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Erdal Taşbaş

THE SETTLEMENT OF TUNISIAN IMMIGRANTS IN SYRIA
IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 20 CENTURY
TH
ACCORDING TO OTTOMAN ARCHIVE DOCUMENTS

DOI 10.19229/1828-230X/58062023

ABSTRACT: The Ottoman State captured North African lands such as Algeria, Libya and Tunisia in the
16 th century. Tunisia, which was conquered in 1574 lost Ottoman rule in 1881 when it was occupied
by France. Due to the great territorial losses suffered by the Ottoman State in the 19 th century, millions
of Muslims living in Europe, Africa, Crimea and the Caucasus had to leave their lands and take refuge
within the shrinking borders of Ottoman territory. After Tunisia came under the rule of France, some
of the Muslims migrated from Tunisia in order to settle in the lands that remained under Ottoman
rule. The Ottoman government, which sent some of the Tunisian immigrants to settle in Syria at the
eastern end of the Mediterranean, made great efforts to supply their nutrition and to provide for their
shelter and settlement. Tunisian immigrants have taken their place in the ethnic formation history of
Syria, which already has a high demographic diversity.

KEYWORDS: Migration, settlement, Ottoman Empire, Tunisian, Syria

L’INSEDIAMENTO DEGLI IMMIGRATI TUNISIANI IN SIRIA ALL’INIZIO DEL XX SECOLO
SECONDO DOCUMENTI D’ARCHIVIO OTTOMANO

SOMMARIO: Lo Stato ottomano conquistò terre nordafricane come Algeria, Libia e Tunisia nel XVI
secolo. La Tunisia, conquistata nel 1574, perse il dominio ottomano nel 1881 quando fu occu-
pata dalla Francia. A causa delle grandi perdite territoriali subite dallo Stato ottomano nel XIX
secolo, milioni di musulmani che vivevano in Europa, Africa, Crimea e Caucaso dovettero la-
sciare le loro terre e rifugiarsi all’interno dei sempre più stretti confini del territorio ottomano.
Dopo che la Tunisia passò sotto il dominio della Francia, alcuni musulmani emigrarono dalla
Tunisia per stabilirsi nelle terre rimaste sotto il dominio ottomano. Il governo ottomano, che ha
inviato alcuni degli immigrati tunisini a stabilirsi in Siria all’estremità orientale del Mediterraneo,
ha compiuto grandi sforzi per fornire loro nutrimento e provvedere al loro riparo e insediamento.
Gli immigrati tunisini hanno preso il loro posto nella storia della formazione etnica della Siria,
che presenta già un’elevata diversità demografica.

PAROLE CHIAVE: Migrazione, insediamento, Impero Ottomano, Tunisia, Siria

Introduction

This study contributes to the existing literature on the social, eco-
nomic and demographic history of Syria from the perspective of immigra-
tion policies during the late Ottoman era. The settlement of Tunisian im-
migrants coming to Syria in early 20 century is investigated in this
th
study. The study employed documentary material from the Ottoman Ar-
chives concerning the settlement policy including the housing, nourish-
ment and safety of the Tunisian immigrants coming to Syria and has re-
sulted in important findings. Migrations from Tunisia, located on the
southern shore of the Mediterranean, to Syria on the eastern shore of the
Mediterranean made Syria an even more socially and economically

Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XX - Agosto 2023
ISSN 1824-3010 (stampa) ISSN 1828-230X (online)