Syria's communities and civilizations – history, sites and heritage
Dom
Self-designation: Dom, Dummi, Deman (language: Domari)
الدوم
Cultural and social communitiesEthnic and linguistic communities
The Dom are a marginalised, historically mobile people related to the Roma, who speak Domari in addition to Arabic, Kurdish or Turkish. Outsiders usually call them Nawar, Qurbat, Zatt or Ghajar, terms considered derogatory.
The Dom call themselves Dom, Dummi or Deman. In Syria other communities most often use the exonym Nawar, and also Qurbat, Zatt or Ghajar; these terms are widely considered derogatory, and many Dom conceal their identity, sometimes presenting themselves as Arab, Kurdish or Turkmen to avoid discrimination (EUAA 2025).
Sources and details
Within the community they speak Domari, an endangered Indo-Aryan language, and they are multilingual in Arabic, Kurdish or Turkish depending on region. Most were settled before 2011, although work involved short-term mobility; common occupations included music, metal and tin smithing, seasonal farm labour, construction and waste collection. Communities lived mainly in Aleppo (e.g. Hadradiye and Sheikh Maqsoud) and Damascus, with others in Saraqib, Latakia, Hama, Homs and the Jazira.
Pre-2011 estimates range from about 100,000 to 500,000 (estimate cited by EUAA 2025); a 2012 Syrian newspaper gave a much lower figure of over 60,000. Settled Dom were often documented citizens, but many living informally lacked identity papers, which excluded them from services and aid. They were among the first displaced after 2011, many to informal camps in Lebanon. EUAA found no specific information on their treatment after December 2024.
Sites connected with this community 0
These categories describe history, language and faith – not exclusive identities. Many Syrians belong to several, and some names refer to civilizations of the past.