While many people may assume that Turkey is composed of just muslim Turks, there are many different religious groups and ethnicities in Turkey. Turkey is a metaphorical and physical crossroad between Europe and Asia and has had an influence across the region. Simultaneously, the region has had a large cultural impact on Turkey.
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Turkey vs Türkiye
In 2021, the UN officially recognizes the Turkish government’s name change upon request from ‘Turkey’ to ‘Türkiye’. There have been many speculated reasons as to why this is:
To limit association with the bird, turkey: yes this is true. Not only is this true, but it is also the official government reasoning behind the name change. The government believes that the western world confuses the name of one of the region’s largest and most powerful countries, the continuation of a 623 year empire with a bird associated with an American festive holiday.
To distance itself from the colloquial meaning of turk: the colloquial meaning of Turk insinuates failure.
To promote nationalism: By getting back to the original spelling of Türkiye, it can create a sense of unity by drawing everyone together under the banner of a strong Turkish nation.
Religious Groups:
The Turkish government officially recognizes Sunni Islam, Christianity (some Catholic and Orthodox sects) and Judaism, however there are more religions present and practiced in Turkey.
Muslims
While the actual statistics are unknown, it is estimated approximately 98% of the population are muslim. Turkey actually has 82,693 mosques making it one of the most mosque-dense countries in the world. Islam plays a large role in social life and also the political and cultural sphere.
Christians
Christians make up a large section of the minority (less than 1% of the population). The Christians are a mix of Armenians, Greeks, Syrians, Latins, or Protestants. In the late 1800s, the population of Christians in the Ottoman Empire was approximately 20% of the overall population.
Yazidis
There is a very small community of Yazidis in SouthEast Turkey mostly concentrated in the cities of Midyat and Nusaybin in the Mardin province as well as Batman and Beşiri. Yazidis are perhaps one of the more misunderstood religious groups, you can find out more by reading this blog on Yazidis.
There are other minority religious groups that practise in Turkey, such as a small sect of Judaism – however the country is pretty religiously harmonious. It has also been the lands of many different peoples, empires and religions, including pagan religions and temples such as Gobekli Tepe.
Ethnicities in Turkey:
Turks
Turkic people are the largest ethnic group in Turkey. They make up approximately 70-75% of the population. Turks are predominantly located in modern-day Turkey and Northern Cyprus, with a large overseas diaspora particularly in Europe, the Americas, Australasia and Central Asia.
The Turkic people originate from Central Asia and migrated to Anatolia (a large portion of modern-day Turkey) in the 11th century. Seljuk Turks overtook the large Hellenistic influence in the region and eventually Islam was introduced and is currently the most common religion amongst Turkish people everywhere.
Kurds
While the exact statistics are unknown, it is believed that Kurds make up 15-20% of the population in Turkey – making up the one of the most populous minority ethnicities in Turkey. The first recorded organisation of Kurds was under the Marwanid dynasty, which ruled with Diyarbakir as the capital and included Syrian and Iraq territory from 984 to 1083.
Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim and while Kurds are predominantly native to Eastern and SouthEastern Anatolia, the city with the largest population of Kurds in the world is actually Istanbul!
Armenians
Armenians are actually an indigenous group in Turkey. Today, there are less than 50,000 Armenians left in Turkey, but at in the first quarter of the 20th century, there were as many as 2 million.
Armenians are mostly christian, however interestingly Turkey is home to a group of Armenians called crypto-Armenians who, at one point in history, converted to Islam. Alike Kurds, most Armenians are native to SouthEastern and Eastern Anatolia, but the largest percentage of their population living in Turkey are based in Istanbul.
Azerbaijanis
There are around 4.5 million Azerbaijanis living in Turkey, 800,000 of which are Turkish citizens who largely migrated from the 1800’s. Many Azerbaijanis have fled from regional conflict to Turkey, as Turkey and Azerbaijan have very strong political and cultural ties.
Arabs
There are many Arabs living in Turkey – many have come from Middle Eastern countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan for work, study and asylum. There are an estimated 5 million Arabs in Turkey (if you include Syrian migrants in recent years). In the city of Urfa, there is evidence of Arab presence dating back as far as AD 49!
Traveling to Turkey:
There are many other religions and ethnicities in Turkey which makes the country so diverse and fascinating. Particularly in SouthEastern Anatolia where you can visit important Armenian, Turkish, Kurdish and Arab places on the same street!
You can join us this November for our Alternative Turkey Tour:
Caitlin Graham is a pioneer for all things Middle East having spent her final year of her Global Studies degree within the region. Her goal is to showcase the human side which is often misrepresented in media.
