Circassians in Turkey

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Circassians in Turkey
Türkiye Çerkezleri
Адыгэхэр Тырку Adyghexer Tyrku

Ethem the Circassian, his Circassian hands and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in front of the main building of the station, who were on their way to the Yozgat rebellion (June 1920)
Total population
140,000[1][2][3] - 2,000,000[4][5]
Regions with significant populations
Adana, Amasya, Ankara, Balıkesir (Bandırma and Gönen), Bolu, Bursa (İnegöl), Bilecik, Çanakkale (Biga), Çorum, Düzce, Eskişehir, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri (Pınarbaşı), Kocaeli, Samsun, Sivas (Şarkışla and Yıldızeli), Tokat, Yozgat
Languages
Circassian (East Circassian and West Circassian), Abaza, Abkhaz, Turkish
Religion
Exclusively Sunni Muslims
Related ethnic groups
Circassians, Abazins, Abkhazians
The distribution of Circassians in Turkey

The Circassians in Turkey (East Circassian and West Circassian: Адыгэхэр Тырку Adyghexer Tyrku; Turkish: Türkiye Çerkezleri) are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Turkey, with a population between 130,000 and 2 million. The closely related ethnic groups Abazins (10,000[6]) and Abkhazians (39,000[7]) are also often counted among them. Circassians are a Caucasian immigrant people, but the vast majority of them have assimilated to Turkish language, and only a small minority still speak their native Circassian languages. The Circassians in Turkey are almost exclusively Sunni Muslims of Hanafi madh'hab.

Numbers

In the census of 1965, 58,339 Turkish citizens spoke Circassian as first language, which was roughly 0.2% of the population. Proportionally, these were most numerous in Kayseri (3.2%), Tokat (1.2%) and Kahramanmaraş (1.0). Another 48,621 citizens spoke Circassian as second language.

Assimilation

In an effort to maintain and re-enliven what is left of their cultural and linguistic distinctness, Circassians in Turkey have demanded broadcasting and education rights in their native language, following the lead of Kurdish organizations and other groups.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Milliyet, Anadil kontrolüyle sağlanan dolaylı bilgininde katılmasıyla ortaya çıkan tabloda Türkiye'de yetişkinlerin (18 yaş ve üstündekilerin) etnik kimliklerin dağılımı ... 0.3 Kafkas kökenli
  2. ↑ KONDA Research and Consultancy, Social Structure Survey 2006
  3. ↑ Heinz Kloss & Grant McConnel, Linguistic composition of the nations of the world, vol,5, Europe and USSR, Québec, Presses de l'Université Laval, 1984, ISBN 2-7637-7044-4
  4. ↑ Circassia, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization .
  5. ↑ Ülkü Bilgin: Azınlık hakları ve Türkiye. Kitap Yayınevi, Istanbul 2007; S. 85. ISBN 975-6051-80-9 (Turkish Language)
  6. ↑ Ethnologue: Abasinen
  7. ↑ Ethnologue: Abchasen
  8. ↑ Circassians in Turkey rally for their rights
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See also: Circassia · Abaza · Abkhaz · Adyghe · Kabarday · Ubykh · Genocide
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