Oghuz branch
Iraqi and Syrian Turkmens
Long-established Turkmen communities of Iraq and Syria, many of them displaced by conflict since 2011 and 2014.
Irak ve Suriye Türkmenleri
Turkmen communities have lived in what are now Iraq and Syria for many centuries, with settlement associated with the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. In Iraq they form a belt of towns and villages from Tal Afar in the north-west to areas south-east of Kirkuk.
Iraq’s 2005 constitution recognises Turkmen as an official language in administrative units where Turkmens form a significant part of the population. In both countries, war since 2011 (Syria) and 2014 (Iraq) displaced many Turkmen families.
- Language
- Turkmen dialects of the Oghuz branch, close to Azerbaijani and Turkish
- Branch
- Oghuz
- Homeland
- Northern Iraq (including Kirkuk, Tal Afar, Tuz Khurmatu and Erbil) and northern and western Syria (including the Aleppo, Latakia and Homs regions)
- Also living in
- Türkiye, Europe and wider diaspora
Key dates
11th–16th centuries
Turkmen settlement in Mesopotamia and Syria during the Seljuk and later periods.
2005
Iraq’s constitution recognises Turkmen as an official language in areas where Turkmens are concentrated.
Since 2011 / 2014
Conflict in Syria and northern Iraq displaces many Turkmen communities.
Heritage
- Kirkuk and its historic citadel
- Khoyrat (hoyrat), a traditional sung poetic form
- Distinct Turkmen dialect and literary traditions of Iraq
Sources
- Constitution of the Republic of Iraq (2005), Article 4
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Turkmen”