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Syrian Kurds live mainly in three Kurdish pockets in northern Syria adjacent to Turkey. [5] Many Kurds also live in the large cities and metropolitan areas of the country, for example, in the neighborhood Rukn al-Din in Damascus, which was formerly known as Hayy al Akrad (Kurdish Quarter), and the Aleppo neighborhoods of al Ashrafiya [23] and Sheikh Maqsood.
Syrian Kurdistan [a] or Rojava (Kurdish: Rojavayê Kurdistanê, lit. 'Kurdistan where the sun sets') is a region in northern Syria where Kurds form the majority. It is surrounding three noncontiguous enclaves along the Turkish and Iraqi borders: Afrin in the northwest, Kobani in the north, and Jazira in the northeast. [1]
In the 1920s after the failed Kurdish rebellions in Kemalist Turkey, there was a large influx of Kurds to Syria's northeast, called "Jazira province" at the time. It is estimated that 25,000 Kurds fled at this time to Syria, under French Mandate authorities, who encouraged their immigration, [323] and granted them Syrian citizenship. [324]
Kurdish YPG and YPJ fighters in Syria. Kurds account for 9% of Syria's population, a total of around 1.6 million people. [249] This makes them the largest ethnic minority in the country. They are mostly concentrated in the northeast and the north, but there are also significant Kurdish populations in Aleppo and Damascus.
The future of Kurdish-led areas of northern and eastern Syria has been thrown into doubt by President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops who have helped to secure the region.
The National Movement of Kurdish Parties in Syria, a coalition of Syria's 12 Kurdish parties, boycotted a Syrian opposition summit in Antalya, Turkey on 31 May 2011, stating that "any such meeting held in Turkey can only be a detriment to the Kurds in Syria, because Turkey is against the aspirations of the Kurds". [32]
% of Syrian population [51] Notes [51] Syrian Arabs: 80–85%: The Arabs form the majority in all districts except for the Al-Hasakah Governorate. Kurds: 10%: The majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims, with a Yazidi minority; concentrated in Syrian Kurdistan region and major urban centres outside that region. Turkmen/Turkoman: 4–5%
Today Kurds form about 10% of Syria's population, numbering around 2 million. [1] The majority of Kurds in Syria immigrated from Turkey to the French Mandate the 20th century to escape persecution. [2] Most of these Kurds live in northeast Syria, with smaller communities scattered in various places across the country.