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immigrants. Located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, Syria
was one of the places where refugee immigrants were constantly sent
in the 19 century. For this reason, as one of the regions where immi-
th
grants are densely populated, Syria’s demographic mobility continued
until World War I.
Of course, it is also necessary to evaluate the settlement activities
and developments mentioned in Syria within the conditions of the
period. It should be noted that the colonial activities experienced in
the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century triggered
migration in African coasts such as Tunisia and Algeria, along with
the European lands. Accordingly, this situation constitutes one of the
important arguments explaining the intense arrival of immigrants
from many regions to the Ottoman country during the mentioned
periods. However, in the Ottoman period, the Syrian lands stand out
as one of the places that faced various problems due to the intense
migration flow.
Tunisian immigrants who went to settle in Syria for reasons such
as the intensity of immigrant settlement activities, the political and
economic problems of the Ottoman State and the reactions of the local
people, faced great problems. The disruption of the settlements of the
refugee immigrants, on the one hand, caused tragedies that drove
them to misery, on the other hand, it caused conflicts with the local
people. Despite all these difficulties, some of the Tunisian immigrants
were settled in various regions of the Syrian Province, while some were
sent to the Eastern Mediterranean coasts of Anatolia and settled.
It should be also noted that it is a historical fact that in the strate-
gically important lands such as Anatolia and the Middle East, where
the Ottoman Empire previously ruled, the existing ethnic and national
diversity that causes conflicts today has connections with the Otto-
man immigrant settlement policies.
Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XX - Agosto 2023
ISSN 1824-3010 (stampa) ISSN 1828-230X (online)
