Alaouites

The Alawites, also called Alawis or Nusairis in some sources, are a minority ethno-religious community primarily located along Syria’s northwestern coastal region, with communities in Lebanon and Turkey. They form a distinct branch of Shi’a Islam and practice a set of beliefs and rites that are often described as syncretic and esoteric. Their theology centers on reverence for Ali and the Imams, but the precise beliefs and practices are not uniformly public and have historically been kept private from outsiders.

Historically, Alawites emerged in the Levant during the medieval period and settled in the Syrian coastal mountains, where they maintained a degree of autonomy under various rulers. In the modern era, they rose to political prominence in Syria, and the Assad family—Alawites—has dominated the country’s leadership since 1970, shaping state institutions and policies. The regime’s place in Syrian politics has been a focal point of domestic and regional tensions, especially during the Syrian Civil War, when sectarian fault lines intensified.

Demographically, estimates place Alawites at roughly 10–15 percent of Syria’s population, concentrated in Latakia and surrounding coastal districts, with notable diaspora communities in Lebanon, Turkey, Europe, and the Americas. The term Nusairi is an exonym used by outsiders, while many members identify with the term Alawite or Alawi. In contemporary discourse, the group is generally treated as a Muslim community within Syria and the broader Shi’a world, though its exact theological classification remains a subject of scholarly discussion.