This study discusses the emigration of Muslim Andalusians and Maghribis to the major cities in Syria, such as Damascus and Jerusalem (al-Quds), focusing on the upper class of ulama and other intellectuals, and the various factors affecting this process and their absorption in the area. Political and economic reasons were the main factors motivating Maghribis to move to Syria and Egypt during the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods, while others moved to areas within the Ottoman domain.1 Factors, such as seeking religious knowledge (al-rihla fi talab al-‘ilm) were also important. Stability prevailed, relatively speaking, in late medieval Syria, and numerous favorable political, financial, and educational conditions served to attract many Maghribis and Andalusians from different regions, who left their impact on various aspects of life in Syrian cities, particularly in the educational and religious fields.
