Ethnic make-up of Turks

[Byzantine Prince]

What is the ethnic make-up of turkish people?

I have seen paintings of the earyl turks and they look like Mongols, but today they look like a mix of Iranian, Armenian and Greek. How extensive was mingling within the empire?

[Elias71]

They looked like Mongols cause thats what they were. The Turks were a central Asian Mongolic people, who eventually migrated westwards. After the migrations, I am willing to bet that they mixed quite a bit with the Arab populations on the way. Also, northwestern Turkey does have Greek influence in it just as there are northeastern Greeks who who Turkish blood, as there was quite a bit of mixing around in those areas during the Ottoman occupation, lasting for quite a long time until everything settled down during the campaigns for the independance of Greece.

Maybe somebody has more detailed information, but thats what I know about what you are asking. Hope it helps.

[soda]

They mixed with the local populations already living in Central Asia. There were plenty of Iranian tribes like the Scythians and Sarmatians (and their descendants) with whom the Turks mixed with once they conquered them.

[Mouzafphaerre]

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Like all things mentioned, the mongolic stuff is also a mix. Ancient Turks were asiatic but definitely not Mongoloid. However, endogamy (sp?) was never practiced and mixing was inevitable.

Today a Turk is simply someone who speaks Turkish as mother toungue.
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[Byzantine Prince]

A lot of Turks look completely white which I didn't know until recently. I guess the people of Asia Minor might also have been white and that would explain it.

[Steppe Merc]

I've already explained this. Turks were a ethnicity of numerous tribes of steppe. Some came in, and ended up settling in Turkey. While there, they mixed with the Iranians, and other "white" people.
And Turks were asiatic, but not Mongoloid. Of course they mixed a lot, but they were a seperate bunch of tribes, different languages, etc.

[edyzmedieval]

The Turks were people originating from modern day Turkmenistan....That's why the country is called like that....There were many "types" of Turks. The Selgiucid Turks is one type.....

[English assassin]

When on holiday in Turkey a few years ago, I came across a completely ridiculous (but it seemed widely propagated) view of turkish origins in a museum. Basically this claimed that the Turkish people originated in TURKEY, mysteriously all migrated into Asian in about 3000 BC, and mysteriously all "returned" to Asia minor in about 1300 AD or whenever the historical arrival of the Turks was.

Does anyone know if Turks actually believe this tosh? Presumably they think being able to claim they are the indigenous people gives them some sort of advantage, heaven knows what since I hardly think the Byzantines are going to come back to try to kick them out.

[Dâriûsh]

When on holiday in Turkey a few years ago, I came across a completely ridiculous (but it seemed widely propagated) view of turkish origins in a museum. Basically this claimed that the Turkish people originated in TURKEY, mysteriously all migrated into Asian in about 3000 BC, and mysteriously all "returned" to Asia minor in about 1300 AD or whenever the historical arrival of the Turks was.

Does anyone know if Turks actually believe this tosh? Presumably they think being able to claim they are the indigenous people gives them some sort of advantage, heaven knows what since I hardly think the Byzantines are going to come back to try to kick them out.

Actually, most of those Turks I have had the pleasure to discuss history with seem to accept that the contemporary Turks, the people of modern Turkey, are an integrated people, and that they have no greater ties to the Central Asian steppes than to the mountains of Anatolia. A heterogeneous people, with an amalgamated culture, like modern North Americans.

The hilarious claim that they originated in Turkey seems like nationalist propaganda, something I am not entirely unfamiliar with. Interestingly enough, some nationalists also claim that the Scythians, and especially the Etruscans, and a few other peoples were of Turkish ancestry. Very amusing.

However, Turkish nationalism should not be underestimated. Thus, the claim of ancestry in Asia Minor presumably stems from the long rivalry with the Greeks.

[Fragony]

Actually, most of those Turks I have had the pleasure to discuss history with seem to accept that the contemporary Turks, the people of modern Turkey, are an integrated people, and that they have no greater ties to the Central Asian steppes than to the mountains of Anatolia. A heterogeneous people, with an amalgamated culture, like modern North Americans.

The hilarious claim that they originated in Turkey seems like nationalist propaganda, something I am not entirely unfamiliar with. Interestingly enough, some nationalists also claim that the Scythians, and especially the Etruscans, and a few other peoples were of Turkish ancestry. Very amusing.

However, Turkish nationalism should not be underestimated. Thus, the claim of ancestry in Asia Minor presumably stems from the long rivalry with the Greeks.

You have to be the first Iranian to ever grace our boards!

welcome!

[Mouzafphaerre]

When on holiday in Turkey a few years ago, I came across a completely ridiculous (but it seemed widely propagated) view of turkish origins in a museum. Basically this claimed that the Turkish people originated in TURKEY, mysteriously all migrated into Asian in about 3000 BC, and mysteriously all "returned" to Asia minor in about 1300 AD or whenever the historical arrival of the Turks was.

Does anyone know if Turks actually believe this tosh? Presumably they think being able to claim they are the indigenous people gives them some sort of advantage, heaven knows what since I hardly think the Byzantines are going to come back to try to kick them out.

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That's an ancient "official", never popular, claim of the proto-fascist governments of the 20s-30s. AFAIK it's been dropped for long but some museums might still be sticking to the крап.
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[English assassin]

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That's an ancient "official", never popular, claim of the proto-fascist governments of the 20s-30s. AFAIK it's been dropped for long but some museums might still be sticking to the крап.
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Aha, that explains a lot, very interesting, thanks. Probably this place just hadn't updated its captions or something

[Rosacrux redux]

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That's an ancient "official", never popular, claim of the proto-fascist governments of the 20s-30s. AFAIK it's been dropped for long but some museums might still be sticking to the крап.
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Forgetting the nostalgia thing (and the Megali Idea-stuff) I can mention some even more ridiculous theories about the Turkish origins.

In the Anatolian (Asian Minor) origin theory, there is a rather interesting side-theory: that the Etruscans are actually Turks! I've read an extensive article on the subject (a Turkish friend was kind enough to translate it into Greek) several years ago and it was really hilarious.

There are several sources mentioning that the Turks are actually descendants of the Sumerians (the Sumerians were Turks, and then came to MEsopotamia from the steppe, and afterwards returned to the Steppe and fathered the Turks).

And other similarly valid theories.

Amusing, ain't it?

[Paul Peru]

What is the ethnic make-up of turkish people?

For modern Turkish - the same as for modern Greeks
*runs away*

[Idomeneas]

For modern Turkish - the same as for modern Greeks
*runs away*

man you really made me start laughing. I didnt see tastefull humour here for long