The Levantines of Aleppo City and Countryside: Changing Aspects of Identity and Belonging Among a Foreign Elite in 19th-Century Syria

Life in Aleppo’s khans: the intricacies of identity and belonging of a foreign elite in 19th-century Syria. This contribution deals with the small but significant community of Levantine traders in Aleppo and their families. It shows how its members were connected to local Arab and wider Ottoman culture and society, to the urban environment as well as to the north Syrian countryside, and how they preserved and cultivated ties to their cultures of origin over several generations. By example mainly of the Poche and Marcopoli families, it first provides an overview of the community as such, and outlines how the two families put down roots in the city. It then deals with specific aspects of Levantine life, notably education, military service, marriage patterns, and material culture, emphasizing the Levantines’ European background and continuing affiliation to their places of origin. The final part shows by example of the Poche family, how the Levantines of Aleppo, through their social and professional environment, networks and activities, interest in archaeology, travels, housing, real estate acquisitions and commercial agriculture, became increasingly integrated into Ottoman Syrian society.