![]() A group of Turkish pilgrims at Jabal Thawr to perform umrah | |
Total population | |
---|---|
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]- Kamal Adham, businessman (Turkish mother)
- Iffat Al-Thunayan, princess and the most prominent wife of King Faisal
- children:
- Princess Sara, activist for women and children welfare
- Prince Mohammed, businessman
- Princess Latifa
- Prince Saud, served as Saudi Arabia's foreign minister from 1975 to 2015
- Prince Abdul Rahman, military officer and businessman
- Prince Bandar, military officer
- Prince Turki, chairman of King Faisal Foundation's Center for Research and Islamic Studies
- Princess Lolowah, prominent activist for women's education
- Princess Haifa
- grandchildren:
- Amr bin Mohammed Al Saud, businessman
- Reem Al Faisal, photographer
- Faisal bin Turki Al Faisal Al Saud
- Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, racing driver and businessman
- Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States
- Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United Kingdom
- Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, president of the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports (SAFEIS) and the Arab eSports Federation
- Omar Basaad, music producer
- Muhammad Khashoggi, medical doctor
- children:
- Adnan Khashoggi, businessman
- Samira Khashoggi, author and the owner and editor-in chief of Alsharkiah magazine
- Soheir Khashoggi, novelist
- grandchildren
- Dodi Fayed, film producer
- Emad Khashoggi, businessman and the head of COGEMAD
- Jamal Khashoggi, general manager and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab News Channel
- Nabila Khashoggi, businesswoman, actress, and philanthropist
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Akar, Metin (1993), "Fas Arapçasında Osmanlı Türkçesinden Alınmış Kelimeler", Türklük Araştırmaları Dergisi, 7: 94–95
- ^ Harzig, Juteau & Schmitt 2006, 67
- ^ Koslowski 2004, 41.
- ^ Karpat 2004, 12.
- ^ "More than 1 million Turkish expats vote in charter referendum - Turkey News". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ "Referendum divides Turkish expats". Saudigazette. 2017-04-18. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ Gerald Robbins. Fostering an Islamic Reformation. American Outlook, Spring 2002 issue.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ergener, Reşit (2002), About Turkey: Geography, Economy, Politics, Religion, and Culture, Pilgrims Process, ISBN 0-9710609-6-7.
- Fuller, Graham E. (2008), The new Turkish republic: Turkey as a pivotal state in the Muslim world, US Institute of Peace Press, ISBN 1-60127-019-4.
- Hale, William M. (1981), The Political and Economic Development of modern Turkey, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0-7099-0014-7.
- Harzig, Christiane; Juteau, Danielle; Schmitt, Irina (2006), The Social Construction of Diversity: Recasting the Master Narrative of Industrial Nations, Berghahn Books, ISBN 1-57181-376-4.
- Jung, Dietrich; Piccoli, Wolfango (2001), Turkey at the Crossroads: Ottoman Legacies and a Greater Middle East, Zed Books, ISBN 1-85649-867-0.
- Karpat, Kemal H. (2004), Studies on Turkish Politics and Society: Selected Articles and Essays:Volume 94 of Social, economic, and political studies of the Middle East, BRILL, ISBN 90-04-13322-4.
- Koslowski, Rey (2004), Intnl Migration and Globalization Domestic Politics, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0-203-48837-7.
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (1997), Trends in International Migration: Continuous Reporting System on Migration: Annual Report 1996, OECD Publishing, ISBN 92-64-15508-2.
- Papademetriou, Demetrios G.; Martin, Philip L. (1991), The Unsettled Relationship: Labor Migration and Economic Development, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0-313-25463-X.
- Sirageldin, Ismail Abdel-Hamid (2003), Human Capital: Population Economics in the Middle East, American University in Cairo Press, ISBN 977-424-711-6.
- Unan, Elif (2009), MICROECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF TURKISH WORKERS REMITTANCES: SURVEY RESULTS FOR FRANCE-TURKEY (PDF), Galatasaray University