Turks in the Arab world
Ethnic group in the Arab world
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Turks in the Arab world (Arabic: الأتراك في الوطن العربي; Turkish: Arap coğrafyasındaki Türkler) refers to ethnic Turkish people who live in the Arab world. There are significant Turkish populations scattered throughout North Africa, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula.
In Libya, some groups identify themselves as Turkish, or descendants of Turkish soldiers who settled in the area in the days of the Ottoman Empire[1] There is also a significant Turkish minority in Egypt.[2]
In the Levant, the Turks live across the region. In Iraq and Syria the Turkish minorities are commonly referred to as "Turkmen", "Turkman" and "Turcoman"; historically, these terms have been used to designate Turkish speakers in Arab areas, or Sunni Muslims in Shitte areas.[3] The majority of Iraqi Turkmen and Syrian Turkmen are the descendants of Ottoman Turkish settlers.[4][5][6][7] and share close cultural and linguistic ties with Turkey, particularly the Anatolian region.[8][7] There are also Turkish minorities located in Palestine and in Lebanon. The Lebanese Turks live mainly in the villages of Aydamun and Kouachra in the Akkar District, as well as in Baalbek, Beirut, and Tripoli.
In the Arabian Peninsula, there are Turkish minorities who have lived in the region since the Ottoman era. The Turks live predominately in Saudi Arabia and in Yemen.
Population of Turkish minorities
| Country | Current est. Turkish population | Further information | Lists of Turks |
|---|---|---|---|
 Egypt | 1,500,000 (1993 estimate)[9] (150,000 in Arish, plus 100,000 Cretan Turks)[10] Approximately 3% of Egyptians originate from Asia Minor (approx. 2.8 million)[11] | Turks in Egypt | |
 Iraq | 3,000,000 (2013 Iraqi Ministry of Planning estimate)[12][13] | Iraqi Turkmens[a] | |
 Jordan | 60,000[9] plus Palestinian-Turkish refugees: 55,000 in Irbid[14] 5,000 near Amman[14] 5,000 in El-Sahne[14] 3,000 in El-Reyyan[14] 2,500 in El-Bakaa[14] 1,500 in El-Zerkaa[14] 250 in Sahab[14] | Turks in Jordan | |
 Lebanon | 80,000[15] plus 125,000 to 150,000 Syrian Turkmen refugees[16] | Turks in Lebanon | |
 Libya | 4.7% of Libya's population (1936 census)[17] 100,000 Cretan Turks only (1971 estimate)[10] Approximately 350.000 today based on official data from the 1936 census. | Turks in Libya | |
 Palestinian territories | West Bank: 35,000 to 40,000[18] | Turks in Palestine | |
 Saudi Arabia | 200,000[19] | Turks in Saudi Arabia | |
 Syria | estimates range from hundreds of thousands to 3.5 million[20] | Syrian Turkmens | |
 Tunisia | est. 500,000[9]-2,000,000[21] | Turks in Tunisia | |
 United Arab Emirates | 10,000[22] | Turks in the United Arab Emirates | |
 Yemen | 10,000 to 100,000[23] or more than 200,000[19] | Turks in Yemen | |
See also
Notes
^ a: The Iraqi Turkmen are the descendants of various waves of Turkic migration to Mesopotamia dating from the 7th century until Ottoman rule. Most of today's descendants of the 7th century migrants have been assimilated into the local Arab population.[4] Thus, the majority of today's Iraqi Turkmen are the descendants of the Ottoman soldiers, traders, and civil servants who were brought into Iraq during the rule of the Ottoman Empire.[24][25][26][4]