Syro-Lebanese in Egypt

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Syro-Lebanese in Egypt
شوام مصر

Youssef Chahine, Egyptian filmmaker and director of Lebanese ancestry
Languages
Arabic, French
Religion
Christianity: Eastern Catholic (Melkite, Maronite), Eastern Orthodox (Antioch and Alexandria), Protestant Minority: Islam
Related ethnic groups
Greeks in Egypt, Armenians in Egypt, Italians in Egypt, Maltese in Egypt

The Syro-Lebanese of Egypt (Egyptian Arabic: شوام مصر, transliterated: Shawam Masr) (French: Syro-Libanais d'Egypte), also known as Levantine-Egyptians or Syro-Egyptians, are an ethnic minority group in Egypt. They are Egyptians who have ancestry originating from the Levant, mostly what is now Syria and Lebanon, but also including those from Palestine. The majority of Egypt's historic Syro-Lebanese community is Christian, mainly Greek Orthodox and Eastern Catholic (Melkite and Maronite).

Since antiquity, there has always been a Levantine presence in Egypt, however, they started becoming a distinctive minority in Egypt around the early 18th century. The majority of Syro-Lebanese migrants who arrived in Egypt during this time were French-speaking and highly influenced by the European Culture. By the dawn of the 20th century, the Syro-Lebanese of Egypt were considered a powerful and cosmopolitan community that played an important role in both Egypt's economy and culture.

Due to the rise in nationalism along with the loss of economic freedoms during the 1950s, a part of Egypt's Syro-Lebanese community left the country immigrating to the Americas, Europe, and Australia, as well as many returning to their native Lebanon (especially Beirut) and Syria.