| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Kosovo | 26,960[1][a] |
 North Macedonia | 3,713[2][b] |
 Albania | 12,375[3][b] |
 Serbia | 2,831[4][c] |
 Montenegro | 2,054[5][b] |
 Croatia | 172[6] |
| Languages | |
| Albanian | |
| Religion | |
| Islam[7] | |
TheAshkali (Serbian:Ашкалије /Aškalije), otherwise known asHashkali (Serbian:Хашкалије /Haškalije) and/orBalkan Egyptians (Serbian:Балкански Египћани /Balkanski Egipćani;Albanian:Komuniteti i Egjiptianëve të Ballkanit;Macedonian:Ѓупци,romanized: Ǵupci), areAlbanian-speakingMuslim ethnic cultural minorities (recognized communities),[7][8] which mainly inhabitKosovo andsouthern Serbia,[7] as well asAlbania,Montenegro, andNorth Macedonia.[9] Prior to theKosovo War of 1999, the Balkan Egyptians or Ashkali people registered themselves as Albanians.[10] While some Ashkali speakRomani, Egyptians do not.[11] The two groups are not clearly delineated. Though they differ linguistically and culturally from theRoma, they have often been grouped together under the acronym RAE (Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians).[12]
The origins of the Balkan Egyptians are obscure, but some Balkan historians trace the origin of Balkan Egyptians to theIron Age, citing vague references inHerodotus of the presence ofKhener, anAncient Egyptian dance group in the region. They also attribute archaeological structures in the area, notably in modernOhrid andBitola, as temples of theGoddess Isis, but theMysteries of Isis was widespread in theGreco-Roman world.[13] It is also possible that the Balkan Egyptians can be traced back to theDoms in Egypt;[14] other versions are that after theOttoman–Egyptian invasion of Mani, Egyptian soldiers went to Albania.[15] However, historians maintain that during the Ottoman era the Balkan Egyptians and other Balkan Roma were part of a single community that was called by the OttomansKıbti (literally 'Copts'), reflecting the same group encompassed by the English ethnonym for the Roma ("Gypsies"). They see the alternate origins as part of a larger phenomenon whereby groups such as the Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians, as part of an effort to achieve greater civil emancipation and to escape anti-Roma prejudice, made an effort to separate themselves from other Roma and constructed a novel history for their peoples.[16]
A 14th-century reference to a placename (Агѹповы клѣти,Agupovy klěti) in theRila Charter ofIvan Alexander of Bulgaria was thought by some authors, such asKonstantin Josef Jireček, to be related to the Balkan Egyptians, possible descendants of theDoms in Egypt.[17][18]
In 1990, an Egyptian association was formed in Ohrid, from which sprung theEgyptian Liberal Party of North Macedonia, which was attended by representatives from different Balkan countries.[19]
The origin of the Ashkali remains scientifically unexplained. The Ashkali community leaders have constructed a few narratives. According to the Persian narrative, the Ashkali people originated in Persia in the 4th century. According to the Italian narrative, which is based on folk etymology, they are colonists from ancient Rome. According to the Semitic narrative, they originated inAshkelon (now Israel).[20]
The Ashkali were aligned with Albanians before, during and after theKosovo war.[10] During the war, many were sent to refugee camps with theRomani people in Kosovo.[10] After the war ended in 1999, some of them reaffirmed their identity as Ashkali to show their pro-Albanian stance and distinguish themselves from theArlije andGurbeti Roma, who had been mistakenly viewed as pro-Serbian. However, viewed by the majority population as pro-Serbian Roma, they were persecuted by Albanian nationalists in the presence ofNATO forces. As the majority of Kosovo Roma, many of them settled inSerbia andMontenegro. Others moved toAlbania,Serbia andMacedonia and the whole ofWestern Europe, such asGermany andFrance.[12]
The first Ashkali party (Democratic Ashkali Party of Kosovo) was formed in 2000 under Sabit Rrahmani, who supported Kosovo's independence in the name of all Ashkali.[10]
Most Ashkali live in Kosovo, but they also reside in Serbia and Montenegro, while most Balkan Egyptians are thought to live inNorth Macedonia and Albania, rather than Kosovo. In the Macedonian census of 2002, 3,713 people identified as Egyptian, while in the Serbian census of 2002 (excluding Kosovo), 814 people identified as Egyptian. In the Montenegrin census, on the other hand, 225 people identified as Egyptian.
Ashkali are predominant in the central and eastern regions of Kosovo:Ferizaj,Fushë Kosova, andLipjan. Kosovo's Egyptian community is mostly to be found in its western part, inGjakova,Istog,Peja, andDeçan. The Ashkali as well as the Egyptian community of Kosovo had 98% unemployment in 2009.[21]
In Kosovo, Roma and Ashkali do not classify one another asgadje.[21]Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians reject having any relation with the Roma.[23] The Ashkali and Roma claim the Egyptians as their own; whereas the Ashkali and Egyptians dispute over each other's background.[10] No television or radio channels are dedicated to Kosovo's Ashkali or Egyptian minority audiences.[21]Circumcision celebrations of their sons are organized by the Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians.[24]
