Turks in Egypt


The Turks in Egypt, also referred to as Egyptian Turks, Turkish-Egyptians and Turco-Egyptians are Egyptian citizens of partial or full Turkish ancestry, who are the descendants of settlers that arrived in the region during the rule of several Turkic dynasties, including: the Tulunid, Ikhshidid, Zengid, Mamluk, and Ottoman eras. Today their descendants continue to live in Egypt and still identify as Egyptians of Turkish or mixed origin, though they are also fully integrated in Egyptian society.

History

Mamluk era

Ottoman era

During the four centuries of Ottoman rule, Turkish settlers arrived predominately from Anatolia; however, many also arrived from the Ottoman Isles, as well as from prominent Ottoman cities.
In 1833 one estimate claimed that the Turkish population in Egypt was 30,000; however, in 1835, the Missionary Herald newspaper claimed that "The population is of a mixed character, the great mass being Muslims, either of Arab or Turkish descent" Similarly, in 1840, The Saturday Magazine series claimed that Egypt's population was "about two millions and a half, the majority of whom are of Arab or Turkish descent,..". By 1878 the Karl Baedeker Firm claimed that the population of Egypt "hardly exceeds 5 millions" and that the population of Turkish origin numbered barely 100,000, mainly concentrated to the towns.
According to the 1907 and 1917 Egyptian censuses the Turks formed one of the largest foreign-born ethnic groups in the country from the Ottoman Empire, no statistics were given for Egyptian-born subjects of Turkish origin.

Post-Ottoman era

Prior to the Egyptian revolution in 1919, the ruling elite were mainly Turkish, or of Turkish descent, which was part of the heritage from the Ottoman rule of Egypt. The ethnic affiliation in Egypt at this time was still blurry; however, Amal Talaat Abdelrazek describes the Turkish society in Egypt with the following words:

Culture

Language

During the Ottoman rule of Egypt, the region was ruled directly by Turkish-speaking elites. Consequently, the lexical Turkish influence of Egyptian Arabic has been clearer and more consistent than in Levantine Arabic, especially the formal terms like Pasha and Bek which are still used till today in daily conversations. Today, many Turkish lexical items have been firmly integrated into Egyptian Arabic.

Population

According to an article by Gamal Nkrumah in the Egyptian Al-Ahram Weekly, estimates regarding the population of the Turkish minority vary considerably, ranging from 100,000 to 1,500,000. However, one estimate in 1971 suggested that the population of Cretan Turks alone numbered 100,000 in Egypt. Moreover, another estimate in 1993 claimed that the Turkish minority in Egypt numbered 1.5 million at the time.
There are some Turkish scholars who have suggested considerably higher estimates. For example, more recently, in 2016, the Turkish journalist and politician Hasan Celal Güzel claimed that the Turkish descended population in Egypt numbered 25 million people.
According to the National Geographic, 3% of the genetic makeup of Egyptians can be traced to Asia Minor and 3% to Southern Europe, with the majority carrying African genes.

Notable people

The following is a list of Egyptian people of at least partial Turkish descent.
is maternally of Turkish origin.
was paternally of Turkish origin. He was one of the founders of Cairo University.
is a Turkish politician, academic, and the former Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
was paternally of Turkish origin.
was maternally of Turkish descent.
. He was from an aristocratic Turkish family.
is of Turkish origin.
three times.
was a prominent Egyptian actor of Turkish origin.
played an important role in Egypt's political movement and was called "Umm Al-Masryeen".