The Kawliya, QawliyaorAwaz, Keche-Hjälp (Arabic: كاولية or كاولي), also known as Zott and Ghorbati (known in English as Gypsies), is a community in IraqofIndian origin, estimated to number over 60,000 people. Today, they speak mostly Arabic, while their ethnolect is a mixture of Persian, Kurdish and Turkish, which is only spoken by the older generations. The largest tribes are the Bu-Baroud, Bu-Swailem, Bu-Helio, Bu-Dakhil, Bu-Akkar, Bu-Murad, Bu-Thanio, Bu-Shati, Al-Farahedah, Al-Mtairat, Bu-Khuzam, Bu-Abd, Bu-Nasif, Bu-Delli and Al-Nawar. Their main occupation is entertainment, and also small trades.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 50,000–200,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Basra, Baghdad and Nasiriya[2] | |
| Languages | |
| Domari[3] and Mesopotamian Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (Shia and Sunni)[1] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Romani in Syria |
The Kawliya migrated from India approximately 1,000 years ago.
Kawliya is also the name of a former village in the Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate near Al Diwaniyah, located about 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, where they live.[4]
Iraqi Roma predominantly reside in remote villages in southern Iraq, particularly in Al-Qadissiya governorate, in addition to the surrounding areas of Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul. Despite the fact that most Romani people in Iraq belong to the Shi’a or Sunni Muslim faith, they face persecution from Islamic militias due to their customary roles as performers.[5]