Greek diaspora in the Middle East

One of our leading projects is a research about the Greek communities still existing in various countries of the region.

First, we will try to bring the recent condition of the above-mentioned communities into focus and then we will extend our knowledge to understand the change that has happened and the future trends that may occur.

The idea to carry out research about the Greeks in the Middle East is based on my academic background and my interest in history and languages. As we all know, Greek culture (or rather Hellenic) was spread all around the Mediteranean Sea and the deserts of the Middle East, as far as today Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some traces can be seen even today when we travel across the region and spot ancient columns and sanctuaries.

Our goal is to understand what impact on recent societies and cultures had the Greek presence in the past and now. Collecting data about the present-day Greek descendants may us help also to understand how much their culture influenced the area where they lived for many centuries.

What can be interesting is the fact that today citizens of the Greek Republic still remember and commemorate the presence of their ancestor in remote cities and countries of the East.

During our research we will try to show the beginning, development and present condition of the Greek diaspora in various countries of the region, from Turkey to Egypt and Iran.

Main topic are as follows:

• the biggest, now and in the past, Greek communities in the Middle East, including their evolution till today;
• present trends concerning Greek migrations in the area;
• influence of the Greek culture and language over other societies in the Middle East;
• remembrance of the Greek presence in the Middle East among the Greece citizens today.

We would like to encourage all of you who are interested in the topic to mail to us: kg@etnos.org.pl.