Turks in Kosovo
 |
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (18,738 (2011 census) (1.1% of Kosovo's population) other estimates: 30,000 to 50,000 (about 1-2% of Kosovo's population)) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Serbian, Albanian | |
| Religion | |
|
Majority Sunni Islam minorities Alevi, Cultural Muslims and Irreligion |
Majority Sunni Islam
The Turks in Kosovo, also known as Kosovo Turks, Kosovan Turks (Turkish: Kosova Türkleri) are the ethnic Turks who constitute a minority group in Kosovo.
Turkish settlement into Kosovo began in the late 14th century after the medieval Serbian state lost the Battle of Kosovo and the territory came under Ottoman rule. Substantial waves of Turkish colonisers began from 1389-1455 when, during the Ottoman conquest, soldiers, officials, and merchants began to make their appearance in the major towns of Kosovo.
In 1912 the Ottoman Turks lost control over Kosovo and the region became a part of the Kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro. From this point, Kosovo as a political entity was discontinued as the region was divided among new administrative units. Following the Austrian and Bulgarian occupation during World War I, Serbia and Montenegro became part of the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918. When the Axis powers occupied Yugoslavia in 1941, the former territory of Kosovo became part of Albania, which was itself controlled by Italy. With the defeat of the Axis powers, Yugoslavia, then ruled by Communists led by Josip Broz Tito, regained control over the region. In 1946, Kosovo returned to maps when a region bearing the name Kosovo and Metohija was granted autonomous status within FPR Yugoslavia. Meanwhile, Turks officially became a recognised minority by Yugoslavia; as a result, the number of registered Turks in Kosovo jumped from a mere 1,313 (or 0.2% of the population) in 1948 to 34,343 (4.3% of Kosovo's population) in the 1953 census. However, many Turkish inhabitants began to emigrate to Turkey until 1958 on the basis of a bilingual contract between Yugoslavia and Turkey.
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Wikipedia