Afrikalı Türkler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Total population | |
| Between 5,000 and 20,000[1][2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Muğla,İzmir,Antalya,Istanbul,Aydın,Denizli,Manisa,Mersin,Adana | |
| Languages | |
| Turkish | |
| Religion | |
| Islam |
Afro-Turks (Turkish:Afrikalı Türkler) areTurkish people ofAfricanZanj descent, who trace their origin to theOttoman slave trade like theAfro-Abkhazians. Afro-Turk population is estimated to be between 5,000 and 20,000 people. Afro-Turks are distinct fromAfrican immigrants in Turkey, which number around 1.5 million individuals as of 2017 according to state-ownedAnadolu Agency.[3][4]
Historically, the ancestors of the Black Turks were calledZenci (alternatively written asZanji orZangi in other languages), a word used during theOttoman period for defining the people of the historic geographical region ofZanj along theIndian Ocean coast ofSoutheast Africa, where many Afro-Turks trace their ancestry. Many others came fromSudan, which was controlled by theOttomanKhedivate of Egypt, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some Afro-Turks trace their ancestry to OttomanNorth Africa, such as present-dayLibya,Tunisia andAlgeria.[citation needed]
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Beginning several centuries ago, a number of Africans, usually viaZanzibar in the historical region ofZanj and from places such asNiger,Arabia,Libya,Kenya andSudan,[5] came to theOttoman Empire settled by theDalaman,Menderes andGediz valleys,Manavgat andÇukurova. African quarters of 19th-centuryİzmir, including Sabırtaşı, Dolapkuyu, Tamaşalık, İkiçeşmelik and Ballıkuyu, are mentioned in contemporary records.[6]
Some came fromCrete following thepopulation exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923. They settled on theAegean coast, mainly around İzmir.[5] Africans inAyvalık declare that their ancestors from Crete spokeGreek when they came to Turkey and learned Turkish later.[7] Afro-Turks living in İzmir celebrated the traditional spring festivalDana Bayramı ("Calf Festival") until the 1960s.Dana Bayramı has currently been revived among the younger generation of Afro-Turks.[6]
Ahmet Ali Çelikten, a combat pilot of theOttoman Air Force duringWorld War I, was the first black aviator in history.[citation needed]
In June 2020, the Afro-Turk Association organized one of many worldwide marches forBlack Lives Matter in İzmir in response to themurder of George Floyd.[8]
Areas with significant populations of Afro-Turks are in Turkey'sAegean andMarmara region, especiallyIstanbul,İzmir,Aydın andMuğla provinces. People of African ancestry also live in some villages and municipalities ofAntalya andAdana provinces.[9] Some of the descendants of the African settlers remain, mixed with the rest of the population in these areas and many migrated to larger cities.[5] Migration and assimilation make it difficult to estimate the number of Afro-Turks.[10]
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| Secondary Afro-American diaspora |
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| Topics | |
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| Census in Turkey | |
| Lists | |
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