Turkmens

This article is about the Central Asian ethnic group. For other ethnic groups, see Turkmen (disambiguation) § Ethnic groups.

Turkmens
Türkmenler
Түркменлер
توركمنلر‎
Turkmens in folk costume at the 20th Independence Day parade, 2011
Total population
c. 6.8 million[a]
Regions with significant populations
Turkmenistan5.1 million (2021)[1]
Iran1 million[2]
Afghanistan200,000 (2006)[3][4]
Turkey230,000[5][6]
Uzbekistan215,000 (2022)
Russia36,885 (2010)[7][8]
Tajikistan20,000 (2021)[9]
Languages
Turkmen
Religion
Predominantly Sunni Islam[10]
Related ethnic groups
Other Turkic peoples
Especially Azerbaijanis,[11][12] Turkish people,[11] and Khorasani Turks
a. ^ The total figure is merely an estimation; a sum of all the referenced populations.

Turkmens (Turkmen: Türkmenler, Түркменлер, توركمنلر‎, [tʏɾkmønˈløɾ];[13] historically "the Turkmen") are a Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, living mainly in Turkmenistan, northern and northeastern regions of Iran and north-western Afghanistan. Sizeable groups of Turkmens are found also in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the North Caucasus (Stavropol Krai). They speak the Turkmen language,[10] which is classified as a part of the Eastern Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages.[14]

In the early Middle ages, Turkmens called themselves Oghuz[citation needed]; in the Middle Ages, they took the ethnonym Turkmen.[15] Further westward migration of the Turkmen tribes from the territory of modern Turkmenistan and the rest of Central Asia started from the 11th century and continued until the 18th century. These Turkmen tribes played a significant role in the ethnic formation of such peoples as Anatolian Turks, Turkmens of Iraq and Syria, as well as the Stavropol Trukhmens.[16][17] To preserve their independence, those tribes that remained in Turkmenistan were united in military alliances, although remnants of tribal relations remained until the 20th century. Their traditional occupations were farming, cattle breeding, and various crafts. Ancient samples of applied art (primarily carpets and jewelry) indicate a high level of folk art culture.

The Seljuks, Khwarazmians, Qara Qoyunlu, Aq Qoyunlu, Ottomans, and Afsharids are also believed to descend from the Turkmen tribes of Qiniq, Begdili, Yiwa, Bayandur, Kayi, and Afshar respectively.

  1. ^ "The World Factbook". Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  2. ^ "Ethnologue". Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Ethnic Groups". Library of Congress Country Studies. 1997. Retrieved 2010-10-08. ^ Jump up to: a b
  4. ^ "The Ethnic Groups of Afghanistan". 10 September 2019.
  5. ^ Najibullah, Farangis (4 December 2022). "Turkey Still 'Attractive' For Central Asian Women Migrants Despite Economic Woes". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 8 March 2023. Some 30,000 migrants from Kyrgyzstan work in Turkey and, with an estimated force of some 230,000, Turkmen make up the largest Central Asian community in Turkey.
  6. ^ "Pressure on Turkmen Nationals in Turkey Must Be Stopped". Human Rights Watch. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2023. According to some sources, over a million Turkmen nationals reside in Turkey, including migrant workers, students, and their family members.
  7. ^ 2021 Russian census
  8. ^ "Национальный состав населения Российской Федерации согласно переписи населения 2021 года". Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  9. ^ 2002 Tajikistani census (2010)
  10. ^ a b "Who are the Turkmen and where do they live?". Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Bloomington. 2021 [2020]. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  11. ^ a b Barthold (1962)""The book of my grandfather Korkut" ("Kitab-i dedem Korkut") is an outstanding monument of the medieval Oghuz heroic epic. Three modern Turkic-speaking peoples - Turkmens, Azerbaijanis and Turks - are ethnically and linguistically related to the medieval Oghuzes. For all these peoples, the epic legends deposited in the "Book of Korkut" represent an artistic reflection of their historical past."
  12. ^ Ismail Zardabli. Ethnic and political history of Azerbaijan. Rossendale Books. 2018. p.35 "... the ancestors of Azerbaijanis and Turkmens are the tribes that lived in these territories."
  13. ^ Clark, Larry (1998). Turkmen Reference Grammar. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 102.
  14. ^ "UCLA Language Materials Project: Main". Archived from the original on 20 July 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  15. ^ Hamadani, Rashid-al-Din (1939) [1858]. "Legends of Oghuz Khan. Tribal division of the Turkmens (Extracts from Jami' al-Tawarikh)". USSR Academy of Sciences. These tribes in the course of time divided into many branches, at each time (other) branches appeared from each branch; each got a name and nickname for some reason or on some occasion: the Oghuzes, who are now all called Turkmens and who branched out into Kipchaks, Kalachs (Khalajs), Kangly, Karluks and other branches belonging to them...
  16. ^ "Turks (in Russian)". Big Soviet Encyclopedia. Ethnically, T. consisted of two main components: the Turkic nomadic tribes (mainly Oghuzes and Turkmens), who migrated to Asia Minor from Central Asia and Iran in the 11–13 centuries (during the Mongol and Seljuk conquests (see. Seljuks)), and local population of Asia Minor.
  17. ^ "Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary". 1907–1909. Azerbaijan or Azerbeijan (ancient Atropatena), north. west. province of Persia, on the Russian border, on the Armenian mountain elevation, 104 t. km., about 1 mill. p. (Armenians, Turkmens, Kurds). Main products: cotton, dried fruits, salt. Chief city - Tabriz.