Levantines in Egypt

The Levantines in Egypt (Egyptian Arabic: شوام مصر, romanized: Shawām Maṣr), also known as the Syro-Lebanese in Egypt (French: Syro-Libanais d'Égypte), are an ethnic minority group in Egypt. They are Egyptians who have ancestry originating from the Levant, mostly what is now Syria and Lebanon, but also including Palestine and Jordan. The majority of Egypt's historic Levantine community is of the Christian faith, mainly Eastern Catholic (Melkite and Maronite) and Eastern Orthodox (originally Antiochian and later the Alexandrian patriarchate).

Due to the rise in nationalism along with the loss of economic freedoms during the 1950s, a significant portion of Egypt's Levantine community left the country immigrating to the Americas, Europe, and Australia, as well as many returning to their native Lebanon (especially Beirut) and Syria.

Since antiquity, there has always been a Levantine presence in Egypt, however, they started becoming a distinctive minority in Egypt around the early 18th century. The majority of Syro-Lebanese migrants who arrived in Egypt during this time were French-speaking and highly influenced by European Culture. By the dawn of the 20th century, the Syro-Lebanese of Egypt were considered a powerful and cosmopolitan community that played an important role in both Egypt's economy and culture.