The Levantine Arabs of Turkiye

The Levantine Arabs of Turkiye, numbering approximately 1,460,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Arab community of Syrian and Lebanese descent, often grouped together due to shared historical, linguistic, and cultural ties. They mostly adhere to Folk Islam and Levantine Arabic is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Arab, Levantine

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Arab Peoples
Country: Turkiye
People Cluster: Arab, Levant
Primary Language(s): Levantine Arabic (apc)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Islam
Population: 1,460,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG024574

Pray for the Levantine Arabs of Turkiye

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Folk Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

95%
%
Folk Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Levantine Arabic
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

100%
%
Arabic, Levantine Speakers

Media Resources in Levantine Arabic:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Levantine Arabic:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Sabeel Media✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Levantine Arabic bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Levantine Arabs are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Levantine Arabs:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Levantine Arabs of Turkiye

And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many."
readMark 14:23-24

Pray for those who may have heard the gospel but have not yet submitted their lives to Christ, that they will finally see the sacrifice which He made for them and surrender their lives to Him.

The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
readPsalm 146:9

Pray for God to watch over people, wherever they are, and cause them to meet believers who will share the gospel with them clearly and lovingly.

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
read1 Peter 3:8

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will live in harmony with one another, showing sympathy, love, compassion, and humility.

"For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you."
readActs 17:23

Pray that believers God sends to cross cultures will be sensitive to the spiritual needs of the people they serve, and will proclaim the truth of Christ to them in creative ways that they will understand.

Arab, Levantine Across Countries (ROP3 - 109667) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

16 people groups

PhotoPeople Group ID ▲NameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsPortugal23,000Engaged yet UnreachedStandard ArabicSunni Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsSweden406,000Unengaged and UnreachedLevantine ArabicSunni Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsUnited Kingdom512,000Engaged yet UnreachedStandard ArabicSunni Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsEgypt218,000Engaged yet UnreachedStandard ArabicSunni Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsTunisia251,000Unengaged and UnreachedStandard ArabicSunni Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsCote d’Ivoire67,000Engaged yet UnreachedStandard ArabicSunni Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsGuinea1,300Unengaged and UnreachedStandard ArabicFolk Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsGuinea-Bissau11,000Unengaged and UnreachedLevantine ArabicFolk Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsBritish Virgin Islands60Unengaged and UnreachedStandard ArabicSunni Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsDominica50Unengaged and UnreachedStandard ArabicSunni Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsHaiti5,700Unengaged and UnreachedStandard ArabicSunni Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsCuracao325Unengaged and UnreachedStandard ArabicSunni Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsEcuador3,200Unengaged and UnreachedStandard ArabicSunni Islam
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsAustralia196,000No Longer UnreachedGulf ArabicRoman Catholicism
Levantine ArabsLevantine ArabsTurkiye1,460,000Engaged yet UnreachedLevantine ArabicFolk Islam
Middle Eastern ArabsMiddle Eastern ArabsGermany104,000Unengaged and UnreachedLevantine ArabicSunni Islam

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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