نوار | |
|---|---|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Syria 100,000–250,000  Jordan 70,000 Palestine 15,000[1]  Lebanon 3,112 (estimated)[2] | |
| Languages | |
| Domari, Levantine Arabic, Neo-Aramaic, Kurdish, Turkish | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Dom people, Roma people, Kawliya |
Nawar (Arabic: نوار) is an Arabic term for several nomad communities used primarily in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine.[3] The term, regarded as derogatory, is used by Arabs for several diverse ethnic groups.[3] They have historically been called "Gypsies", though as a whole they are not Romani per se. The Dom people are especially known as Nawar.[4] While both they and Romani people originated from India, they came from two drastically different ethnicities and cultures.
This numerically small, widely dispersed people have migrated to the region from South Asia, particularly from India. As in other countries, they tend to keep apart from the rest of the population, which regards them as dishonorable yet clever. The Nawar have traditionally provided musical entertainment at weddings and celebrations. The participation of Nawar women in such activities is lucrative, yet at the same time it reinforces the group's low status. Nawar also appear at festivals to work their trade as fortune-tellers, sorcerers, and animal trainers. In Syria today, one may still encounter Nawar encampments in rural areas.
- ^ "The social exclusion of the Domari society of Gypsies in Jerusalem". Identities Journal. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
- ^ Lebanon: "Acute social marginalization" of Dom community (Report). IRIN. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ a b Berland & Rao 2004, p. 71.
- ^ Law 2014, pp. 138–139.
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