Lebanese Cypriots include immigrants and descendants of immigrants from
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
, numbering approximately 20,000 people of Lebanese descent.
History
Migration from
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
started after 1975 during the
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon.
The religious diversity of the ...
. Most of the Lebanese from the new migration wave came from
Koura District
Koura District (, from ) is a district in the North Governorate, Lebanon.
Koura is one of the 26 districts of Lebanon, particularly known for its olive tree cultivation and olive oil production. It comprises a total of 52 villages, and its ca ...
in
North Lebanon
North Lebanon () is the northern region of Lebanon comprising the North Governorate and Akkar Governorate. On 16 July 2003, the two entities were divided from the same province by former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The division was known as Law ...
, which is mostly a
Greek Orthodox
Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...
area. After the Civil War, many Lebanese nationals in Cyprus returned to Lebanon.
In the 2020s, economic instability in Lebanon led to increased emigration to Cyprus. Approximately 12,000 Lebanese citizens immigrated to Cyprus in 2021.
Notable people
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Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis (Greek language, Greek: Μάρκος Παγδατής, Arabic language, Arabic: ماركوس بغداتيس); born 17 June 1985 is a Greek Cypriot former professional tennis player and coach. He was the runner-up at the 2006 Aus ...
, Cypriot tennis player, Lebanese father and Greek Cypriot mother
*
Sarbel
Charbel Michael (; ; born 14 May 1981) known mononymously as Sarbel, is a British-Cypriot pop singer. His singles include " Se Pira Sovara", and albums '' Parakseno sinesthima'', ''Sahara'' and '' Kati san esena''. Ηe represented Greece in th ...
, British singer, Greek Cypriot father and Lebanese mother
See also
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Cyprus–Lebanon relations
*
List of Lebanese people in Cyprus
*
Lebanese people in Greece, ca. 30,000 people
*
Maronites in Cyprus
Maronite Cypriots are an ethnoreligious group and are members of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Cyprus whose ancestors migrated from the Levant during the Middle Ages. A percentage of them traditionally speak a variety of Arabic known ...
*
Our Lady of Grace Cathedral (Nicosia)
Our Lady of Grace Cathedral is the main Maronite church of the city of Nicosia, in Cyprus, and is the cathedral of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Cyprus.
History
The first cathedral was dedicated to St. John, but during the Ottoman occupati ...
*
Arabs in Greece
*
Greeks in Lebanon
References
{{Portal bar, Cyprus, Lebanon
Muslim communities in Europe