Assyrians from northern Europe fuel community presence on Spain’s sun-drenched coast
While some diaspora Assyrians are working to strengthen their presence in Assyria, others are embarking on a new wave of migration to Spain’s sun-drenched coasts.
Assyrians living in northern Europe are increasingly buying property in Spain as part of a growing wave of migration to the sunny country. Most of these Assyrians come from Sweden, now estimated to number more than one thousand families, according to the local Swedish consul in Torrevieja, a town on the Costa Blanca.
Assyrian immigration to Spain began in the 1990s, when Assyrians from Germany and Sweden first started settling there. Following years of war and persecution, refugees from Iraq and Syria also began arriving. Since then, Assyrians from across Europe have continued to move to Spain, purchasing homes and opening businesses in cities such as Torrevieja, Benidorm, Alicante, and Málaga, as well as in the capital, Madrid. Today, towns like Torrevieja host full-fledged Assyrian communities, complete with church services, Assyrian-owned businesses, and regular informal gatherings.
Speaking to the reporter of the Swedish newspaper LT, one Assyrian living in Spain described what motivated him to leave Sweden: “In Sweden, you have a darkness that’s covered by a thick layer of clouds – and it lasts for five or six months.”
With Sweden’s large Assyrian community increasingly affluent after decades in the country, more and more families are seeking ways to improve their quality of life. Similar to the reverse trend of Assyrians moving back to regions such as Tur Abdin, those heading to Spain fall into two groups: a smaller number who live there permanently and a larger number who stay for parts of the year.
The number of families settling in Spain is believed to be significantly larger than the relatively small stream returning to Assyrian homelands like Tur Abdin.
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The first Assyrian to settle in Spain in modern times is believed to be Hanna Assad, who moved there in 1968 from Kamishly. In an interview about his life in Spain from 2023, he tells about a growing community and introduces his Assyrian-speaking Spanish wife.
