Turkish Roma

Its members are referred to as Turkish Gypsy, Türk Çingeneler, Turski Tsigani (турски цигани), Turkogifti (τουρκο-γύφτοι), Țigani turci, Török Cigányok, Turci Cigani.^[1] Through self-Turkification and Assimilation in the Turkish culture over centuries,^[2] this Muslim Roma (Turkophilia Horahane) have adopted the Turkish language and lost Rumelian Romani language, in order to establish a Turkish Identity to become more recognized by the Host population^[3] and deny their Romani background^[4] to show their Turkishness. At Population Census they declared themself as Turks instead as Roma and said How happy is the one who says I am a Turk, however, Turks consider them as fake-Turks^{[citation needed]}, and Christian Romani do not consider them as part of the Romani society.^[5] They are Cultural Muslims who adopted Sunni Islam of Hanafi madhab and Religious male circumcision at the time of the Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate and Ottoman Empire. Their legendary leader was Mansur ibn Yakub Han, called Çingene Han. He built his karavansaray in Malatya in 1224. Today it can still be seen as a ruin. Mansur bin Yakup Han is buried in the Ulu Mosque in Malatya.^[6]

History

Hamza al-Isfahani wrote about 12.000 Musicians from India who was taken by Bahram Gur to Persia,^[7] also did Ferdowsi.^[8] Evliya Çelebi told that Mehmed II take after 1453 from Balat, Muslim Gypsies to Istanbul, their descendants became Musicians.^[9] They spoke only Turkish with very few Romani words in there jargon.^[10] They migrated from Anatolia to Marmara Region and finally settled in the Balkans at the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Greek Doctor A. G. Paspati made the statemant in his Book from 1860, that Turks married often Roma Woman, and the Rumelian Romani dialect is nearly lost by the Muslim Turkish Roma, who speak entirely Turkish.^[11] Ernest Gilliat-Smith, explained in 1915, that this Turkish Roma in Bulgaria can't speak Romani language, and compare them with very poor Turks rather than Romani people. The French orientalist Henri Bourgeois referred to the Turkish Roma as Pseudo Chingiane, especially the newspaper Laço who was published in 1910 by Emin Resa.^[12] Indeed there are people in Edirne who are not Romani people at all but are still said to be Çingene (Gypsies)! Their story is as follows: In the Ottoman Empire, some families who saw military service as risky and did not want to send their sons as Soldiers, saw no problem to take a Gypsy (Coptic) identity for registration their population, because they knew that Gypsies were not recruited as combatants, until 1874 when equal rights with other Muslims was given for Muslim Roma. These families still continued to appear as Gypsies in the records!^[13]. In the past, there were also classified groups of Turks as "Gypsies" or "Tatars" in Bulgaria.^[14]

Settlements and migration

The majority of Turkish Roma live in Turkey, but also significant Turkish Roma communities live in Bulgaria, Greece (Western Thrace), North Macedonia, Northern Cyprus, in lesser case Romania (Dobruja) and Kosovo.^[15] In East Thrace -Turkey, they are called Şopar. The meaning of the name comes from the Rumelian Romani and has different meanings.^[16][17]

A small Muslim Turkish Roma community live in Dobruja in Romania. They are the descendants of Muslim Roma who intermingled with Turks at the time of Ottoman Empire^[18] Romanian Christian Roma Groups regard them simply as Turks (term for Muslims) and are distinct from them.^[19][20]

In Western Thrace, Greece, in Citys like Alexandroupoli (Dedeağaç) – Komotini (Gümülcine) – Xanthi (İskeçe), Muslim Roma called Turko-Gifti, (i.e. such as Sepečides or Sevljara and Kalpazaja who are Turkish speaking.^[21][22]

In Northern Cyprus there live Turkish speaking Gypsies, who are very close to them in Turkey and West Thrace in Greece.^[23][24]

In Kosovo live a Turkish Roma community named Divanjoldjije, they are named after there original settlement where they once came from, the Divanyolu Street in Istanbul, and settled in Pristina at the time of the Ottoman Kosovo.^[25]

Romanlar in Turkey came to Germany and Austria and other European Countries as Gastarbeiter but they are fully assimilated within the Turks in Europe.^[26][27]

In North Macedonia, in the cities of Skopje, Kočani, Štip, and Veles, North Macedonia, there live Turkish Gypsies. They do not live in Roma quarters but together with the host population. Several families emigrated to Turkey in 1953-1968. They and there descendants are accepted fully as Turks.^[28]

Since Bulgaria became Member in the European Union, Turkish Roma who call themselves Usta Millet and Mehter from Bulgaria went to West Europe as Workers, many of this Turkish Roma men married Polish women.^[29] This Offsprings called Melezi (Halfblood), a Turkish Loanword.^[30]

At the Greek War of Independence, Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) and Balkan Wars (1912–1913), Muslim Roma flee together with other different Muslim Groups to Istanbul and East Thrace, as Muhacir.^[31]

At the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey, Muslim Turkish Roma from Greece have also been resettled in Turkey. In Turkish, they are called Mübadil Romanlar.^{[32][33][34][35][36]}

According to the 1925 Convention, between Bulgaria and Turkey, Muslims allowed to leave Bulgaria. A special characteristic example of this are the Turkish gypsies of the Veliko Tarnovo district, who entered in the Bulgarian registers by nationality, "Turks" emigrated to Turkey. In 1950–1951 Muslim Turkish Roma from Bulgaria came to Turkey and settled in Çanakkale and surroundings.^[37]

From 1953 -1968, Muslim Turkish Roma from Yugoslavia emigrated to Turkey,^[38][39]

Genetic

The following Y-Dna haplogroups were found in Turkey, while 26.5% indicates the Haplogroup M (mtDNA). The few % of Y-DNA L and H indicate Proto Romani paternal line because the other Y-DNA are all also found in Non-Roma Men. Since there was a mixture of peoples from different backgrounds in the Ottoman Empire. This confirms Paspati's statement, see above.^[40]

• I2a (20%)

• J2a (18.4%)

• R2a (17.1%)

• O3-M122 (15.6%)

• R1b (14.9%)

• E1b (14.3%)

• R1a (12.1%)

• C-RPS4Y (8.5%)

• L-M20 (4,21%)

• H-M82 (0,57%)

Turkish Roma cuisine

'Romani cuisine' in Turkey is an important proof that Turkish Romani have lived in Anatolia since ancient times, the culinary culture of the turkish Romanis has seriously affected the rich cuisine of Anatolia^[41]

Music and Dance

Their Turkish music (style) is known for its special 8/9 rhythm and Belly dance performance.^[42][43]

See also

• Romani people in Turkey

References