Afro-Turks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Afro-Turks, African Turks, or Turkish Africans are people of African descent in Turkey.
A number of Black Africans, usually from Sudan or Somalia, were brought under the Ottoman Empire to plantations around Manavgat, Dalaman, Menderes and Gediz valleys, and Çukurova. Some of their descendants can be met, mixed with the rest of the population, in these areas, though many migrated to larger cities. Intermarriage is the principal trend, since ethnicity is very rarely an issue in Turkey.
In recent years, there has also been immigration to Turkey from various African countries, notably Senegal, Mali, and Nigeria. People mainly come in as students or in search of employment. Those from North African countries such as Algeria or Egypt, though technically from Africa, are not usually denoted as Afro-Turks.
[edit] Notable Afro-Turks
- Marco Aurélio, footballer
- Elvan Abeylegesse, track athlete
- Esmeray, singer
- Hadi Türkmen, former Football Federation manager,
- Tuğçe Güder, top model and actress
