Turkeye | |
|---|---|
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  Turkeye Location of Turkeye in the province ofZeeland | |
| Coordinates:51°19′05″N3°34′55″E / 51.31806°N 3.58194°E /51.31806; 3.58194 | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Zeeland |
| Municipality | Sluis |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2020) | 20−30 |
Turkeye is ahamlet ofSluis, amunicipality located in the west ofZeelandic Flanders, in the south-western part of theNetherlands.[1][2]
Even though the settlement is regular hamlet in the province of Zeeland, the nameTurkeye is probably an old spelling for Modern DutchTurkije (English:Turkey;Turkish:Türkiye). The name supposedly derives from relations between theOttoman Turks and theNetherlands. The name of the road to it is theTurkijeweg which meansTurkey Road inDutch. Signs in the hamlet play into the name, sayingNe mutlu Türküm diyene ("How happy is the one, who says 'I am a Turk'") orHoş geldiniz ("Welcome").[3] There are also paintings of Ottomansultans on some walls. Monique Sturm, who has been a volunteer Turkish ambassador in the hamlet for 30 years, turned a part of her house into a Turkish museum with items she brought from Turkey.[4]
From 1796 to 1970, the hamlet of Turkeye was part of the municipality ofWaterlandkerkje. In 1970, this municipality merged with the municipality ofOostburg, which in turn was merged into the municipality ofSluis. The history of Turkeye starts after the conquest of Sluis in 1604 by the State army. The defeated Spanish troops withdrew and left 1,500 galley slaves, among whom a large number of Muslims from the Ottoman Empire,[1] referred to in short as Turcken. The States-General decided to release these slaves and to send the Turks back to their homeland. So they hoped to acquire the support of the Ottoman Empire in the fight against Spain. However, the so-called Flemish Turks have once again been enslaved inMarseille, and have not been able to reach the Ottoman Empire.[5]Prince Maurits may have attached the name Turkeye as an extra tribute to the Schans Turkeye, which was constructed in the same year 1604 and to which the nearby hamlet would later be named.[2]
A bond has grown between the neighborhood Turkeye and the Turkish community in the Netherlands and Turkey. A few inhabitants of the hamlet are involved, as well as theStichting Vriendschapsband Nederland-Turkije. There are regular visits by Turkish delegations and dignitaries such as diplomats. There are also place name signs Turkeye, gem. Sluis placed in the Turkish cities of Dalaman and Trabzon, where many Dutch tourists come. In 2012, it was celebrated that there are 400 years of diplomatic relations between Turkey and the Netherlands: In 1612 the Republic of theSeven United Netherlands was recognized by the Ottoman Empire.[6]
The hamlet has 20 to 30 inhabitants, all Dutch citizens.[4] The largest part of the houses in the hamlet serves as a holiday home. Everyone in the hamlet isDutch.[3]