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Arab Colombians
Arab diaspora in Colombia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Arab Colombians (Arabic: كولومبيون عرب) are Arab immigrants and their descendants in the Republic of Colombia. The National Administrative Department of Statistics estimated the country's Middle Eastern descendant population to be 3.2 million people.
 | This article's lead section contains information that is not included elsewhere in the article. (May 2025) |
Most of the original Arab migrants to Colombia came from modern day Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine.[2][3] The primary wave of migration occurred in the late 19th century; when Arab immigrants were first processed through the country's ports, they were classified as Turks because the lands they came from were then territories of the Ottoman Empire. Colombia's National Administrative Department of Statistics estimated the country's Middle Eastern descendant population at 3.2 million, including 700,000 of Lebanese descent.
Most of whom were described as "Syrian-Lebanese" migrants established themselves in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, in cities and towns near the basin of the Magdalena River such as Maicao, Riohacha, Santa Marta, Lorica, Fundación, Aracataca, Ayapel, Calamar, Ciénaga, Cereté, Montería and Barranquilla. The population later expanded to other areas, and by 1945, there were Arab Middle Easterners moving inland to areas such as Ocaña, Cúcuta, Barrancabermeja, Ibagué, Girardot, Honda, Tunja, Villavicencio, Pereira, Soatá, Neiva, Buga, Chaparral and Chinácota.[2]
The five major cities where the Levantine Middle Eastern population was present were Santa Marta, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Bogotá and Cali. Most arrived as members of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches, but the majority became Roman Catholic. Estimates of the number of immigrants entering the country in 1945 vary from 40,000 to 50,000; most of these immigrants were Christian and a minority were Muslim.[2]
Many Arabs adapted their names and surnames to the Spanish language as a way to adapt more quickly in the communities where they arrived. For example, people of Arab origin took surnames such as Guerra (originally Harb), Domínguez (Ñeca), Durán (Doura), Lara (Larach), and Cristo (Salibe).[4][5]
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Population
It was estimated by Colombia's National Administrative Department of Statistics that the country has a Middle Eastern descending population of 3.2 million, this counted four immigrant generations.[1][3]
History
![[icon]](#/media/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (June 2025) |
Communities
Lebanese
Colombia has the third-largest Lebanese population abroad below only Argentina and Brazil, with an estimated population of between 1,200,000[6] and 2,500,000[7] people. Between 1880 and 1930, it is estimated 10,000 to 30,000 Lebanese migrants relocated to Colombia.[8]
Palestinian
According to a 2025 article by Raúl Zibechi for The North American Congress on Latin America, there were 100,000 Palestinians in Colombia.[9] Approximate estimations by the Embassy of Palestine in Bogotá were between 100,000 and 120,000 people in 2019, this included first, second, third, and fourth generation Palestinian immigrants.[10]
Syrian
Most Syrian Colombians came to Colombia in the late 19th and early 20th century, with notable populations in Córdoba, Cartagena, and other cities.[11]
Notable people
- Yamid Amat, journalist; (born 1941).
- Fuad Char, 48th Governor of Atlántico Department, Minister of Economic Development, and senator. His father immigrated to Colombia from Damascus, Syria; (born 1937).[12]
- Yannai Kadamani, dancer, professor, politician, and Minister of Culture since 2025. She is of Lebanese descent; (born 1993).[citation needed]
- Shakira, singer-songwriter. Her great-grandmother immigrated to Colombia from Lebanon; (born 1977).[13]
- Susana Muhamad, political scientist, environmentalist, and politician. She is a member of Humane Colombia who served as Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development from 2022 to 2025. She is of Palestinian descent; (born 1977).[14]
- Julio César Turbay Ayala, 25th President of Colombia. His father, Antonio Amín Turbay immigrated to Colombia from Tannourine, Lebanon; (1916–2005).[15]
- Diana Turbay, journalist kidnapped by the Medellín Cartel and killed in a botched rescue operation. Her grandfather immigrated to Colombia from Tannourine, Lebanon; (1950–1991).
- Gabriel Turbay, 1946 presidential candidate, representative, and senator. His parents were immigrants from Lebanon; (1901–1947).[16]
- Nydia Quintero Turbay, former First Lady of Colombia; (born 1932).
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See also
References
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