian Turkmen
section_title: Language
hierarchical_section_title: Syrian Turkmen / Culture / Language
caption_attribution_description: English: Ahmad Nami the 2nd head of state in Syria (1926–1928) Türkçe: 2. Suriye Devlet Başkanı Ahmed Nami (1926-1928) العربية: أحمد نامي بك رئيس الثاني للدولة السورية 1926-1928
context_page_description: Syrian Turkmen, are Syrian citizens of Turkish origin who mainly trace their roots to Anatolia. The majority of Syrian Turkmen are the descendants of migrants who arrived in Syria during Ottoman rule; however, there are also many Syrian Turkmen who are the descendants of earlier Turkish settlers that arrived during the Seljuk and Mamluk periods. Today, Turkish-speaking Syrian Turkmen make up the third largest ethnic group in the country, after the Arabs and Kurds respectively; some estimates indicate that if Arabized Turkmen are taken into account, then they form the second biggest group in the country. The majority of Syrian Turkmen are Sunni Muslims.
  Syrian Turkmen share common genealogical and linguistic ties with Turkish people in Turkey and Iraqi Turkmen, but do not identify themselves with the Turkmen of Turkmenistan and Central Asia. Most live near the Syrian-Turkish border that runs from the northwestern governorates of Idlib and Aleppo to the northeastern governorate of Raqqa. Others reside in the Turkmen Mountain near Latakia, the city of Homs and its vicinity until Hama, Damascus, and the southwestern governorates of Dera’a and Quneitra.
context_section_description: According to The Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics, the Turkish language is the third most widely used language in Syria (after Arabic and Kurdish). It is spoken by the Turkmen minority mostly in villages east of the Euphrates, north of Aleppo, and on the northern coast of the country, along the Syrian-Turkish border. In addition, there are Turkish language islands in the Qalamun area and the Homs area. Moreover, Syrian Arabic dialects have also borrowed many loanwords from Turkish. Mustafa Khalifa claims that, Turkmen are divided into two groups: Rural Turkish-speaking Turkmen, constituting 30% of Syrian Turkmen, and Urban Arabic-speaking Turkmen.
  Various dialects of Turkish are spoken throughout Syria: in Aleppo they speak a Kilis and Antep dialect; in Tell Abyad and Raqqa they speak an Urfa dialect; and in Bayırbucak they speak a Hatay/Yayladağı dialect of the Turkish language. Some Syrian Turkmen living far from the Turkish border, such as in Homs, have managed to preserve their national identity but are more competent in speaking the Arabic language. In Damascus Syrian Turkmen speak the Turkish language with a Yörük dialect.
  In 2018 Dr. Eldad J. Pardo and Maya Jacobi reported that they did not identify any Turkish (nor Kurdish or Aramaic) teaching, either as a first or second language, in the Syrian national curriculum.
caption: Of Turkish origin, Ahmad Nami was the 5th Prime Minister and 2nd President of Syria. His first language was Turkish, consequently, he "could hardly speak Arabic".[74]
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