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

While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
readLuke 9:42

Pray that those who are living outside of the hope of the gospel will know and trust that Jesus offers freedom from the oppression of sin and hope in eternal life.

But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.
readMark 4:20

Pray that those who have never encountered the gospel will have the opportunity to receive it, and that it will fall on good soil and bear much fruit.

And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
readLuke 9:17

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will meditate on the stories of Jesus' miracles, be in awe of Him, and trust Him for everything they need.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
readJames 5:16

Pray that believers whom God sends will confess their sins, pray for one another, and live in unity. Ask that they will model healthy Christian relationships for this people group.

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

Strategic Progress Index
All

16 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDName ▼CountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Middle Eastern ArabsMiddle Eastern ArabsGermany104,000Unengaged and UnreachedLevantine ArabicSunni Islam
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

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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