The Turks in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Turkish: Bosna-Hersek'teki Türkler, Bosnian: Turci u Bosni i Hercegovini / Турци у Босни и Херцеговини) also referred to as Bosnian Turks, are ethnic Turks who form the oldest ethnic minorityinBosnia and Herzegovina.[2] The Turkish community began to settle in the region in the 15th century under Ottoman rule, however, many Turks immigrated to Turkey when Bosnia and Herzegovina came under Austro-Hungarian rule.[2]
When the Ottoman Empire conquered the Bosnian kingdom in 1463, a significant Turkish community arrived in the region. The Turkish community grew steadily throughout the Ottoman rule of Bosnia; however, after the Ottomans were defeated in the Balkan Wars (1912–13), the majority of Turks, along with other Muslims living in the region, left their homes and migrated to Turkey as "Muhacirs" (Muslim refugees from non-Muslim countries).
In 2003 the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the Law on the Protection of Rights of Members of National Minorities. According to the Law, the Turkish minority's cultural, religious, educational, social, economic, and political freedoms are protected by the State.[3]
According to the 2013 census, 1,233 people (817 males, 416 females), 990 of whom lived in the Sarajevo Canton, declared Turkish as their mother tongue whereas 1,108 (738 males, 370 females), 970 of whom lived in the Sarajevo Canton, declared themselves as ethnic Turks.[1]
Alija Izetbegović was the first President of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. His grandmother was of Turkish origin and was from Üsküdar (formerly Scutari).[8]
Aldin Mustafić, a member of the Turkish minority in Bosnia and Herzegovina - wrote a book on the Bosnian language in Arabic script entitled "The Epochs of Arabic phonetic thoughts and Arebica", as part of the influence of Turkish culture in the region - i.e. in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[9]
Derviš Korkut, Bosnia and Herzegovina librarian, teacher, humanist and orientalist, he comes from a well-known family of ulema who emigrated from Turkey to Bosnia in the 16th century.
Turkey
