Turks in Saudi Arabia

Turks in Saudi Arabia also referred to as Saudi Arabian Turks or Saudi Turks (Turkish: Suudi Arabistan Türkleri) refers to ethnic Turkish people living in Saudi Arabia. The majority of Saudi 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.

Turks in Saudi Arabia
Total population
  • 120,000[1] to 160,000[2]
  • Including those who have been naturalised: 200,000[3]
Regions with significant populations
Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca
Languages
Religion
Islam

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

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.

Starting in the 1970s, economic relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia grew.[4] In 1977, there was 6,500 Turks in Saudi Arabia, 5,000 of which were officially reported workers.[5][6][7][8]

Emigration of Turkish workers to Saudi Arabia[9][10]
Year Population
1961–19734
1974–198026,739
1981–1985107,994
1991–1995150,654

Business

There are some 2,100 Turkish-operated hairdresser shops, 3,200 restaurants, and 1,900 furniture stores in Saudi Arabia.[11]

Religion

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.[12]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. Harzig, Juteau & Schmitt 2006, 67.
  2. Koslowski 2004, 41.
  3. Karpat 2004, 12.
  4. Fuller 2008, 125.
  5. Hale 1981, 249.
  6. Sirageldin 2003, 236.
  7. Jung & Piccoli 2001, 140.
  8. Unan 2009, 43.
  9. Papademetriou & Martin 1991, 120.
  10. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 1997, 165.
  11. Ergener 2002, 76.
  12. Gerald Robbins. Fostering an Islamic Reformation. American Outlook, Spring 2002 issue.

Bibliography
  • 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), http://gdri.dreem.free.fr: Galatasaray University
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