Romanians in Turkey


Romanians in Turkey includes Turkish citizens of Romanian origin, as well as Romanian citizens resident in Turkey.
Romanians are generally concentrated in the major cities in Turkey, especially Istanbul, where 14,000 Romanians reside and where there is also a Romanian Orthodox Church.

History

Romanians have migrated to the modern-day territory of Turkey since the Ottoman times. During the Ottoman period, in the areas of modern-day Romania where the Ottoman army made incursions, Romanian male children were taken from their homes through the devşirme and made to serve as Janissaries. Also during the Ottoman period, an important Romanian colony was established in Constantinople. A Romanian Orthodox Church was built there by the Wallachian ruler Constantin Brâncoveanu, which even today is an important center of the local Romanian community.
After Romanian won its independence from the Ottoman Empire, An estimated 400,000 Dobrujan Turks started to emigrate to modern-day Turkey.
During the communist rule of Romania, another wave of Romanian Turks, as well as Romanian Tatars and ethnic Romanians emigrated to Turkey. After the Romanian revolution, a significant number of Romanian entrepreneurs started investing and establishing business ventures in Turkey, and a certain proportion chose to take up residence there. There are also Romanian migrant workers, as well as students and artists living in Turkey. During this period, many Romanians intermarried and assimilated with locals, bringing a rapid increase in mixed marriages.

Notable people