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Turks in Saudi Arabia

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Turks in Saudi Arabia
A group of Turkish pilgrims at Jabal Thawr to perform umrah
Total population
Turkish Arabian minority (i.e. Ottoman descendants only):
150,000 (1993 est.)[1]
Plus modern Turkish immigrants:
120,000-200,000[2][3][4]
Total:
est. 270,000-350,000
Regions with significant populations
Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca
Languages
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Turkish diaspora

Turks in Saudi Arabia also referred to as Turkish Arabians, Turkish Saudi Arabians, Saudi Arabian Turks, Arabian Turks or Saudi Turks (Turkish: Suudi Arabistan Türkleri, Arabic: الأتراك في السعودية) refers to ethnic Turkish people living in Saudi Arabia. The majority of Arabian Turks descend from Ottoman settlers who arrived in the region during the Ottoman rule of Arabia. Most Ottoman Turkish descendants in Saudi Arabia trace their roots to Anatolia; however, some ethnic Turks also came from the Balkans, Cyprus, the Levant, North Africa and other regions which had significant Turkish communities. In addition to Ottoman settlement policies, Turkish pilgrims to Mecca and Medina often settled down in the area permanently.

There has also been modern migration to Saudi Arabia from the Republic of Turkey as well as other modern nation-states which were once part of the Ottoman Empire.

History[edit]

Ottoman Turkish migration[edit]

Turks have had a presence in the western Arabian peninsula for hundreds of years, culminating in the Ottoman conquest of the Hejaz in 1517. After the Great Arab Revolt and the decline of the Ottoman Empire, a Turkish minority remained in the newly founded Saudi Kingdom.

Politics[edit]

During the 2017 Turkish constitutional referendum, more than 8,000 Turkish expats from Saudi Arabia cast votes whether Turkey should abolish its parliamentary system and become a presidential republic.[5] 58.34% of the Turkish expatriates in Saudi Arabia opted for "No", while 41.66% voted for "Yes". The yes vote was concentrated in Jeddah and the Western Region, while in Riyadh no was the dominant choice. The no vote was significantly higher compared to votes of several European Turkish expat communities.[6]

Religion[edit]

Turkish people living in Saudi Arabia are Sunni Muslims. Turkish laborers returning from Riyadh seem to be less likely to espouse Shariah (Islamic law) than those living in European countries.[7]

Notable people[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Akar, Metin (1993), "Fas Arapçasında Osmanlı Türkçesinden Alınmış Kelimeler", Türklük Araştırmaları Dergisi, 7: 94–95
  2. ^ Harzig, Juteau & Schmitt 2006, 67
  3. ^ Koslowski 2004, 41.
  4. ^ Karpat 2004, 12.
  5. ^ "More than 1 million Turkish expats vote in charter referendum - Turkey News". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
  6. ^ "Referendum divides Turkish expats". Saudigazette. 2017-04-18. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
  7. ^ Gerald Robbins. Fostering an Islamic Reformation. American Outlook, Spring 2002 issue.

Bibliography[edit]

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