Levantines in Turkey or Turkish Levantines, are the descendants of Europeans who settled in the coastal cities of the Ottoman Empire to trade, especially after the Tanzimat era. Their estimated population today is around 1,000.[2] They mainly reside in Istanbul, İzmir and Mersin. Anatolian Muslims called Levantines Frenk (variation of Farang, often translated as "Frank") and tatlısu Frengi (lit. 'freshwater Frank'; due to their high-standard lifestyle) in addition to Levanten. Turkish Levantines are mostly Latin Catholics.[3]
Over time the term Levant was widened in scope. During the era of the Byzantines and the first years of the Ottomans, the term was used to refer to Western Mediterraneans such as Italians, Catalans, and French. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the term also was used for settlers that came from Central and Northern Europe.[4]
- ^ Schmitt, Oliver Jens (2005). Levantiner. Lebenswelten und Identitäten einer ethnokonfessionellen Gruppe im osmanischen Reich im langen 19. Jahrhundert (in German). Munich: Oldenbourg Verlag. p. 108. ISBN 978-3-4865-7713-6.
- ^ Levanten kültürü turizme açılıyor haberler.com (12.08.2013)
- ^ MacArthur-Seal, Daniel-Joseph (2021). Britain's Levantine Empire, 1914-1923. Oxford University Press. p. 7. ISBN 9780192895769.
- ^ Levanten kavramı ve Levantenler üzerine bir inceleme Archived 2012-06-19 at the Wayback Machine Raziye OBAN (ÇAKICIOĞLU)-Türkiyat Araştımaları Dergisi(12.08.2013)