Turks in South Africa
Turkey South Africa
Total population
3,500[1]
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Religion
Predominantly Sunni Islam and Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Mediterraneans, Greeks in South Africa, South African Jews

Turks in South Africa (Turkish: Güney Afrika'daki Türkler) refers to the ethnic Turkish community living in South Africa.

History

Ottoman era

Turks began immigrating to South Africa during the 19th century.[2] In 1889, the Ottoman Empire sent and maintained Honorary Consulates in Johannesburg and Durban. By April 1914, Mehmet Remzi Bey was assigned as Consul General of the Ottoman Empire to Johannesburg; he died in 1916 and was buried in the Braamfontein cemetery in Johannesburg. On 21 November 2011, his remains were transferred to a memorial garden at the Nizamiye Mosque in Johannesburg.[2][1]

At the request of the members of the sizeable community of Muslim Cape Malays living in the Cape Colony, the Ottoman government sent Abu Bakr Effendi of Kurdish descent to Cape Town to teach as well as preach Islam and help settle religious matters among Muslims. His descendants still live in various parts of South Africa.[2]

Modern era

At the end of the 1980s, Turkey and South Africa signed some business deals.[2] In 2008, they invested in energy issues to South Africa.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Today's Zaman. "Being a Turk in South Africa". Archived from the original on 2010-08-11. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Aydin 2003, 1.

Bibliography

  • Aydin, Ali Kemal (March–May 2003), "Turkey and South Africa: Towards the Second Decade" (PDF), Perceptions: Journal of International Affairs, 8 (1): 1–5
  • Parliamentary Assembly: Working Papers 2007 Ordinary Session 22–26 January 2007, Council of Europe, 2007, ISBN 978-92-871-6191-8
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