Turks in Kosovo
Encyclopedia
Turks in Kosovo are the ethnic Turks who constitute a minority group in Kosovo
.
brought Islamisation with them, particularly in towns, and later also created the Vilayet of Kosovo as one of the Ottoman territorial entities. Kosovo was taken by the Austrian forces
during the Great War of 1683–1699 In 1690, the Serbian Patriarch of Peć Arsenije III led 37,000 mostly Serb families from Kosovo, to evade Ottoman wrath since Kosovo had just been retaken by the Ottomans. Due to the oppression from the Ottomans, other migrations of Orthodox people from the Kosovo area continued throughout the 18th century. It is also noted that some Serbs adopted Islam
, while some even gradually fused with other groups, predominantly Albanians, adopting their culture and even language.
Between 1389 and 1913, Turks, being members of the predominant nation, lived peacefully in Kosovo. After 1912 however they had to endure many assimilation measures first from Serbians, and then from Albanians. Serbia
, which obtained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878 with the Berlin Treaty, began to “slav-ise” its new territories, including Kosovo after 1913.
The Turks in the post-communist Balkans
were faced with one of two difficult experiences in the 1990s. They were between the nationalism of the majority and or the major minority, as in Kosovo and the Republic of Macedonia
or they were relieved of ethnic tension and benefited from the overall democratization of the country as in Bulgaria
and Romania
.
The Turkish minority mainly live in Prizren
(15-29%) and Kosovska Mitrovica
(0.5%). The village of Mamuša
north of Prizren was the only settlement in Kosovo with a Turkish majority, according to the last legal census of 1981. It had 2,752 people, with Turks making up around three-quarters of that number.
There are also two cultural and artistic Turkish associations in Kosovo: Right Way (Doğru Yol) and Truth (Gerçek). The purpose of these two associations is to keep the Turkish culture alive in Kosovo.
by Macedonia
Turks since 1944, also dealt with Kosovo Turks. After 1999, the first independent Turkish newspaper appeared: "New Period" ('Yeni Dönem).
Other important Turkish newspapers are:
Radio broadcasting in Turkish started as early as in 1951; as to television broadcasting in Turkish
, it started by 1974. By civil initiative, Kosovo Radio-Television agreed to broadcast 5-minutes-long news and another 40-minutes-long program in weekends in Turkish. Along with Kosovo Radio, which transmitted 2-hours-long programs in Turkish, another two Turkish radios were founded: New Period Radio in Prizren and Kent FM Radio in Pristina. Since the 1st of February, 2003, the New Period Radio broadcasts in four languages: 21 hours in Turkish, 3 hours in Albanian, Bosnian and Roman. This is the first radio, which broadcasts in four languages in Kosovo.
banned the Turkish
education in Kosovo except some religious schools in Pristina
and Prizren
. By 1943, Turkish education completely disappeared from Kosovo. The judicial existence of the Turkish minority in Kosovo was recognised as late as in 1951. After the foundation of the Yugoslavian Federation in 1945, every minority obtained the right of education in their own language; however, Turks had to study in Serbian in schools until 1945, after that year they were forced to study in Albanian. The right of education in Turkish was granted to the Turkish minority with a delay of six years. By the 5th of September, 1951 only Turks had the right to build their own schools where there was a majority.
Today Kosovo Turks have their own schools in every educative level. In Prizren, Mamuša
, Pristina, Gnjilane
, Đakovica and Vučitrn
, there are 3 kindergartens, 11 primary schools, 6 colleges and the Pristina University where on the whole 2,532 Turkish students attend lectures.
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
.
History
The OttomansOttoman 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...
brought Islamisation with them, particularly in towns, and later also created the Vilayet of Kosovo as one of the Ottoman territorial entities. Kosovo was taken by the Austrian forces
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
during the Great War of 1683–1699 In 1690, the Serbian Patriarch of Peć Arsenije III led 37,000 mostly Serb families from Kosovo, to evade Ottoman wrath since Kosovo had just been retaken by the Ottomans. Due to the oppression from the Ottomans, other migrations of Orthodox people from the Kosovo area continued throughout the 18th century. It is also noted that some Serbs adopted Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, while some even gradually fused with other groups, predominantly Albanians, adopting their culture and even language.
Between 1389 and 1913, Turks, being members of the predominant nation, lived peacefully in Kosovo. After 1912 however they had to endure many assimilation measures first from Serbians, and then from Albanians. Serbia
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
, which obtained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878 with the Berlin Treaty, began to “slav-ise” its new territories, including Kosovo after 1913.
The Turks in the post-communist Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
were faced with one of two difficult experiences in the 1990s. They were between the nationalism of the majority and or the major minority, as in Kosovo and the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
or they were relieved of ethnic tension and benefited from the overall democratization of the country as in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
Demographics
According to the Kosovo Figures 2005 Survey of the Statistical Office of Kosovo, Kosovo's Turkish population is 1% of the total population.The Turkish minority mainly live in Prizren
Prizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
(15-29%) and Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica , is a city and municipality in northern Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district....
(0.5%). The village of Mamuša
Mamuša
Mamuša or Mamusha is a town in Kosovo. In 2008 it became a municipality. Prior to that it was part of Prizren municipality. Of all municipal units in Kosovo, this one is by far the smallest in terms of area.-Location:...
north of Prizren was the only settlement in Kosovo with a Turkish majority, according to the last legal census of 1981. It had 2,752 people, with Turks making up around three-quarters of that number.
Turks in Kosovo’s political and social life
There are three Turkish political parties in Kosovo:- Turkish Public Front- under the leadership of Sezai Saipi
- Turkish Democratic Union- under the leadership of Erhan Köroğlu, centred in PristinaPristinaPristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
- Turkish Democratic Party of KosovoTurkish Democratic Party of KosovoThe Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo is a conservative political party in Kosovo that represents the Turkish minority. It was formerly led by Mahir Yağcılar, the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning in Hashim Thaçi government...
(KTDP)- under the leadership of Mahir Yağcılar, centred in Prizren (the only registered Turkish party of Kosovo)
There are also two cultural and artistic Turkish associations in Kosovo: Right Way (Doğru Yol) and Truth (Gerçek). The purpose of these two associations is to keep the Turkish culture alive in Kosovo.
Media
The main newspaper of Kosovo Turks was weekly "Dawn" (Tan), published under State control from 1969 until the end of the Kosovo conflict (1998–99). Before 1969, Kosovo Turks had no independent Turkish press. Another Turkish newspaper, the famous "Unity" (Birlik), published in SkopjeSkopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
by Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
Turks since 1944, also dealt with Kosovo Turks. After 1999, the first independent Turkish newspaper appeared: "New Period" ('Yeni Dönem).
Other important Turkish newspapers are:
- Our Voice (Sesimiz), the official newspaper of KTDP
- Your Environment (Çevren) since 1973
- Avalanche (Çığ)
- Bird (Kuş) since 1974
- Pearl (İnci)
Radio broadcasting in Turkish started as early as in 1951; as to television broadcasting in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, it started by 1974. By civil initiative, Kosovo Radio-Television agreed to broadcast 5-minutes-long news and another 40-minutes-long program in weekends in Turkish. Along with Kosovo Radio, which transmitted 2-hours-long programs in Turkish, another two Turkish radios were founded: New Period Radio in Prizren and Kent FM Radio in Pristina. Since the 1st of February, 2003, the New Period Radio broadcasts in four languages: 21 hours in Turkish, 3 hours in Albanian, Bosnian and Roman. This is the first radio, which broadcasts in four languages in Kosovo.
Education
After 1913, SerbiaKingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
banned the Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
education in Kosovo except some religious schools in Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
and Prizren
Prizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
. By 1943, Turkish education completely disappeared from Kosovo. The judicial existence of the Turkish minority in Kosovo was recognised as late as in 1951. After the foundation of the Yugoslavian Federation in 1945, every minority obtained the right of education in their own language; however, Turks had to study in Serbian in schools until 1945, after that year they were forced to study in Albanian. The right of education in Turkish was granted to the Turkish minority with a delay of six years. By the 5th of September, 1951 only Turks had the right to build their own schools where there was a majority.
Today Kosovo Turks have their own schools in every educative level. In Prizren, Mamuša
Mamuša
Mamuša or Mamusha is a town in Kosovo. In 2008 it became a municipality. Prior to that it was part of Prizren municipality. Of all municipal units in Kosovo, this one is by far the smallest in terms of area.-Location:...
, Pristina, Gnjilane
Gnjilane
Gnjilane or Gjilan is a city and municipality in eastern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the District of Gjilan. It is famous for having been recorded the lowest temperature in Kosovo with on 25 January 1963.-Name and history:...
, Đakovica and Vučitrn
Vucitrn
Vučitrn or Vushtrri is a city and municipality in north-eastern Kosovo. It is the seat of the Kosovska Mitrovica District. The name of the city means "wolf's thorn", the name of the spiny restharrow plant in Serbian....
, there are 3 kindergartens, 11 primary schools, 6 colleges and the Pristina University where on the whole 2,532 Turkish students attend lectures.
Notable Kosovo Turks
- Fahrettin DurakFahrettin DurakFahrettin Durak is a Yugoslav-born Turkish football player.-Career:...
- Soner ÖzbilenSoner ÖzbilenSoner Özbilen is a Turkish folk singer, conductor, and compiler.- Early life :He was born in Boğazlıyan in 1947 to an immigrant family from Kosovo....
- Mustafa PreshevaMustafa PreshevaMustafa Presheva is a Turkish film editor and actor.Born in Kosovska Mitrovica, Yugoslavia , he studied film in Belgrade and since 1983 has worked mainly as a film editor.In 1986 he received a Golden Medal for Best Editing at the Belgrade Short Film and Documentary Festival for the short...
- Naci Şensoy
- Güner UreyaGüner UreyaGüner Ureya is a Kosovar diplomat. He is the first Kosovar Turkish diplomat of independent Kosovo.-Early life and education:He was born on January 6, 1973 in Prizren, Yugoslavia – in today's Kosovo...
- Mahir YağcılarMahir YağcılarMahir Yağcılar is a Turkish Kosovar politician and the former president of conservative Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo ....