Kalbiyya

The Kalbiyya (Arabic: القلبية), or Kalbi or Kelbi tribe is one of four tribes, or tribal confederations, of the Alawite community in Syria. Appearing in historical sources from the 16th century, the Kalbiyya came to prominence when Hafez al-Assad, the son of a Kalbiyya tribal leader, seized power in Syria in a coup in 1970. Assad ruled Syria as dictator for 30 years and ensured that power was concentrated in the hands of members of the Kalbiyya tribe, a policy which his son, Bashar Al-Assad, continued after he became president in 2000. The Kalbiyya population mainly live in the Latakia Governorate in north west Syria.

This article is about the Alawite clan of modern Syria. For the early medieval Arabian tribe, see Banu Kalb.

Kalbiyya
الكلبية
Alawite Syrian tribal confederation
Kalbiyya tribal areas,
northwestern Syria
EthnicityArab
LocationNusayri mountains region, Syria
Population480,000 (est. 2011)
Branches
  • Rashawneh
  • Junaydi
  • Al-Nawasireh
  • Al-Jurud
  • Al-Qarahilah
LanguageLevantine Arabic (Alawite dialect)
ReligionAlawite
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