The Mhallami, Mahallami, or Mardelli ( ar, محلّمي, Mḥallame; ku, Mehelmî; syr, ܡܚܠ̈ܡܝܐ, Mḥallmāye; tr, Mıhellemi) is an
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
-speaking tribal ethnic group traditionally living in and around the city of
Mardin
Mardin ( ku, Mêrdîn; ar, ماردين; syr, ܡܪܕܝܢ, Merdīn; hy, Մարդին) is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for the Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
Due to migration since 1920 they have a large presence in
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
as well. As a result of the
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...
, large numbers fled to Europe, particularly
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. They typically identify themselves as
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
, but are sometimes associated with other ethnic groups such as Kurds,
Assyrians/
Arameans
The Arameans ( oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; syc, ܐܪ̈ܡܝܐ, Ārāmāyē) were an ancient Semitic-speaking people in the Near East, first recorded in historical sources from the late 12th century BCE. The Aramean ...
. though their historical roots are not definitively established.
They are
Sunni-Muslims and primarily speakers of an
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
dialect that has Turkish, Kurdish, and
Aramaic
The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...
influences.
Origin
Multiple claims regarding the origins of the group have been presented, that the group descends from the
Assyrian
Assyrian may refer to:
* Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia.
* Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire.
** Early Assyrian Period
** Old Assyrian Period
** Middle Assyrian Empire
** Neo-Assyrian Empire
* Assyrian ...
/
Aramean
The Arameans ( oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; syc, ܐܪ̈ܡܝܐ, Ārāmāyē) were an ancient Semitic-speaking people in the Near East, first recorded in historical sources from the late 12th century BCE. The Aramean h ...
population of the Mardin region that converted to Islam and
Arabized
Arabization or Arabisation ( ar, تعريب, ') describes both the process of growing Arab influence on non-Arab populations, causing a language shift by the latter's gradual adoption of the Arabic language and incorporation of Arab culture, aft ...
linguistically or that the group originates from the Arab Peninsula.
The date of their appearance in Anatolia is unknown, but likely sometime in the 5th century. There are no known written records by their ancestors of this period. Among the Mhallami there is a view that they are descended from
Banu Hilal
The Banu Hilal ( ar, بنو هلال, translit=Banū Hilāl) was a confederation of Arabian tribes from the Hejaz and Najd regions of the Arabian Peninsula that emigrated to North Africa in the 11th century. Masters of the vast plateaux of th ...
tribes, but historical sources and research indicate that this is somewhat unlikely. Arab ancestry is more probably from
Rabi'ah
Rabīʿa ibn Nizar ( ar, ربيعة بن نزار) is the patriarch of one of two main branches of the "North Arabian" (Adnanite) tribes, the other branch being founded by Mudhar.
Branches
According to the classical Arab genealogists, the foll ...
tribes, possibly
Banu Shayban The Banu Shayban () is an Arab tribe, a branch of the Bakr ibn Wa'il group. Throughout the early Islamic era, the tribe was settled chiefly in the Jazira, and played an important role in its history.
History
In the pre-Islamic period, the Shayba ...
, though this does not preclude Kurdish and/or aramean roots. Some sources view the group as ethnically or denominationally Assyrian.
English traveller
Mark Sykes
Colonel Sir Tatton Benvenuto Mark Sykes, 6th Baronet (16 March 1879 – 16 February 1919) was an English traveller, Conservative Party politician, and diplomatic advisor, particularly with regard to the Middle East at the time of the First Wo ...
wrote in 1907: ''This tribe has a peculiar history. They claim that they were Christians 350 years ago
..They speak mixed Arabic and the women wear red clothes and are not veiled. Ibrahim Pasha says they are now a mixed race of Arabs and Kurds. Some families are said to still descent from the Aramean Christians.''
This theory is also confirmed by orientalist Ishaq Armala and by the Syriac Orthodox patriarch
Ignatius Aphrem I
Ignatius Aphrem I Barsoum ( syc, ܡܪܢ ܡܪܝ ܐܝܓܢܐܛܝܘܣ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܒܪܨܘܡ, ar, إغناطيوس أفرام الأول برصوم, June 15, 1887–June 23, 1957) was the 120th Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syri ...
who indicated that the Arameans who converted to Islam under pressure started calling themselves ''Mhalmoye'' at the end of the 17th century.
Demographics
Mhallami of Turkey
In 2015, the founding chairman
Mehmet Ali Aslan
Mehmet Ali Aslan (born 1975 in Silvan, Diyarbakır Province, Turkey) is a Turkish politician of Mhallami descent and the founding chairman of the ethnic group's first organization, the ''Mhallami Association''.
Born in Silvan, Diyarbakır Pro ...
became the first Mhallami to be elected a member of the
Turkish Parliament
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...
from the Kurdish
HDP party. The migration of the Mhallami from Turkey to Lebanon began in the 1920s. In the 1940s, tens of thousands more came to Lebanon, mostly in the cities of Beirut and Tripoli. The last leader of the Mhallami in Turkey is lawyer Şeyhmus Miroğlu, member of beytil emir.
Mhallami of Lebanon
The Mhallami had traditionally settled in large numbers in Lebanese regions such as
Tripoli
Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to:
Cities and other geographic units Greece
*Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
, the
Beqaa Valley
The Beqaa Valley ( ar, links=no, وادي البقاع, ', Lebanese ), also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ, and Becaa and known in classical antiquity as Coele-Syria, is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon. It is Lebanon's most important ...
and
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
where they have become an integral part of the country's Sunni community after migrating from the
Mardin Province
Mardin Province ( tr, Mardin ili; ku, Parêzgeha Mêrdînê; ar, محافظة ماردين) is a province of Turkey with a population of 809,719 in 2017, slightly down from the population of 835,173 in 2000. Kurds form the majority of the popu ...
in Turkey.
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
had a population between 70,000 and 100,000 Mhallami prior to
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...
. Their origin and legal status became a particular concern when they started to seek asylum in
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
an countries ''en masse'' in the early 1980s.
Heinrich Freckmann, Jürgen Kalmbach: ''Staatenlose Kurden aus dem Libanon oder türkische Staatsangehörige? (Ergebnis einer Untersuchung vom 08.–18. März 2001 in Beirut, Mardin und Ankara)''
Hannover, Hildesheim, 2001; S. 3–4
Mhallami of Europe
The Mhallami were among the Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...
refugees from Lebanon who came to Germany and other European countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden during the Lebanese civil war since 1976 Ralph Ghadban
Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf").
The most common forms ...
, ''Die Libanon-Flüchtlinge in Berlin.'' Berlin 2000. ISBN 3-86093-293-4, Nachdruck 2008, S. 71, 87, 89, 238 and have since been partially tolerated or live as asylum seekers.[Heinrich Freckmann, Jürgen Kalmbach: (PDF; 43 kB), Hannover, Hildesheim, 2001; S. 3–4] With around 8,000 people, Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
has the largest Mhallami diaspora community in Europe (as of June 2003).[''Es muss dringend etwas passieren''](_blank)
die tageszeitung, 6. Juni 2003.
See also
* Lebanese people in Germany
In the narrow sense, Lebanese people in Germany include migrants from Lebanon living in Germany and their descendants, excluding Palestinians.
In the broader sense, it also include those Palestinians who immigrated from Lebanon to Germany and the ...
* Miri-Clan
The Miri Family is an Lebanese Arab criminal organisation based in Europe. The clan consists of over 30 extended families who arrived in Germany in the 1980s as refugees from Lebanon. They are particularly prominent in Bremen, where they have aro ...
* Al-Zein clan
The Al-Zein-Family (also known as the Al-Zein-clan) is an Arab-Lebanese Lebanese mafia, mafia-family based in Europe. They have 3000 members in Germany.
Members of the family in Germany and Sweden are known for their involvement in criminal act ...
* Ömerli, Mardin
References
{{Authority control
Arab groups
Turkish Arab people
Ethnic groups in Turkey
Semitic-speaking peoples
Mardin Province