Syria's communities and civilizations – history, sites and heritage
Alawites
Self-designation: العلويون (al-ʿAlawiyyūn); the older exonym Nusayri (نصيري) is now often used as a slur
العلويون
Religious communities
The Alawites are a religious community that traces its doctrine to Ibn Nusayr (9th century) and al-Khasibi (d. Aleppo c. 969). They are the dominant group in Syria's coastal mountains and also live in Latakia, Tartus, Homs, Hama and Damascus.
The community takes its doctrine from Muhammad ibn Nusayr (d. 868), described as a disciple of two Twelver imams, and from al-Husayn ibn Hamdan al-Khasibi, who died in Aleppo around 969. Its traditional homeland is the Coastal Mountain Range (also called the Alawi Mountains) and the plains around Homs and Hama.
Sources and details
Alawites identify as Arabs and speak Arabic. Under the French Mandate an Alawite State was created in 1920 in the coastal mountain country; it was renamed the Government of Latakia in 1930 and reincorporated into Syria in 1936-37. Members of the community held power under Hafez and Bashar al-Assad.
Alawites, Ismailis and Twelver Shia together are estimated at about 13 percent of the population (U.S. State Department, 2023 report); separate figures are not reliable. In March 2025 violence on the coast killed some 1,400 people, mainly civilians; the UN Commission of Inquiry found that it primarily targeted Alawite communities and that both interim-government forces and pro-Assad armed groups likely committed war crimes. The shrine of al-Khasibi in Aleppo was set on fire in December 2024.
Sites connected with this community 2
- Shrine of al-Khasibi (Sheikh Yabraq)Aleppo (Maysaloun district), Aleppo · Other religious sites · location not shown (sensitive)
Tomb shrine of al-Khasibi in Aleppo, set on fire in December 2024 (sensitive: town level only).
- Syrian coastLatakia · Nature
The coastal region where Alawites form the dominant religious group.
Sources (5)
- U.S. Department of State, 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Syria 2024
- Minority Rights Group International, Syria (country page)
- Al Jazeera, 'War crimes likely committed by both sides in Syria coastal violence: UN' August 14, 2025
- Wikipedia, Alawites (secondary pointer)
- Amnesty International, 'Syria: Coastal massacres of Alawite civilians must be investigated as war crimes' April 2025
These categories describe history, language and faith – not exclusive identities. Many Syrians belong to several, and some names refer to civilizations of the past.