The Turks in Tunisia, also known as Turco-Tunisians. and Tunisian Turks, (; ; ) are ethnic

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

who constitute one of the minority groups in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

.. In 1534, with about 10,000 Turkish soldiers, the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

took control and settled in the region when Tunisia's inhabitants called for help due to fears that the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

would invade the country. Thus, during the Ottoman rule, the Turkish community dominated the political life of the region for centuries; as a result, the ethnic mix of Tunisia changed considerably with the continuous migration of Turks from

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, as well as other parts of the Ottoman territories, for over 300 years. In addition, some Turks intermarried with the local population and their male offspring were called "

Kouloughlis Kouloughlis, also spelled Koulouglis, Cologhlis and Qulaughlis (from Turkish ''Kuloğlu'' "Children of The Empire Servants" from ''Kul'' "soldier" or "servant" + '' Oğlu'' "son of", but the translation of the word "kul" as slave is misleading si ...

".. Consequently, the terms "Turks" and "Kouloughlis" were used to distinguish between those of full and partial Turkish ancestry.

Demographics

Families of

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

origin live mainly near the coastal cities, such as

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

Mahdia Mahdia ( ') is a Tunisian coastal city with 76,513 inhabitants, south of Monastir, Tunisia, Monastir and southeast of Sousse. Mahdia is a provincial centre north of Sfax. It is important for the associated fish-processing industry, as well as w ...

, Hammamet and the islands (such as

Djerba Djerba (; , ; ), also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is a Tunisian island and the largest island of North Africa at , in the Gulf of Gabès, off the coast of Tunisia. Administratively, it is part of Medenine Governorate. The island h ...

), although there are also many living within central Tunisia as well.

Culture

Language

In 2012 the Tunisian government introduced the

Turkish language Turkish ( , , also known as 'Turkish of Turkey') is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, a member of Oghuz languages, Oghuz branch with around 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and one of two official languag ...

in all Tunisian secondary schools.

Religion

The Ottoman

brought with them the teaching of the

Hanafi School The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

during the Ottoman rule of Tunisia, which still survives among the Turkish-descended families today.. Traditionally, Turco-Tunisian mosques have octagonal

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

s. Examples of Ottoman-Turkish mosques include: File:Minaret, mosquée Hammouda Pacha.jpg,

Hammouda Pacha Mosque Hammouda Bay Mosque or Hamouda Bay al Mouradi () is a mosque in Tunis, Tunisia. It is an official historical monument. Localization This mosque is located in the Medina area of the city, in the Sidi Ben Arous street. History Built in 1655 ...

File:Babsouika 1890.jpg,

Sidi Mahrez Mosque Sidi Mahrez Mosque, also known as Mohamed Bey El Mouradi Mosque, is a mosque in Tunis, Tunisia. It is an official historical monument. Localization This mosque is located in Medina area of the city. History It was built by Mohamed Bey El Mo ...

File:Mosquée des Turcs-Houmt Souk.jpg, Mosque of the Turks File:MinaretMosquéeSidiYousefDey.JPG,

Youssef Dey Mosque Youssef Dey Mosque, also known as Al B'chamqiya, is a 17th-century mosque in Tunis, Tunisia, located in Medina area of the city. The mosque is considered significant as it was the first Ottoman mosque to be built in Tunis. An official Historica ...

Notable people

The Turks in Tunisia were traditionally a privileged élite in Tunisia who held positions in the military and the bureaucracy.. However, by the nineteenth century, marriages with the local population linked the ruling families to indigenous notables. At this time, many Turks also turned to commerce and the crafts, initially in the Souq el-Trouk (the Bazaar of the Turks), where a considerable number of merchants of Turkish ancestry emerged. The Turks also entered the corps of artisans. The Ben Romdhan family, of

origin, claim much of the notable Tunisian families of

such as the Hamza, Turki, Gazdagli, Agha, and Snène families.. Other prominent Tunisian families of Turkish origin include the , , El Materis, , , Mamis and the s. * Ahmed Abdelkefi, economist *, historian * Mahmoud Aslan, writer *, politician * Al-Husayn I ibn Ali at-Turki, founder of the

Husainid Dynasty The Husainid dynasty or Husaynid dynasty () was a ruling Turkish dynasty of the Beylik of Tunis. The dynasty was of Greek origin from the island of Crete. It came to power under al-Husayn I ibn Ali in 1705, succeeding the Muradid dynasty. Af ...

* Mohamed Salah Baratli, resistant of the French occupation, opponent of President Bourguiba, human rights activist *, religious cleric *, religious cleric *, intellectual *, religious cleric *, religious cleric * Asma Belkhodja, pioneer of the Tunisian feminist movement *, politician * Ali Bach Hamba, journalist and politician * Mohamed Bach Hamba, writer *

Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud (born in 1947) is a Tunisian film writer and producer. Biography Mahmoud was born in 1947 in Tunis, Tunisia, to a family of Turkish origin who had settled in Tunisia in 1710. His father was a theologian and amateur artist an ...

, filmmaker * Yasemin Besson, wife of

Éric Besson Éric Besson (born 2 April 1958 in Marrakesh) is a French politician and businessman. From 2009 to 2010, he was the Minister of Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Co-Development in the government of François Fillon. He left the Soc ...

* Hassen Bouhajeb, doctor. *, journalist *

Ahmed Chérif Ahmad () is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other English spellings of the name include Ahmed. It is also used as a surname. Etymology The word derives from the root ( ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from ...

, doctor *, doctor * Mustapha Dinguizli, politicianPaul Lambert, ''Dictionnaire illustré de La Tunisie : choses et gens de Tunisie'', éd. C. Saliba aîné, Tunis, 1912, p. 157 * Ali Douagi, literary and cultural icon * Abderrahman Dziri, medical researcher *

Mustafa Elkatipzade Mustafa Elkatipzade (1889 – 4 March 1967) was a Turkish football manager. He managed Fenerbahçe between 1921 and 1924 He won the 1922–23 Istanbul League Championship. He was also the manager of the General Harington Cup squad. He founded ...

, Fenerbahçe football manager * Nazli Fadhel, pioneer of the Tunisian feminist movement * Sadok Ghileb, politicianMohamed El Aziz Ben Achour, ''Catégories de la société tunisoise dans la deuxième moitié du XIX^e siècle'', éd. Institut national d'archéologie et d'art, Tunis, 1989, p. 235 *, theatre director *

Afef Jnifen Afef Jnifen (Arabic: عفاف جنيفان; born 3 November 1963) is a Tunisian-born Italian fashion model, actress and television presenter. Biography Jnifen was born in 1963 in Ben Gardane, Tunisia and naturalized Italian citizen. She is t ...

, model and actress * Mohamed Lahbib, pioneer of theater and television in Tunisia *

Mahmoud El Materi Mahmoud El Materi (December 1897 – December 13, 1972) was a Tunisian physician and politician. He was the first president and one of the founders of the Neo Destour. Biography Early life In his private journals, Mahmoud El Materi mentions t ...

, physician and politician * Moncef El Materi, former soldier and businessman *

Sakher El Materi Sakher El Materi (Mohamed Sakhr El Materi, , born 2 December 1981) is a Tunisian businessman. He is the son-in-law of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was President of Tunisia until 2011. In 2010 (prior to the Tunisian revolution), Materi's company ...

, businessman * Tahar El Materi, businessman *, photographer *, artist *

Chafia Rochdi Zakia Bent Haj Boubaker Marrakchi, better known by her stage names Chafia Rochdi and Nana (November 7, 1910 – July 21, 1989), was a Tunisian singer and actress. Biography Born November 7, 1910, in Sfax as Zakia Bent Haj Boubaker Marrakchi, Ro ...

, singer and actress *

Hichem Rostom Hichem Rostom (26 May 1947 – 28 June 2022) was a Tunisian actor. He appeared in more than 70 films and television shows since 1987. He starred in '' Golden Horseshoes'', which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1989 Cannes F ...

, actor * Mourad Salem, artist *

Rachid Sfar Rachid Sfar (; 11 September 1933 – 20 July 2023) was a Tunisian politician who served as prime minister under the presidency of Habib Bourguiba. Early life Sfar was born in Mahdia, the ancient Fatimite capital of Tunisia. He was the son of ...

, former prime minister *

Mongi Slim Mongi Slim (; September 15, 1908October 23, 1969) was a Tunisian diplomat who became the first African to become the President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1961. He received a degree from the faculty of law of the University of Paris. ...

, nationalist leader and Minister *, diplomat * Najiya Thamir, writer and radio producer *

Hedi Turki Hedi Turki (15 May 1922 31 March 2019) was a Tunisian artist of Turkish origin. He is considered to have been the pioneering force of abstract painting in Tunisia and was an influential member of the School of Tunis. His younger brother was Zo ...

, painter *

Yahia Turki Yahia Turki, (born Yahia Ben Mahmoud El Hajjem () in 1903,Istanbul, Ottoman Empire, died 1 March 1969), was a Tunisian painter described as the "father of Tunisian painting". After the Independence in 1956, Yahia became the president of l'Ecole de ...

, painter * Zoubeir Turki, painter *

Abdeljelil Zaouche Abdeljelil Zaouche (; 15 December 1873 – 3 January 1947) was a Tunisian politician, reformer, and campaigner in the Tunisian independence movement. Youth Zaouche was born into a wealthy bourgeois family which had arrived in Tunis from Anda ...

, Minister of Justice (1936–1943) *, professor

References

Bibliography

* * *. *. * *. * . *. *. *. *. * *. *. *. * *. * * {{Turkish diaspora Ethnic groups in Tunisia