{"id":2507,"date":"2021-06-15T08:13:50","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T08:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/?p=2507"},"modified":"2024-01-01T11:45:47","modified_gmt":"2024-01-01T11:45:47","slug":"are-turkish-arabs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/are-turkish-arabs\/","title":{"rendered":"Arabs vs Turks: Racial, Cultural and Social Differences – A Turkish Explains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this article, as a Turkish, I explained racial, cultural and social differences between Arabs and Turkish people.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, many of my international friends ask me if Turks are Arabs. Their assumption lies in the fact that most Turkish people are Muslims and Turkish people share some common history with Arabs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although, it is legitimate for foreigners to ask this question. We, the Turkish people, can be offended by foreigners mixing us with Arabs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish people are not Arabs. Turks and Arabs are not the same race. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most Turkish people are Muslims, but besides that, Turkish people belong to a different race, and Turkish people have different historical, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds from Arabs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish people are descendants of Central Asian Turkic people and indigenous people of Anatolia. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arabs are Semitic people of the Middle East. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to us, thinking English people are Ukrainians or mixing Canadian people with Mexicans is as wrong as thinking Turks are Arabs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Turkey is a Turkic Country<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Turkish people originated in Central Asia. Turkey is not an Arab country, and Turkey is a Turkic country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkic countries<\/a> are Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, K\u0131rg\u0131zistan, and Uzbekistan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whereas Arabic countries are located in North Africa and the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Turkic Countries and Regions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Arabic Countries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Turkic Countries<\/a> vs Arab Countries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Early Turkish people were nomadic, and the Oghuz faction of Turkic people migrated to Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) around 1000 AD and settled here, mixing with local indigenous people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, the ancestors of the Turkish people are the Oghuz faction of Turkic People and the indigenous people of Anatolia.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For these reasons, Turkish genetical structure is most similar to South Europeans like Greek and South Italians, but Turkish people also have varying degrees of Central Asian<\/a> DNA added to the mix. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is estimated that Turks carry 15% of Central Asian DNA. Central Asian heritage is believed to be higher because Central Asian Turkic people are also known to have European DNA. (Yet, there is limited genetic data on Central Asian countries.) Source<\/a> Source 2<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are interested in learning the Turkish language, this is the book that most of my friends use. You can check the book on Amazon<\/a>.<\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The Turkish Language is a Turkic Language<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Turkish language is a Turkic Language<\/a> and has common ancestry with many Turkic Countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also theorized that the Turkish language shares common roots with Korean, Mongolian, Japanese, Finnish, and Hungarian. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, Arabic is spoken widely around North Africa and the Middle East and is closer to Hebrew, Maltese, and Ethiopian Languages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish and Arabic have different roots,<\/a> and they are not mutually intelligible. In fact, Arabic is closer to European languages when compared to Turkish.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to know more, you can also read my article about Turkish Language origin.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Arabs are a minority in Turkey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1-1,5 % of the Turkish population has Arabic ancestry.  Most of them live near the Iraq and Syria border, which are Arab countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, Arabic residents in Turkey increased due to the Syrian Civil War. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 6 million Syrian refugees took shelter in Turkey. Most refugees are not Turkish citizens, and because of newly arrived refugees, it is estimated that now 8% of residents in Turkey are Arabs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, annually, 3 million Arab tourists visit Turkey each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you wish to know more, you can check my article on the differences between Arabic and Turkish languages.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Turkey is not Considered an Arab Country by any Arab country<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Arab League is an international organization formed by 22 Arab countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey is not in the Arab League because neither Turkey nor any Arab country thinks Turkey is an Arabic country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey expressed its desire to be an observer in the Arab League like Armenia, Brazil, Eritrea, India, and Venezuela, but Arab countries denied it due to problematic diplomatic ties between Turkey and some Arab countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Arabs vs Turkish People (Major Cultural Differences)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Arab and Turkish were geographically close, yet they have different backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, there are some instances in which Turks share some cultural elements with Arabic culture, but the true difference lies in the history of these nations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will understand how they are different if you tell me some major differences and the reasons behind our history and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.1 Turkish Culture is unique but embraces Western Values<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Turkey is seen as a miracle of founding father Ataturk. I am not here to underestimate what he has accomplished, and Ataturk is one of the world leaders that I respect the most. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, as Ataturk always states, Turkish people<\/a> should be acknowledged for the modern society we form today. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Scientists in Istanbul Observatory circa 16th Century. Drawn with Turkish Miniature Art Style.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Turkish reforms started long before Ataturk, and Ataturk\u2019s reforms may not be successful in any other society. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish society is the only Muslim society able to achieve extensive modernization by embracing the Western governance style. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish society was always part of Europe<\/a>, and the Ottoman was a major European power for 600 years until World War 1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Turkish people transferred Eastern knowledge like gunpowder and compass to Europe, the Ottoman Empire also safeguarded knowledge of ancient ages (like philosophy) during the Dark Ages of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish society was one of Europe’s first societies affected by revolution and reforms. Turkish human rights and constitutionalism started right after the French Revolution.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Opening of Ottoman (Turkish) Parliament 1877 from a London Newspaper Source Wikipedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Tanzimat Reforms <\/strong>(between 1839 and 1876) was a major human rights reform process in Turkey after the French Declaration of Human Rights (1789). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through Tanzimat reforms, the Ottoman Sultan mainly issued two edicts to modernize the Ottoman Empire. These edicts;<\/p>\n\n\n\n