The Kurds of Syria are not only located in the northeast of the country. Historically, significant numbers gradually moved to the northwest near Aleppo and Damascus, where they formed a slightly distinct identity.
Damascus – The Kurdish presence in the Syrian capital of Damascus dates back hundreds of years. They migrated in larger numbers during the period of Ottoman rule, traveling with pilgrimage caravans coming from southern Turkey. Until the 1950s, the neighborhood where they settled was referred to as the “Kurdish District.” During the time of Syrian-Egyptian unification, the name was changed to Rukn al-Din.
Another wave of Kurdish migration from the north has taken place over the past 30 years, with Kurds settling in the slums of Wadi al-Mashari in west Damascus. After playing a game of cat and mouse with the authorities to establish their neighborhood, they finally managed to get their way. That’s why some locals refer the area as “zore afa” in Kurdish, which means “built by force.”