Meskhetian Turks

Out of the tested DNA samples of Meskhetian Turks, the most common Y-chromosomal haplogroup among them is Haplogroup J, in the second place is the Y-chromosomal haplogroup G. ==Origins and terms==

Most Meskhetian Turks identify themselves as having descended from Ottoman settlers. Pro-Georgian historiography has traditionally argued that the Meskhetian Turks, who speak the Kars dialect of the Turkish language and belong to the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam, are simply Turkified Meskhetians (an ethnographic subgroup of Georgians) converted to Islam in the period between the sixteenth century and 1829, when the region of Samtskhe–Javakheti (Historical Meskheti) was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The Russian anthropologist and historian Professor Anatoly Michailovich Khazanov has argued against the pro-Georgian narrative and has said that: While Turkish-Armenian writer and linguist Sevan Nişanyan has written that: The people of the city of Batumi and the autonomous region of Adjara (and the Borcka-Hopa side of Artvin and the Meydancık valley of Şavşat) are Muslim Georgians, speaking the Adjara dialect. They were subject to Georgia until the 1810s and lived under direct or indirect Christian rule. The people of Ahıska (and Şavşat-Yusufeli, Posof) have lived under Islamic rule for 450 years. They have long spoken Turkish, perhaps intertwined with other elements of Ottoman Islam. Anthropologist Kathryn Tomlinson has pointed out that in Soviet documents about the 1944 deportations of the Meskhetian Turks, the community were referred to simply as "Turks" because of their faith Islam, not only them but also every Muslim of Georgia was referred as Turks and that it was after their second deportation from Uzbekistan that the term "Meskhetian Turks" was invented. According to Ronald Wixman, the term "Meskhetian" only came into use in the late 1950s. Indeed, the majority of the Meskhetian Turks call themselves simply as "Turks" or "Ahiskan Turks" () referring to the region, meaning "Turks of Ahiska Region". The Meskhetians claim sometimes that the medieval Cumans-Kipchaks of Georgia (Kipchaks in Georgia) may have been one of their possible ancestors. According to historians, it is less likely because part of the Kipchaks left Georgia during the invasion of Mongols, while others joined Mongols. == History ==

, 1926. Ottoman conquest By the Peace of Amasya (1555), Meskheti was divided into two, with the Safavids keeping the eastern part and the Ottomans gaining the western part. In 1578, the Ottomans attacked the Safavid possessions in Georgia, which initiated the Ottoman–Safavid War of 1578–1590, and by 1582 the Ottomans were in possession of the eastern (Safavid) part of Meskheti. The Safavids regained control over the eastern part of Meskheti in the early 17th century. However, by the Treaty of Zuhab (1639), all of Meskheti fell under Ottoman control, and it brought an end to Iranian attempts to retake the region. Soviet rule 1944 deportation from Georgia to Central Asia On 15 November 1944, the then General Secretary of the CPSU, Joseph Stalin, ordered the deportation of over 115,000 Meskhetian Turks from their homeland, who were secretly driven from their homes and herded onto rail cars. As many as 30,000 to 50,000 deportees died of hunger, thirst and cold and as a direct result of the deportations and the deprivations suffered in exile. 1989 deportation from Uzbekistan to other Soviet countries In 1989, riots broke out between the Meskhetian Turks who had settled in Uzbekistan and the native Uzbeks. and Ukraine. Khojaly Massacre Meskhetian Turk refugees who had been persecuted in Central Asia were forcibly relocated to Azerbaijan where they settled in Khojaly in Nagorno Karabakh before being subsequently massacred along with Azerbaijanis in 1992. According to Thomas de Waal, Khojaly had been the focus of a large resettlement program by the Azerbaijan government in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Russian journalist Victoria Ivleva took photos of the town streets strewn with dead bodies of its inhabitants, including women and children. She described Meskhetian Turks from Khojaly who were captured by Armenian militants. She was hit by an Armenian soldier who took her for one of the captives when she was helping a Meskhetian Turk woman falling behind the crowd with four children, one of which was wounded, and the other one newly born. Russo-Ukrainian War Around 2,000 Meskhetian Turks have been forced to flee from their homes in Ukraine since May 2014 amid fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists. Turkish Meskhetian community representative in the eastern city of Donetsk, Nebican Basatov, said that those who have fled have sought refuge in Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and different parts of Ukraine. == Demographics ==

in Washington D.C. According to the 1989 Soviet Census, there were 207,502 Turks living in the Soviet Union. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees report published in 1999, that 100,000 Meskhetian Turks lived in Azerbaijan and the defunct Baku Institute of Peace and Democracy stated, in 2001, that between 90,000 and 110,000 Meskhetian Turks lived in Azerbaijan, similarly, academic estimates have also suggested that the Turkish Meskhetian community of Azerbaijan numbers 90,000 to 110,000. More recently, some Meskhetian Turks in Russia, especially those in Krasnodar, have faced hostility from the local population. The Krasnodar Meskhetian Turks have suffered significant human rights violations, including the deprivation of their citizenship. They are deprived of civil, political and social rights and are prohibited from owning property and employment. Thus, since 2004, many Turks have left the Krasnodar region for the United States as refugees. A large number of them, comprising nearly 1300 individuals, is in Dayton, Ohio. They are still barred from full repatriation to Georgia. Apart from that, in Georgia, racism against Meskheti Turks is still prevalent due to differences in beliefs and ethnic tensions. == Culture ==

was built by the Ottomans in 1749. Religion Most Meskhetian Turks are Sunni Muslims and a minority are Shiite Muslims. The Turkish Meskhetian dialect has also borrowed from other languages (including Azerbaijani, Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, and Uzbek) which the Meskhetian Turks have been in contact with during the Russian and Soviet rule. It is commonly written using the Cyrillic script. Wedding Meskhetian Turks' weddings consist of a traditional proposal from the groom's parents and if the bride's parents accept the proposal, an engagement party, or Nişan, is done. Everyone at the Nişan is given a ceremonial sweet drink, called Sharbat. The actual wedding lasts for two days. On the first day the bride leaves her house and on the second day is when the marriage happens. Before the bride enters her husband's house she uses the heel on her shoe to break two plates with her foot and applies honey on the doorway. This tradition serves the purpose of wishing happiness upon the new bride and groom in their marriage. At the end of the wedding, a dance ensues with the men and women dancing separately. Finally, the newlyweds have their last dance which is called the ‘Waltz’ and that completes the wedding. Circumcision The religious male circumcision ceremony of the Ahiska Turks, is hold in a big way of dance, music, guests, recitation of the Koran and a special Kirve (Sandek). ==Notable people==

, Billionaire and former Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan (2011-12). , football player and manager of the Uzbekistan national football team. , writer in Azerbaijan. The following is list of people of Turkish Meshetian origin: • , Azerbaijani artist • Fatih Ahıskalı, Turkish musician • Taner Akçam, Turkish historian • Celal Al, Turkish actor in Diriliş: Ertuğrul and Kuruluş: Osman • , Turkish politician • Aslan Atem, Turkish wrestler • Tevfik Arif, Kazakh-Turkish billionaire, real estate developer and investor residing in the US • Refik Arif, Kazakh businessman • , Turkish poet • Isgender Aznaurov, Uzbek-born National Hero of Azerbaijan who fought in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War • Ömürbek Babanov, Kyrgyz billionaire and politician who served as Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan (2011-2012) • Yusuf Rıza Bey, Ottoman soldier in the Teşkilât-ı Mahsusa special forces • , Turkish painter and museologist • , Turkish actor • , Azerbaijani literary critic • , one of the first female journalists, educators, writers and philanthropists in Azerbaijan • , Azerbaijani military doctor • , Azerbaijani ashik • , Azerbaijani scientist • , Azerbaijani scientist • , Azerbaijani literary critic • , lawyer and mystic • Niyaz Ilyasov, Russian judoka; medalists in the 2018 and 2019 World Judo Championships • Elvira Kamaloğlu, Ukrainian-born Turkish female wrestler • , Uzbek football coach • Timur Kapadze, Uzbek football player • Handan Musaoğlu Kasa, Turkish presenter on TBMM TV • Mediha Kayra, Ottoman-Turkish writer and teacher • Abubekir Kurşumov, Russian architect and owner of the KavkazStroyGrupp construction company • Movlud Miraliyev, Uzbek-born Azerbaijani judoka • Mukhtar Mukhtarov, Kazakh football player • Bahram Muzaffer, Uzbek boxer • Ömer Faik Nemanzade, Azerbaijani journalist • , Russian war hero during the Great Patriotic War • Emrah Ormanoğlu, Ukrainian-born Turkish freestyle wrestler • Fatih Osmanlı, Kazakh-born actor in the Turkish historical drama Kuruluş: Osman • Buğra Öner, Turkish professional boxer • Alptuğ Öner, Turkish professional boxer • Cüneyt Özdemir, Turkish journalist • , Ottoman statesman • Ahmad bey Pepinov, Azerbaijani Minister of Agriculture • Ravil Tagir, Kazakh-born Turkish football player • Fırat Tanış, Turkish actor • Yalçın Topçu, Turkish politician and former Ministry of Culture and Tourism • , Uzbek-Russian educator == See also ==