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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Western Arameans of Syria

The Western Arameans of Syria, numbering approximately 16,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are described as a Western Neo-Aramaic-speaking people of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains in Syria who preserve the last surviving form of Western Aramaic, the language once widely spoken throughout the ancient Levant They are an Indigenous people, with Assyrian (Chaldean) as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Assyrian people cluster of the Arab Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam. They primarily speak Western Neo-Aramaic.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: West Aramaic

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Arab Peoples
Country: Syria
People Cluster: Assyrian
Primary Language(s): Western Neo-Aramaic (amw)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 16,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012203
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Pray for the Western Arameans of Syria

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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

50%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Western Neo-Aramaic
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

66%
%
Western Neo-Aramaic Speakers

Media Resources in Western Neo-Aramaic:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Western Neo-Aramaic:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Western Neo-Aramaic bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Western Arameans 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 Western Arameans:
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 Western Arameans of Syria

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
readPsalm 73:26

Pray that those who are lost and struggling to find hope will find their strength and hope in God, recognizing Him as their portion and deliverer forever.

“I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that was not called by my name."
readIsaiah 65:1

Pray that the lost will be found by God, even when they are not seeking Him. Pray that He will reveal Himself to them in a way they cannot ignore and that they will respond in faith.

Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.
readExodus 4:12

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, God will equip them with the words and wisdom to proclaim His message effectively.

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
readMatthew 6:9b-10

Pray that God will raise up Christians who are driven by a desire to see God's name worshiped, His kingdom come, and His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Ask Him to send them to the lost in this people group and sustain them.

Aramean, Western Across Countries (ROP3 - 105954) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Western ArameansPG012203Western ArameansSyria16,000Engaged yet UnreachedWestern Neo-AramaicSunni 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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