Gajal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gajal or Gadzhal (Gacal in Turkish, Гаджал in Bulgarian) are a Turkic subgroup, closely related to the Gagauz, whose name derives from a common root (Gajal are also sometimes named as Gagavuz). The Gajal, however, are Sunni Muslims, unlike the Gagauz, who are Orthodox Christians.

The small Gajal communities dwell mostly in the Balkans, particularly Bulgaria (in Deliorman), Albania, Serbia (chiefly Kosovo), Montenegro, and the Republic of Macedonia. They are also present in northwestern Turkey where some 14,000 Gajal reside since immigrating from the Western Balkans. They are particularly concentrated in: rural Edirne, Turkey; Eastern Thrace, and they usually identify as an ethnic group distinct from other "Muhajir"s. Gajal folk are reported to be of distinctive physical traits featuring a shorter stature and a darker complexion than other settlers to whom they are local.