Mhallami
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 150,000-500,000[1] or 800,000[2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Turkey, Lebanon, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium | |
| Languages | |
| North Mesopotamian Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Assyrians, Kurds, Arabs |
The Mhallami people, also known as Mardelli or alternatively spelled as Mahallami (Arabic: المُحَلَّمِيَّة, romanized: Al-Muḥallamiyya) are an Arab group traditionally living in and around the city of Mardin, Turkey.[3]
Although scholars sometimes debate the precise origins of the Mhallami, they are generally regarded as Arabs, and the majority typically identified as Arabs.[4]
They are Sunni Muslims with a small Syriac Christian minority. They speak Mhallami, a distinct dialect of North Mesopotamian Arabic with heavy Turkish, Kurdish, and Aramaic influence.[5][6]
Determining the exact number of Mhallami today is difficult for a number of reasons, but sources generally state numbers as low as 150,000 and as high being around 1 million. Due to migration since 1920 they have a large presence in Lebanon, but as a result of the Lebanese Civil War, large numbers fled to Europe, particularly Germany, where they now form the largest community in the diaspora. Mhallami generally have a poor reputation due to their affiliation with low education, criminal activities,[7] and clan structure; however, a number are also affiliated with positions of law and politics, and are regarded as having been mild-mannered.[8]
Etymology
[edit]The name Mhallami is believed to derive from Muhallem, who is recorded in Arab genealogical traditions (ansab) as one of the descendants of Nizar.[5]
The term Mhallami is believed to be a combination of the Arabic words mahalam (Arabic: محلم, lit. 'house') and mia (Arabic: مائة, lit. '100'). The name traces its origins to the Hasankeyf Chronicle, which details the region that the Mhallami lived in as Mardin-Midyat. Differing pronunciations in the word exist since mahalam doesn't have any unique vowels, and most Mhallami aren't opposed to them.[9] Alternatively, the term Mardelli is used in reference to the city of Mardin, where many Mhallami originate from.[10]
Another theory proposes that the term Mhallami is derived from Beth Ahlam (Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܡܚܠܡ, romanized: Beth Mḥallam), a historical settlement in Tur'Abdin, which is believed to have been named after the ancient Ahlamu-Aramean tribe from whom the Mhallami are thought to possibly descend.[11]
Origin
[edit]The main sources on the lineage and migration of the Arabs are the genealogical records known as ansab (pedigrees). In studies about the Mhallami, the genealogical tradition points to a connection with Rabia ibn Nizar. Nizar, considered among the Adnanites, is described as the ancestor of two major tribal branches: Rabia and Mudar. Each of these branches included a number of important tribes.[5]
Others state that the origin of the Mhallami in Anatolia are believed to be in the early periods of the Middle Ages, and they lived a nomadic lifestyle. However, research on their origins is difficult[12] since there are no known written records by their ancestors of this period. Among the Mhallami there is a view that they are descended from Banu Hilal tribes, but historical sources and research indicate that this is somewhat unlikely. Arab ancestry is more probably from Rabi'ah tribes, possibly Banu Shayban, though this does not preclude other possible roots. Today, many Mhallami retain Arabic names and use them to refer to themselves or their families/clans, and speak a unique dialect of North Mesopotamian Arabic (Qeltu) which is distinct from other dialects.[13]
There also exist theories that the origins of the Mhallami are ethnically Assyrian, given that their roots trace back to the ancient history of the region as well as Tur Abdin.[14] The theory is supported by orientalist Ishaq Armala and by Syriac Orthodox patriarch Ignatius Aphrem I, who indicated that the Syriac Christians who converted to Islam under pressure started calling themselves Mhalmoye at the end of the 17th century.[15] Some sources view the group as ethnically or denominationally Assyrian.[16][17] The causes of the Islamization of the Mhallami are cited as salvation from persecution, inner divisions of the Syriac-rite churches, and conflict preceding the Treaty of Nasuh Pasha.[18] Some Mhallami who still live in Turkey have identified with Assyrian roots,[19] and to this day, the group shares traditions and cultural elements with Assyrians in Turkey such as the dance of Kathfothe (Syriac: ܪܩܕܐ ܕܐ ܟܬܦܬܐ).[20][21]
The Mhallami are also sometimes associated with ethnic Kurds, and theories have persisted that they may be of Kurdish origin, stating that after the original migration of the Arab tribes to Mesopotamia, the Mhallami adopted several Kurdish traditions.[12] While most Mhallami identified as Arabs, a large part of the group identified as Kurds. As the dispute was widespread, there was no Mhallami tribe which fully identified with either the Arabs or Kurds; even nuclear families had heavy disputes amongst each other over ethnic origin.[22]
History
[edit]Early modern history
[edit]Many Mhallami are originally from the Mardin area of southeastern Turkey, namely the district of Midyat.[23] Although many had since migrated outside of Mesopotamia, there were still a community of Mardelli living in the Tur Abdin region as of the late 90's, with some reported to have performed maintenance of the Mor Gabriel Monastery.[24] Today, many of these Mhallami still inhabit Assyrian villages in southeastern Turkey such as Gercüş and İçören.
The first migration of the Mhallami was to Lebanon in the 1920s to flee persecution under the government of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. By the 1940s, tens of thousands more came to Lebanon, but they were not naturalized as citizens and as a result, their clan structures grew tighter to ensure their survival.[25][26][27] The Mhallami had traditionally settled in large numbers in Lebanese regions such as Tripoli, the Beqaa Valley and Beirut, having a population between 70,000 and 100,000 Mhallami prior to Lebanese Civil War.[1] Typically, they would find settlement in the parts of Beirut that were poorer than others, and they often received little to no education.
The Mhallami were among the civil war refugees from Lebanon who came to Germany and other European countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden since 1976[1] and have since been partially tolerated or live as asylum seekers.[28][29] Their origin and legal status became a particular concern when they started to seek asylum in Western European countries en masse in the early 1980s, since many were considered stateless peoples and some had even discarded their previous documentation.
Modern history
[edit]In 2015, the founding chairman of the first Mhallami association in Turkey, Mehmet Ali Aslan, became the first Mhallami to be elected a member of the Turkish Parliament from the HDP party.[30] The group has also become more active in preserving culture and uniting their community, with 1st International Mhallami Symposium being held in 2008 to discuss their origins and bring the community together.[31]
As of 2014, the leader of the Mhallami in Turkey was lawyer Şeyhmus Miroğlu, whose family was politically active in the leading Justice and Development Party of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.[32][33] Miroğlu's brother, Orhan Miroğlu, is also active in Turkish politics.
With around 8,000 people, Berlin has the largest Mhallami diaspora community in Europe (as of June 2003).[34] Essen also has a sizable population of Mhallami, with the majority of the "Lebanese" community there being of Mardelli origin.[35]
Certain families of Mhallami have been known to engage in criminal activities following their move to the diaspora, owing to their tightly knitted clan structure and their larger inability to integrate with their new society.[36][37][38] In Sweden, some families in places such as Gothenburg and Jönköping are part of these activities,[39] while in Germany, the Miri-Clan and the Remmo family have also been involved with the criminal scene of Europe.[40][41][22] Often times, the level of crime is due to familial conflicts, which originates from their tribal structures.[25] These groups also exist in the Netherlands.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Ralph Ghadban: Die Mhallamiyya. In: derselbe: Die Libanon-Flüchtlinge in Berlin. Zur Integration ethnischer Minderheiten. Berlin 2000, S. 86–95. Kapitel als Buchauszug (PDF) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2007-08-07)
- ^ "A more colourful parliament". 8 June 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ Bozkurt 2020, p. 194.
- ^ Himmelseher, Volker (2020-07-22). Blut ist dicker als Wasser: Im Familienclan ins bessere Leben - Roman über die arabische Clanwelt (in German). Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-7519-9165-0. Archived from the original on 2024-11-22.
- ^ a b c Bozkurt 2020, pp. 200–201.
- ^ Kern 2015, p. 191.
- ^ Kern 2015, p. 189.
- ^ Jaraba 2023, p. 95.
- ^ Bozkurt 2020, p. 193.
- ^ Kern 2015, p. 197.
- ^ Ihsan Çetin (2007). Midyat'ta etnik gruplar (in Turkish). Yaba Yayınları. p. 63. ISBN 9789753861205.
Ahlamilerin ya da Bit-Ahlam, yani Beth-Mahlam veya Beth Mhalam denilen Kuzey Aramilerin yasadigi yerle birdir. Süryanice ta- rih kaynaklannda sik sik Mihalmi adina "Beth Mahlam" (M-ahlam yeri) olarak M.S. 7. yüzyilin baslarinda gecmektedir.
- ^ a b Kern 2015, p. 192.
- ^ Jastrow 2014, pp. 178, 180.
- ^ Denho Bar Mourad-Özmen. "The Mhalmoye (ܡܚܠܡ̈ܝܐ). Who are they?". Retrieved 4 June 2025.
- ^ Mourad-Özmen, Denho Bar (26 February 2022). "The Mhalmoye (ܡܚܠܡ̈ܝܐ) and their conversion to Christianity". SyriacPress.
- ^ Bozkurt 2020, pp. 197–198.
- ^ Edwards, Maxim (10 October 2014). "Ethnic dimension of Iraqi Assyrians often ignored". www.al-monitor.com. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
A small community of Muslim Assyrians, the Mhallami, lives in southern Turkey. All speak variations of Eastern Neo-Aramaic, a Semitic language related to Arabic and Hebrew, traditionally written with distinct scripts.
- ^ Mourad-Özmen, Denho Bar (2022-03-26). "How the Mhalmayto region got Islamized". Syriac Press. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ Donabed & Mako 2009, p. 97.
- ^ Mourad-Özmen, Denho Bar (2022-03-09). "Famous Mhalmoye of the Christian era". Syriac Press. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ Mourad-Özmen, Denho Bar (2023-01-02). "The Mhalmoyto Region: Common Traditions and Rites between Christian and Muslim Mhalmoye". Syriac Press. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ a b Jaraba 2023, p. 91.
- ^ "Midyat / Midyad". Co-operation in Mesopotamia. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ Griffith, Stephen (May 2001). "Rev. Stephen Griffith: Tur Abdin - A Report of a Visit to S.E. Turkey in May 2001". syriacorthodoxresources.org. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ a b Burger, Reiner. "Kurden in Deutschland: Parallele Welten". Faz.net.
- ^ Die arabischen Dialekte des Vilayets Mardin (Südosttürkei), ZDMG Suppl 1 XVII Dt. Orientalistentag. Vorträge Teil II, Sektion 6, Wiesbaden 1969, S. 684
- ^ Kern 2015, p. 194.
- ^ Heinrich Freckmann, Jürgen Kalmbach: Staatenlose Kurden aus dem Libanon oder türkische Staatsangehörige? (Ergebnis einer Untersuchung vom 08.–18. März 2001 in Beirut, Mardin und Ankara) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2011-07-19) (PDF; 43 kB), Hannover, Hildesheim, 2001; S. 3–4
- ^ Jaraba 2023, p. 93.
- ^ "A more colourful parliament". Agos. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ^ "1. Uluslar Arası Mıhellemi Konferansı' | Midyat ve Midyatlının gür sesi bölgesel haberler ::". 2012-03-21. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ Life, Mardin. "Görkemli düğünde dolarlar havada uçuştu". Mardin Life (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- ^ Life, Mardin. "Orhan Miroğlu'dan ağabeyine ziyaret". Mardin Life (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- ^ Es muss dringend etwas passieren; die tageszeitung, 6. Juni 2003.
- ^ Mediengruppe, FUNKE (2015-07-28). "Essen hat Deutschlands zweitgrößte Libanesen-Community". www.waz.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ "Wo die Gewalt ihren Ursprung hat: Fast alle Taten Berliner Clans gehen auf die Fehde zweier Dörfer zurück". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). ISSN 1865-2263. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ Magnis, Constantine (29 April 2016). "Mhallamiye-Kurden - "Ihre Verachtung für uns ist grenzenlos"". Cicero Online (in German). Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ Kern 2015, p. 195.
- ^ Löfving, Mats (5 September 2020). "40 kriminella släktnätverk och 161 individer förekommer i Nationella operativa avdelningens hemligstämplade rapport släktbaserade kriminella nätverk i Sverige". Acta Publica (in Swedish). Swedish Police Authority. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ Hille, Peter (18 May 2021). "Germany's most notorious crime families". dw.com. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ Berlin, Arthur Scott-Geddes in. "The hunt for Abdul Remmo: Arab fugitive wanted over €1bn heist 'hiding in Germany'". The National. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
Bibliography
[edit]- Barsoum, Aphrem (2008). The History of Tur Abdin. Translated by Matti Moosa. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- Bozkurt, Abdülbaki (30 April 2020). "The Historical Roots of the Mhallami Arabs in Turkey as a Subject of Debate" (PDF). Journal of International Social Research. 13 (70): 192–202. doi:10.17719/jisr.2020.4086 (inactive 13 October 2025). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 May 2020.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of October 2025 (link) - Donabed, Sargon; Mako, Shamiran (1 September 2009). "Ethno-Cultural and Religious Identity of Syrian Orthodox Christians". Revue d'Histoire de l'Université de Balamand. ISSN 1608-7526 – via SSRN.
- Jaraba, Mahmoud (10 March 2023). ""Clan Crime" in Germany: Migration Politics, Socio-Economic Conditions, and Intergenerational Transmission of Criminal Behavior". In Siegel, Dina (ed.). Organized Crime in the 21st Century: Motivations, Opportunities, and Constraints. The Netherlands: Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-031-21575-9.
- Kern, Laurenz W (2015). "Kurden, Araber, Scheinlibanesen: Die vielschichtige Ethnizität der Mḥallami". Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes. 105: 189–202. JSTOR 24754818 – via JSTOR.
- Jastrow, Otto (2014). The position of Mardin Arabic in the Mesopotamian–Levantine dialect continuum. Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 117–189. doi:10.2307/j.ctvc2rmgq.13.
