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364 Erdal Taşbaş

cosmopolitan region. Syria, where the social and ethnic conflicts still con-
tinue to happen; is being affected by the demographic structure that took
shape during the Ottoman period. In the 19 century, immigrants with
th
different ethnic and national identities from various countries were set-
tled in Syria, which was already a diverse region comprising many cul-
tures and ethnicities. By the early 20 century, this diverse structure
th
also included immigrants from Tunisia. Before the Ottoman retreat from
the region, the social structure of Syria was already shaped. With these
aspects, this study, which will reveal a cross-section of the social and
economic history of Syria, aims to contribute to the existing literature on
the history of migration and settlement.
There are a number of studies about the migrations that have shaped
the social structure of Tunisia and Syria under the Ottoman rule. The
most important of these are: Chatty (2017), Karpat (2010), Amara
(2019), Maksudoğlu (1986), Saylan (2017), Taş (2000) and Toprak
(2012). Although these studies are on migration activities in Syria and
other Mediterranean regions under Ottoman rule, it is necessary to ex-
amine the settlement of the Berber community in Syria as a separate
study. The sources of this study are 21 archived documents issued by
the Ottoman state and the secondary sources which are also evaluated.
These documents contain a wide variety of information concerning ref-
ugee immigrants from Tunisia in Syria including historical records of
sending refugee immigrants to other regions for various reasons, ex-
penses for the completion of housing, precautions taken against the
precarious conditions refugee immigrants found due to delayed settle-
ment. It is hoped this study will contribute to further understanding of
the social, economic and demographic history of Syria, a Middle Eastern
country that is today a hot spot for social and political conflicts. The
historical basis of the problems in this context of the refugee immigra-
tion issue and the place of this resettlement in Syrian history provides
answers and is extremely important for the history of Syria, as the issue
of immigration is itself extremely important for understanding the his-
torical basis of the current problems and their solution.
This study is divided into 3 sections: first Tunisia under the Otto-
man rule; second Syria as an important settlement area for refugees
is examined; and third information and analysis concerning the set-
tlement and accommodation process of refugee Tunisians in Syria.

Tunisia under the Ottoman Rule

Tunisia borders the Mediterranean to the north, Libya to the east
and Algeria to the west. According to the records, the first inhabitants
of these lands, which have an important position in Mediterranean

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