Azeris in Turkey
Encyclopedia
- This article is about Azeris in Turkey. For Azeris in general, see the respective article.
It is hard to determine how many ethnic Azeris currently reside in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
because ethnicity is a rather fluid concept in this country. According to some sources, there are about 800,000 Twelvers, however this figure may differ substantially from the real one. Up to 300,000 of Azeris who reside in Turkey are citizens of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. In the Eastern Anatolia Region
Eastern Anatolia Region
The Eastern Anatolia Region is one of seven non-administrative subdivisions of Turkey and encompasses its eastern provinces.The region and the name "Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi" were first defined at the First Geography Congress in 1941. It has the highest average altitude, largest geographical area, and...
, Azeris are sometimes referred to as acem (see Ajam
Ajam
Ajam is a word used in Persian and Arabic literature but with different concepts. Ajam in Arabic has two primary meanings: "non-Arab" and "Persian".literally it has other meaning "one who is illiterate in language", "silent", or "mute", and refers to non-Arabs in general, or people of Southern...
) or tat. They currently are the largest ethnic group in the city of Iğdır
Igdir
Iğdır is the capital of Iğdır Province in the Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey, and borders Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. The border with Armenia is formed by the Aras River...
and second largest ethnic group in Kars
Kars Province
Kars Province is a province of Turkey, located in the northeastern part of the country. It shares part of its border with the Republic of Armenia.The provinces of Ardahan and Iğdır were until the 1990s part of Kars Province.-History:...
.
History
Azeris first settled in what is now Turkey during the period of SafaviSafavi
Safavi is a Persian surname, best known as the surname of the royal family of the Safavid Dynasty.-Etymology:Some have argued that Safavi is a cognate of the word "Safaviyeh". And that "Safa" is a cognate of the word Sufi....
governance over Kars
Kars
Kars is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of Kars Province. The population of the city is 73,826 as of 2010.-Etymology:As Chorzene, the town appears in Roman historiography as part of ancient Armenia...
and neighbouring areas. Their numbers grew at the beginning of the 19th century, when according to the Gulistan and Turkmenchay
Treaty of Turkmenchay
The Treaty of Turkmenchay was a treaty negotiated in Turkmenchay by which the Qajar Empire recognized Russian suzerainty over the Erivan khanate, the Nakhchivan khanate, and the remainder of the Talysh khanate, establishing the Aras River as the common boundary between the empires, after its...
treaties between Persia and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, the latter gained sovereignty over the khanates of Karabakh
Karabakh khanate
The Karabakh khanate was a semi-independent khanate on the territories of modern Azerbaijan and Armenia established in about 1750 under Persian suzerainty in Karabakh and adjacent areas. The Karabakh khanate existed until 1805, when the Russian Empire gained control over it from Persia...
(1813), Nakhchevan
Nakhchivan khanate
The Khanate of Nakhichevan was a feudal state in the southern Caucasus, nominally subordinate to the Persian Shahs, and named after its chief settlement, the town of Nakhichevan....
(1828) and Erivan
Erivan Khanate
The Khanate of Erivan , was an administrative territory that was established Safavid Persia in the early 17th century. It covered an area of roughly 7,500 square miles, and corresponded to most of present-day central Armenia, most of the Iğdır Province of present-day Turkey, and the Sharur and...
(1828), among others, and the Treaty of Adrianople
Treaty of Adrianople
The Peace Treaty of Adrianople concluded the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829 between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. It was signed on September 14, 1829 in Adrianople by Russia's Count Alexey Fyodorovich Orlov and by Turkey's Abdul Kadyr-bey...
gave Christians and Muslims the right to choose a place of residence between Russia and Turkey. Similarly to those of the North Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
, large groups of local Muslim population refused to live within Russian boundaries and migrated to Turkey, settling in its eastern regions, especially in the Şenkaya
Senkaya
Şenkaya is a town and district of Erzurum Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The mayor is Görbil Özcan . the population is 2,803 ....
district of Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
and the Taşlıçay
Tasliçay
Taşlıçay is a town and district of Ağrı Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. It is located in the valley of the Murat River on the road from the city of Ağrı to Doğubeyazıt and Turkey's border with Iran. It covers an area of 798 km², and the altitude is 1,660 m...
district of Ağrı
Agri
Agri may refer to:* As shorthand or prefix referring to agriculture* Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development * Azerbaijan–Georgia–Romania Interconnector * Ağrı, a city in eastern Turkey* the Agri in southern Italy...
, The Turkish dialect of Erzurum has been grammatically influenced by the Azeri language. Phonemic analyses indicate that Azeri-influenced dialects are spoken as far as Elâzığ
Elazig Province
Elâzığ Province is a province of Turkey with its seat in the city of Elâzığ. The source of the Euphrates river is located in this province.The province has a population of 552,646 as of 2010...
and Van
Van Province
Van Province is a province in eastern Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. It is 19,069 km2 in area and had a population of 1,035,418 at the end of 2010....
's Erciş
Ercis
Ercis may refer to:* Erciş, a district of Van province in the east of Turkey* European Research Center for Information Systems...
district.
In 1813, a group of Azeris from Karabakh
Karabakh
The Karabakh horse , also known as Karabakh, is a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse. It is named after the geographic region where the horse was originally developed, Karabakh in the Southern Caucasus, an area that is de jure part of Azerbaijan but the highland part of which is currently...
settled in Aziziye
Emirdag
Emirdağ is a town and district of Afyonkarahisar Province in Turkey, between the city of Afyon and Eskişehir. It covers an area of 2,009 km², and the population is 42,111 of which 19,991 live in the town of Emirdağ itself. The mayor is Cengiz Pala .The Emirdağ Mountains rise steeply behind...
, in the southern part of the Afyon Province
Afyonkarahisar Province
Afyonkarahisar Province , also called more simply Afyon Province, is a province in western Turkey.Adjacent provinces are Kütahya to the northwest, Uşak to the west, Denizli to the southwest, Burdur to the south, Isparta to the southeast, Konya to the east, and Eskişehir to the north. The provincial...
. Despite having undergone major assimilation in their language and religious beliefs, they still identify themselves as Karabağlı and are viewed as a distinct group by the local population. A different branch of the same group settled in Iğdır
Igdir Province
Iğdır Province is a province in eastern Turkey, located along the border with Armenia, Azerbaijan , and Iran. Its adjacent provinces are Kars to the northwest and Ağrı to the west and south...
. Caferoğlu argues that the Afyon group may have left Karabakh for Turkey much earlier, in 1578, fighting for the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in the Second Ottoman–Safavid War
Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–1590)
The Ottoman–Safavid War was a war between Safavid Persia under Mohammed Khodabanda and later Abbas I, and the Ottoman Empire under Murad III. It began in 1577-1578 and ended in 1590....
.
Another group of Azeris from Shaki relocated to Bursa
Bursa Province
Bursa Province is a province in western Turkey, along the Sea of Marmara. Its adjacent provinces are Balıkesir to the west, Kütahya to the south, Bilecik and Sakarya to the east, Kocaeli to the northeast and Yalova to the north. The province has an area of 11,043 km2 and a population of 3,187,000...
in 1863. In addition, in the nineteenth century, several Sunni families from Shirvan
Shirvan
Shirvan , also spelled as Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both Islamic and modern times...
settled in Amasya
Amasya Province
Amasya Province is a province of Turkey, situated on the Yeşil River in the Black Sea Region to the north of the country. Area 5,520 km². Population 334,786....
, where for a long time they were known as Şirvanlı. In 1894, a unique baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
-style mosque was built here by Şeyh Hacı Mahmut Efendi. The mosque has been known as the Şirvanlı Mosque or the Azerîler Mosque. The descendants of those migrants nowadays live in six villages of Amasya's Suluova
Suluova
Suluova is a town and district of Amasya Province of Turkey, located on high ground inland within the central Black Sea region. It covers an area of 516km², and the population is 47,510 of which 37,669 live in the town of Suluova, the remainder spread throughout the surrounding countryside....
and Merzifon
Merzifon
Merzifon is a town and district in Amasya Province in the central Black Sea region of Turkey. It covers an area of 970 km², and the population is 69,237 of which 52,947 live in the town of Merzifon, the remainder spread throughout the surrounding countryside...
districts and have preserved their Azeri identity and culture.
The next wave of Azeri immigration to eastern Turkey took place in 1918–1925, when many Muslim residents of then newly independent Armenia
Democratic Republic of Armenia
The Democratic Republic of Armenia was the first modern establishment of an Armenian state...
fled their homes, escaping massacres by armed bands of Armenian nationalists. In 1941, already 5,000 Azeris lived in 60 villages along the Turkish bank of the Arpaçay
Akhurian River
The Akhurian, Akhuriyan, Akhuryan or Akhouryan is a river in the South Caucasus. It originates in Armenia and flows from Lake Tseli south, along the border with Turkey, forming part of the geographic border between the two states, until it flows into the Aras River as a left tributary near Bagaran...
. They were followed by former members of the overthrown government of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...
and their families, as well as many upper-class Azeris, who fled to Turkey in fear of persecution by the Bolsheviks and settled primarily in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Bursa and Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
. Together with other political immigrants from the Caucasus and led by members of the deposed democratic government of Azerbaijan such as Rasulzadeh
Mammed Amin Rasulzade
Mammad Amin Rasulzade was an Azerbaijani statesman, scholar, public figure and one of the founding political leaders of Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan...
, Khasmammadov and Sultanov
Khosrov bey Sultanov
Khosrov bey Sultanov Pasha bey oglu , also spelled as Khosrow Sultanov, was an Azerbaijani statesman, General Governor of Karabakh and Minister of Defense of Azerbaijani Democratic Republic.-Early life:...
, some of them engaged in anti-Soviet political propaganda and activities in Turkey in an attempt to restore the independence of the Bolshevik-occupied Caucasus states. The signing of Soviet-Turkish non-aggression pact
Non-aggression pact
A non-aggression pact is an international treaty between two or more states/countries agreeing to avoid war or armed conflict between them and resolve their disputes through peaceful negotiations...
s in 1925 and 1935 created obstacles in continuing this activity in the form of arrests and bans on the publishing of anti-Soviet periodicals. This forced some politically active members of the movement to relocate to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
by the late 1930s.
After the failure of the USSR-created regional Azerbaijan People's Government
Azerbaijan People's Government
The Azerbaijan People's Government was a short-lived, Soviet-backed client state in northern Iran. Established in Iranian Azerbaijan, the APG's capital was the city of Tabriz...
in 1946, ethnic Azeri political immigrants from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
increased the numbers of Azeris in Turkey. By 1990, about 400,000 Azeris lived in a belt of land on the Turkish side of the Soviet border. Finally, starting from the early 1990s tens of thousands of immigrants from the newly independent Azerbaijan have made their way to Turkey due to economic reasons, settling mostly in big cities.
The Terekeme
Karapapak
The Karapapak are a small ethnic group of Turkic-speaking people who mainly live in Azerbaijan, in Georgia, in the northeast of Turkey near the border with Georgia and Armenia, primarily in the provinces of Ardahan , Kars and Iğdır, and in Iran...
people are often considered ethnic Azeris of Sunni Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
background.
In general, the Azeri population in Turkey is considered well-integrated into Turkish society, mainly due to cultural and linguistic affinities between Azeris and Turks. Nevertheless, differences still remain in the areas of religion (Azeris are mainly Shi'a, whereas Turks are mostly Sunni Muslims), dialect, and self-conception in terms of historical memory and ethnic/national consciousness. In 2011, Sinan Oğan, an ethnic Azeri and a diaspora activist from Iğdır, won a seat
Turkish general election, 2011
Turkey's 17th general election was held on 12 June 2011 to elect 550 new members of Grand National Assembly. They were Turkey's first non-early elections in 34 years.-Background:...
in the Turkish parliament.
Famous Azeris of Turkey
- Ali Özgündüz, former public attorney and politician
- Süreyya AğaoğluSüreyya AgaogluSüreyya Ağaoğlu was a Turkish writer, jurist, and the first female lawyer in Turkish history.-Biography:...
, first female lawyer in Turkish history - Cem KaracaCem KaracaMuhtar Cem Karaca , also called Cem Baba , was a prominent Turkish rock musician and one of the most important figures in the Anatolian rock movement.-Biography:...
, musician (Azeri father) - Haydar HatemiHaydar HatemiHaydar Hatemi is an Iranian artist whose work is based on blends of classical oriental styles such as miniature and tazhib, with some modern elements. His early studies in art started at Tabriz's Art Academy after finishing high school in Tabriz, Iran. Haydar Hatemi is a graduate of the...
, Turkish-Iranian artist - Elnara KerimovaElnara KerimovaElnara Nadir qizi Kerimova, also spelled Karimova is an Azerbaijani and Turkish conductor and chorus master.-Contributions:...
, Azerbaijani and Turkish conductor and chorus master. - Melahat Abbasova, Turkish actress and producer
- Nigar TalibovaNigar TalibovaNigar Talibova is an Azeri fashion model, based in Turkey.Nigar Talibova was a member of the music group Adrenalin, which she formed with two other Turkish models, Gizem Özdilli and Doğa Bekleriz.-External links:...
, Turkish model - Sinan Şamil SamSinan Samil SamSinan Şamil Sam is a German born Turkish heavyweight professional boxer. As a professional boxer, Sam won the EBU and WBC International titles in the heavyweight division.- Amateur career :...
, Turkish-German boxer - Rasim BaşakRasim BasakRasim Başak is a Azerbaijani-Turkish professional basketball player of Türk Telekom B.K. The power forward is 2.02 m tall and 100 kg weight and wears 8 number for Fenerbahçe Ülker. He has Russian mother and Azeri father but also has Turkish citizenship and he already played several times for...
, basketball player - Servet ÇetinServet ÇetinServet Çetin , is a Turkish footballer who is playing for Galatasaray in the centre back position. He received the nickname Ayıboğan which literally means; a man who could choke a bear, due to his height and strength....
, football player - Alihan SamedovAlihan SamedovAlihan Samedov is a musician known for playing wind instruments and Azerbaijan folk instruments.Alihan Samedov was born in Sumqayıt, Azeri SSR in 1964. Descending from a musician family, he completed his first and secondary education between the years 1971 and 1979. He received his music...
, master player of instruments (balaban, clarinet, tutek, oboe, saxophone), chess master - Mubariz MansimovMubariz MansimovMubariz Mansimov is an Azerbaijani entrepreneur and the founder of Palmali Group of Companies, a major shipping company, as well of the Azerbaijani football club Khazar Lankaran. He is currently listed on Forbes list of billionaires , the youngest billionaire in Turkey as of March 1, 2009...
, businessman, billionaire and founder of Palmali Group of Companies - Telman IsmailovTelman IsmailovTelman Ismailov is a Russian entrepreneur and businessman of Azerbaijani Mountain Jew descent. He is chairman of the Russian AST Group of companies, which is active in many countries.-Early life:...
, businessman, billionaire and founder of AST Group of Companies - Samad bey Rafibeyli, Turkish army general
- Ahmet Ağaoğlu, Azerbaijani and Turkish publicist and journalist
- Tamer KaradağlıTamer Karadağlı-Biography:Tamer Karadağlı's family moved to America a short time after he was born. They returned to Turkey just as he began primary school there. He studied at Çankaya High School.and TED Ankara College after which graduated in theatre from Bilkent University Conservatory. In 1993 he made his...
, actor - Nuri BerközNuri BerközM. Nuri Berköz was born in Shaki, Azerbaijan in 1889. After completing his primary education in the local Russian-Tatar School, his father decided to immigrate to Ottoman Turkey with his family in early twentieth century...
, Lt.General, General Commander of Turkish Gendarmerie - Nuri SaryalNuri SaryalNuri Saryal was rector of Middle East Technical University from 1977 to 1979.He was born in Baku, Azerbaijan as the son of Ismail and Helena Seyitzade. He has been a Turkish citizen since 1931, with the family name changed to Saryal.-References:...
, scientist, engineer - Neriman Saryal Duranoglu, poet, writer
See also
- Minorities in TurkeyMinorities in TurkeyMinorities in Turkey form a substantial part of the country's population. 25-30% of the populace belong to an ethnic minority. While the Republic of Turkey, following the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, recognizes Armenians, Greeks and Jews as ethnic minorities, this legal status is not granted the Kurds,...
- ASAIF
- Azeris
- List of Azerbaijanis
- AzerbaijanAzerbaijanAzerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
- TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
- Demographics of TurkeyDemographics of TurkeyThis article is about the demographic features of the population of Turkey, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
- Turks in AzerbaijanTurks in AzerbaijanTurks in Azerbaijan are Turkish people who live in Azerbaijan. According to the 1999 Azerbaijani population census, there were 43,400 Turks living in Azerbaijan...