Courtesy of Pascal SÇbah

Although no official statistics exist, the Afro-Turkish population today is estimated to number up to 25,000 people. The majority live in the region of Izmir on the Aegean coast. They are largely descended from the tens of thousands of enslaved Africans brought to Turkey during the Ottoman Empire to work in farming, cotton production and processing tobacco.

A number of Black males were also made eunuchs and elite royal guards to the royal family. Although they were technically slaves, Black Eunuchs in Turkish society were sometimes granted a relatively high degree of political power and authority. The highest position a Eunuch could ascend to was the position of Kizlar Agha, the third most powerful position in the royal court after the Sultan and the Grand Vizier.

In 2006, the African Solidarity and Cooperation Association (ASCA) was founded by the late Mustafa Olpak. This led to a revival in Afro-Turkish culture, in particular the Dana Bayrami festival, an Afro-Turkish festival that dates back to the 1920s and represents families separated by slavery being reunited and sacrificing a bull in celebration.

iraq

You Might also Like