Arab Peruvians

Arab Peruvians
العرب في بيرو
Total population
12,000+[1] (2011, est.)
Regions with significant populations
Lima, Arequipa, Apurímac, Tacna
Languages
Arabic, Spanish
Religion
Christianity, Islam
Related ethnic groups
Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese

Arab Peruvians are Peruvian-born citizens who are of fully or partially of Arab descent, whose ancestors were Arabs who emigrated to Peru as part of the Arab diaspora or Arab-born people in Peru. Arab presence in Peru dates back to the Viceregal era, with later waves of immigration taking place in the context of major events, such as the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and the Nakba.

The Arab diaspora has left its legacy in several aspects of Peruvian culture, such as in Lima's mudéjar-influenced architecture, as seen in the balconies of Lima; in food, as seen with alfajores, turrones, marzipans, alfeñiques, the mazamorra, among others; in dance, as seen with the sarabande and the zamba.[2]

History

Most Arab immigrants to Peru come from Palestine,[3][4] Lebanon and Syria,[5][6] as well as Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Pakistan and Iran.[7] The Palestinian community, numbered at 50,000,[6] come from the so-called Christian triangle of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour.[2] This group settled in Lima, Arequipa and Cuzco between 1885 and 1914.[6] At that time, the region was under the control of the Ottoman Empire.

In addition to the aforementioned cities, other immigrants settled in the southern Peruvian cities of Ica and Tacna.[5] The former is the site of the Mosque of Lima, and the latter is the home of the Bab al-Islam Mosque, built and used mostly by Pakistani immigrants but nevertheless used by the larger Muslim community of the city.[8] In Lima, a number of Arabs belong to the diplomatic circle, with Peru hosting a number of embassies of the Arab World, including Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Qatar, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sahrawi Republic (until 2023) and the United Arab Emirates.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ Bartet, Leyla (2011). Memorias de cedro y olivo: la inmigración árabe al Perú (1885-1985) (in Spanish). Lima: Fondo Editorial del Congreso del Perú. ISBN 978-612-4075-14-8.
  2. ^ a b Manrique, Nelson; Kahhat, Farid; Aragón, Ilana Lucía; Bedoya Garland, Susana; Beraún Araníbar, José (2010). Chasqui: El Correo del Perú (PDF) (in Spanish). Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. pp. 2–9, 11–12.
  3. ^ Baeza, Cecilia (Spring 2015). "Palestinians and Latin America's Indigenous Peoples". Middle East Report. No. 274.
  4. ^ Cuche, Denys. “Un siècle d’immigration palestinienne au Pérou: La construction d’une ethnicité spécifique.” Revue Européenne de Migrations Internationales 17/3 (2001): 94–95.
  5. ^ a b Rahim, Walid Abdel (2011). ASPA 2011 (PDF) (in Spanish). El Peruano.
  6. ^ a b c Moreno, Aristoteles (2022-01-14). "La gran epopeya árabe en ultramar aún late en el corazón de América Latina". El Correo del Golfo.
  7. ^ Orrego Penagos, Juan Luis (2009-07-25). "La mezquita de Magdalena (Lima)". Blog PUCP.
  8. ^ "La vida musulmana en la ciudad heroica". El Comercio. 2015-02-22.
  9. ^ Lista del cuerpo diplomático, organismos internacionales y cuerpo consular (in Spanish). Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-08-12.