Syria's communities and civilizations – history, sites and heritage
Murshidis (Murshidiyya)
Self-designation: المرشديون (al-Murshidiyyūn)
المرشدية
Religious communities
The Murshidiyya is a Syrian religious community that emerged in the 1920s around Salman al-Murshid and began as an offshoot of the Alawites before becoming an independent community. Members live mainly in Latakia and Homs governorates, the Ghab plain of Hama, and Damascus and its countryside.
The community formed around Salman al-Murshid, whose revelations are dated to 1923, under the French Mandate; he was executed in Damascus in 1946. His son Mujib al-Murshid led the community from 1946 to 1952 and is regarded by followers as its central figure; later leaders followed until 2015.
Sources and details
The researcher Dmitry Sevruk describes the Murshidiyya as a 'reformed Alawi faith': members reject the Alawi hierarchy of religious sheikhs, have no esoteric teaching reserved for initiates, and see themselves as a branch within Islam. They distinguish a southern group (Homs, Masyaf region, Damascus suburbs, formerly the Golan) and a northern group (Latakia, al-Ghab).
Figures cited for the community range from about 300,000 to 500,000 (Fanack 2023), but Sevruk doubts that reliable statistics exist. Many members have emigrated since 2011.
Sites connected with this community 0
Sources (2)
These categories describe history, language and faith – not exclusive identities. Many Syrians belong to several, and some names refer to civilizations of the past.