Encyclopedia of Islam

Syria

  

649  J

---

Syria with an abundance of military and economic 

aid for its role as a confrontation state with Israel. 

Syria maintained an historic enmity for the regime 

of s

addam

 h

Usayn

 in Iraq and fostered good rela-

tions with i

ran

  after the Islamic Revolution in 

1979. Syria participated in the U.S.-sponsored 

military coalition in the First Gulf War after Iraq 

invaded Kuwait in 1990. Syria has not supported 

the U.S. occupation of Iraq after 2003 and its 

economy has suffered from the sudden influx of 

hundreds of thousands of war refugees. Syria has 

been intricately involved in the long-running civil 

war in Lebanon. Syrian troops were invited into 

Lebanon by the government as a buffer force in 

1975 and remained there until 2005. Since the 

end of the Syrian military presence, one of its 

main exports to Lebanon has been a cheap labor 

force that has been terribly exploited.

Syria is a multisectarian, multiethnic society 

that is rich in cultural diversity. It has become 

a largely secular society and its people in cities 

such as Damascus, Aleppo, and Latikiya are decid-

edly cosmopolitan. Syria has one of the highest 

literacy

 rates in the Arab world. The country is 

noted for its contributions to Arab 

cinema

 culture, 

TV, music, Arabic literature, and publishing. The 

once-thriving theater scene in Baghdad has now 

moved to Damascus. Damascus and Aleppo are 

important centers for artistic creativity, museums, 

and galleries. Syria is wired, and Internet cafes are 

cropping up everywhere. The nation has its own 

distinctive cuisine renowned throughout the Arab 

world, of which kibab halabi (skewered meat from 

Aleppo) is only one of its most famous dishes. 

Café society is lively in Damascus, Aleppo, and 

elsewhere. Syria’s archaeological wonders serve as 

a boon for scholars and tourists.

See also  a

rmenians

;  c

hristianity

 

and

  i

slam

; 

c

rUsades

; 

ibn

  t

aymiyya

; 

mUslim

 

brotherhood

; 

o

ttoman

 

dynasty

; U

mayyad

 c

aliphate

.

Garay Menicucci