The Dom are believed to have migrated to the region from India in Byzantine times, through Iran and into Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and beyond. Like so-called "Gypsies" in other regions, Syrian Dom live on the margins of the rest Syrian society, which regards them with suspicion, if not all-out loathing. Dom have traditionally provided musical entertainment at weddings and other special occasions, worked as blacksmiths, fortune tellers or tattoo artists.
The Dom: Syria's Forgotten Refugees
![Dom refugees, southern Turkey](https://gdb.voanews.com/A68D1F91-504D-45F9-8110-193E9CC9658A_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Dom refugees, southern Turkey
![Dom refugees from Syria, Gaziantep, Turkey](https://gdb.voanews.com/BCFEC5B7-1C64-40C8-98AA-2300DAB60433_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Dom refugees from Syria, Gaziantep, Turkey
![Dom family group, Gaziantep, Turkey](https://gdb.voanews.com/63C80C60-C52C-407F-83E7-62C95A196F71_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Dom family group, Gaziantep, Turkey
![Dom Youth](https://gdb.voanews.com/3594974E-2DEF-4EA7-A555-28EAABD3543F_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Dom Youth