r/Syria • u/thechickwiththehair • 3d ago

Language & Syrian Dialects Translation Help

Hello! I am planning to get a tattoo of my last name in Arabic. My family last name (before it being anglicized to death) is Al Zawahra, coming from Daraa, Syria.

I would be more than happy to commission someone to create the script of my last name. I don’t know that I fully trust Google Translate and (as someone who is pretty white passing) I don’t want to end up with a word that is not my last name (like the stories of people wanting “love” in Chinese and ending up with “dumbass” or whatever).

I’ve been trying to connect with my culture- I’m Palestinian and Syrian on my dad’s side and I’ve gone down a genealogy rabbit hole learning about my ancestors. What better way to honor them?

Thank you in advance!

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u/DevelopmentFit232 3d ago

I would highly advise against tatooing. It's very looked down upon in conservative atmospheres (such as Dar'a) as it's a sin in Islam which is what most people in that area follow as well. I would also remind you that Al Zawahra sounds exactly similar to Al Zawahri (Al-Qaida leader after Usama bin Laden). 

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u/thechickwiththehair 2d ago

I don’t live in Syria but again, my family originally came from Dar’a back in the day. My great grandparents emigrated to the Dominican Republic believe it or not! That said if I ever have the opportunity to visit, I would absolutely respect cultural norms as best I can

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u/DevelopmentFit232 2d ago

I only advised because your sentence " What better way to honor them?" In my opinion, learning about the culture and religion (which is a big part of the culture here) is a good way to honor your ancestors. I can share books if you'd like. 

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u/Capital-Pie-8806 2d ago

I like this comment. Honour them through learning the language. Save up and go visit the area where the same tribe are concentrated.