Ahiska Turks
Ahiska Turks, coming from Anatolia were forced to settle in the region between 1578 and the Russian invasion in 1828 and then became the indivisible part of the Anatolian Turkism. The essential homelands of Ahiska Turks are the provinces of Ahiska, Ahılkelek, Aspinza, Adıgen and Bogdanovka that are within the lands of the Republic of Georgia and the neighbours of Turkey. The reason for the classification of the Turks that settled in these regions as Ahiska Turks is that the geographical name of the region that included these provinces was Ahiska.
Ahiska Turks was a Turkish group that was exiled for 3 time in the recent 70 years who incurred the wrath of Stalin, the bloody dictator in the year of 1944 and was subjected to exile again. Ahiska Turks expanded to various regions of the USSR and sacrificed thousands of martyrs.

Today, Ahiska Turks live in 264 different regions of 13 Republics. There are totally 629 thousands of Ahiska Turks that are dispersed into regions as follows: 70 thousands in 28 centres of population in Russian Federation, 145 thousands in Kazakhstan, 106 thousands in Azerbaijan, 57 thousands in Kyrgyzstan, 30 thousands in Uzbekistan, 18 thousands in Ukraine, 200 thousands in Turkey, and 3000 Ahiska Turks in various countries. They have lots of social, cultural and educational problems. Ahiska Turks try to preserve their national identity in the cultural centres that they have established in the countries in which they live. This effort is given in various Turkish Cultural Centres established by Ahiska Turks in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The cultural centre pertaining to Ahiska people that is located in Uzbekistan was founded as “Turkish Centre of Civilisation” within the structure of Uzbekistan Foundation of Civilisation in the beginning of the year 1992. The chairman of the centre is Dr. Ömer Salman. Kazakhstan Ahiska Cultural Centre was founded in Almaty by Dr. Tevfik Kurdayev Haşimoğlu in the year of 1991. The courses such as Turkish, religion, etc. are given in this centre. Furthermore, this centre also embraces the Turkish citizens who come to Kazakhstan from Turkey. İzzet Maksudov manages the Turkish Centre of Civilisation that was founded by Ahiska Turks in Kyrgyzstan in the year of 1991. These three centres have a great strategic significance. These centres can be turned into the organisations tha can undertake significant missions against those who want to bring discord among Turks, Kazakhs, Khirghizes, and Uzbek people.
The reason why Ahiska Turks were subjected to exile was kept as confidential information for exactly 47 years. The allegations that were asserted throughout these 47 years were the reasons of anticipation or supposition… The subject was revealed upon the publication of the major documents that were related with the exiles in the year of 1991. Lavrentiy Beriya of Georgian roots, Superintendent of the Public Internal Affairs of the USSR sent a letter of proposal to Georgian İ.V. Stalin, the President of the State Defence Committee who was equipped with all authorities due to the state of war. In his letter (24th July 1944), he stated that “most of the Turkish nation that reside in the regions of Georgia SSR on the border of Turkey have an inclination of immigration upon their relations with their relatives on the side of Turkey. They are smugglers and they are engaged as spies for the Turkish intelligence bodies and they constitute manpower for the brigands”. Due to this statement, he proposed that 16700 families (with a population of 86 thousands of people, this figure is stated as 91 thousands of people in some other resources, and 40 thousands of people in military forces) could be exiled from Ahiska region towards the Central Asia. Instead of these people, he also proposed the settlement of 7000 Georgian families from the districts that suffered lack of sufficient land in Georgia. After one week pursuant to this letter, the “exile” activities were initiated upon the Resolution of State Defence Committee with the aforesaid date and number that was signed by Stalin. The interesting point was that the motivated motion of proposal arranged by Berilya and the motivated resolution signed by Stalin had the same expressions. It is of no doubt that the more interesting point was the unfounded and untrue allegations that were included in both the motion and the resolution.
Among the Turkish communities, Ahiska Turks is the only Turkish community that does not possess its own administration, and they do not possess their own schools and publication organs, either. The foundations of cultural centres, societies or associations have been initiated recently. Although they were exiled to a wide area, they did not lost their Turkish identity, and they preserved the name of Turk with its proper dignity and honour.

Ahiska, the ancient Oguz region was called as “Ak-Sıka” (White Castle) in Dede Korkut’s Book and “Akesga” in the records pertaining to the year of 481. Ahiska is also rendered as the Turkish or Farsi form of Ahal-Thise that mean “Yeni Kale” (New Castle). In the course of the first Islamic conquests, Habib b. Mesleme, one of the commanders of Damascus’ Governor Muaviye conquered Ahiska in the period under the caliphate of Hz. Osman. It was under the Mongolian dominion between the years of 1267-78 and then it was administered by “Atabeğ”s, the autonomous governors of the region in the following years.

Ahiska Atabegs were connected to the Ottoman dominion as a result of Çıldır War (157 in the command of Lala Mustafa Pasha. The last atabek, Minüçihr declared its dependence to Ottomans and he became Muslim and then, he was given the name of Mustafa Pasha. Pursuant to that date, Ahiska had become the centre of Çıldır province that was newly established and it was drawn up thereof. However, Ahiska became a province when Çıldır got worn out due to the wars. The city that was once conquered by Safevis got under the dominion of Ottomans again in the year of 1635. Until it was subjected to the Russian dominion in the year of 1828, Ahiska remained as a forefront city of the Ottoman State. When it was separated from Turkey, the Serhat Turks that lived in this region met with their bad destiny. In the course of the Ottoman-Russian war in 1853-1856, some of Ahiska people ran away and took shelter in Erzurum due to the intense pressure imposed upon them on the grounds that they collaborated with the Ottoman army. Pursuant to this war, Kars was broken off from the Ottoman borders and Ahiska remained far away from the border of Turkey. In this period, an Armenian migration was experienced from the North East Anatolia towards the Ahiska region.

Afghanistan Turks
Their population is about 1.800.000 and they live in the cities of Farab, Belh, Samangan, Kunduz, Tahhar and Bedahshan. These people are divided into subgroups such as Uzbeks, Turkmens, Kazakhs and Khirghiz people. Their situation is ambiguous in the country that continuously suffers a civil war. However, the Uzbeks in the command of Uzbek General, Raşid Dostum still fight against the groups such as Taliban, etc.
Those who speak Turkish in Afghanistan include 10% of the general population. Turkish is the third language group spoken in this region. The values indicated are the anticipated figures since a sound census cannot be carried out in Afghanistan. The Turkish groups in Afghanistan are as follows:

Uzbeks: They live in Afghanistan, Farab, Belh, Mezar-ı Şerif, Samangan and Kunduz. Their number is estimated between 1 and 1,5 millions. They are engaged in agriculture and stockbreeding.

Turkmens: They live in the Northwest of the country. Their conjectural number is about 200 thousands. They are composed of the tribes of Teke, Şalar, Sarık,  Çekra, Mavrı, and Tarık. They generally lead a nomadic life.

Khirghizes: They are settled in the regions of Tahhar and Bedahshan in the northwest of Afghanistan. Their number is about 90 thousands. Most of them lead a nomadic life.
Kazakhs : Their number is low. All of them lead a nomadic life. It is supposed that they had come from the Chinese regions as a nomadic tribe. The rate of literacy pertaining to those who speak Turkish language in Afghanistan is rather low. Their economy is based on cotton and sugar beet. Furthermore, stockbreeding has a significant place in the economy. Breeding of Karakul sheep and the handwoven carpet business are in demand.

Bulgaria Turks  
Their population is 1.2000.000 and they live in the cities such as: :Sofia, Şumnu, Kırcaali, Filibe, Dobruca, Varna, Rusçuk, Silistre, Plevne, Tınova, Sofia.
*History
The Bulgarians who emigrated from the steppes of the Eastern Russia due to various reasons in the beginning of the 7th century and settled in the Balkan Peninsula were actually rooted from Turks. However, they were assimilated by the Slav nations in the region to which they immigrated in due course and most of them became Slav people in respect of their cultural identity. Nevertheless, Turks have always been a minority within the general population.
*Population
In 1940, Bulgaria obtained Dobruca in which the Turkish population constitutes the majority and there has not been any change in the borders from that date on. There are two Turkish minorities apart from the Turks that speak the Turkish language in the region of Dobruca. These are the Tatar and Gagavuz people who are composed of nearly 7 thousands of people. Bulgarians have always tried to assimilate the minorities in the country; it prohibited the usage of Turkish names in the years of 1984-1985 and forced the Turkish people to migration. Turks reacted to this incident; however, nearly 160.000 Turks immigrated to Turkey in the year of 1989. In the following years, this number reached to 300 thousands. After the year 1985, the Turks that stayed in Bulgaria obtained the rights and freedoms of the Bulgarian citizens in some fields. According to the data obtained from the census in 1965, Turks constituted 10 % of the general population with their approximate number of 850 thousands. According to the census in 1985, the Turkish population reached nearly to 1.600 thousands. Under these circumstances, Turks constituted 15% of the general population. The Turkish people were the most crowded minority in Bulgaria with their density of population. The migrations that took place after the year of 1989 decreased this number. The means of subsistence pertaining to the most of the population are the agriculture and stockbreeding.
*Migrations
Balkan Turks have continuously immigrated to Turkey since the year of 1940.  The numbers of the people who came to Turkey were 140 thousands of people until 1944, 155 thousands of people in the years of 1950-1951, and 130 thousands of people in the year of 1978. The number of the immigrants was about 160 thousands of people in the year of 1989. Pursuant to these migrations, the Bulgarian Turks have resided in the rural areas.
*Political Existence
After 1993, the “Party of Rights and Freedoms” took its place in the Bulgarian Parliament in Bulgaria and it obtained 15 members of parliament as the third political power. There are still 27 Mayors, and 654 village chiefs that are Turks in the region. The State supervises the religious institutions and orientates the religious studies.
In the course of the elections carried out in 2001, the aforesaid party obtained 30 members of parliament and became a strong political power in Bulgaria.
*Education
The education is under the state control in Bulgaria. The Turkish language spoken in the country is much closer to Turkish spoken in Turkey. While Turkish was taught as an educational language in the minority schools in the first years, it was then abrogated from the curriculums (1960). While 15 percent of Turks attended to schools in 1939, this rate increased to 97 percent in the year of 1957. After the year of 1993, the Turkish education was restarted again.

Kosovo Turks
Kosovo was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in the year of 1375 and Turks started to settle down in this place according to the Ottoman traditions. Pursuant to the war in 1877-78, the domination of Ottomans in the region was attenuated and Turks became a minority in the region.
Turks living in the region that was lost as a result of the Balkan Wars suffered three great migrations and massacres in the period of the kingdom and the communist Yugoslavia. The lands of Turks were forcibly confiscated under the name of the land nationalisation reorm in the years of 1930s and they were forced to migration. The second one took place between the years of 1956-60. Turks suffered severe tortures under the title of the campaign for the collection of arms and consequentially, the second migrations took place.

Pursuant to these oppression and tortures imposed by the Serbians, Turks were subject to the applications of assimilation by the Albanians between the years of 1968-1990. Upon the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Albanian-Serbian struggles broke out. As a result of these struggles, Kosovo that had an autonomous status for years was subjected to connection to the Serbians.

Despite these negative events, the number of the Turks that stayed in Kosovo was 12 thousands according to the official statistics and 20-25 thousands in real. They were able to survive and to preserve Turkish culture in those regions. Particularly Turks who constitute a majority in Pristine and Dragasta have continued their struggles to invigorate Turkish identity through their cultural societies and political parties against Serbians and Albanians.

Iranian Turks
For a period of nearly 950 years between the last quarter of the century X and the first quarter of the century XX, Iran was the country of Turks that stayed either under the dominion of Turks or under the administration of the Turkish dynasties. Therefore, Iran is one of the leading countries in which the Turks and the Turkish culture are most dense. Although Turks constitute nearly half of the population of Iran today, they were the most underdeveloped Turkish group that could not develop in respect of their knowledge and practice about their language and history due to the chauvinistic stance of Iranians.
The population of Iran that is a Muslim country is approximately 60 millions. Of this population, nearly 25 millions of people are composed of Turks, nearly 30 millions of people are composed of Iranians (Farsi) and nearly 5 millions of people are composed of the other ethnical groups. Iranians have not entitled the Turks that constitute nearly half the population with the right of education in their own language and this stance is contradictory to all sorts of human right and the international law.

The majority of the Turks that live in Iran are composed of the Azerbaijani Turks. As it is known, the northern sections of Azerbaijan were invaded by the Russians in the first quarter of the century XIX. Nearly 8 millions of Azerbaijani Turks live within the independent Republic of Azerbaijan. The Southern Azerbaijan is under the dominion of Iran. Over 20 millions of Turks live in the Southern Azerbaijan that has a surface area of 107.000 km2. The principal centres of population in which most of the Turks live in the Southern Azerbaijan are as follows: Tebriz, Hoy, Erdebil, Urumiye, Selmas, Maku, Meraga, Astara, Culfa, Merendi, Halhal and Soğukbulak.

The settlement of Turks in Azerbaijan in mass groups occurred in the Seljuk period. Azerbaijan that had stayed under the Mongolian dominion for a while was then administered by the Turks for a long time afterwards. The dominion of Timur people, Ak-Koyunlular and Kara-Koyunlular States enabled the development of Turkish culture in Azerbaijan. Therefore, Azerbaijan has entirely become a homeland of Turks.

As we have stated in our previous researches, the most significant incident in the history of the Azerbaijani Turks was the dominion of a group that had adopted the Shiah Islam in the centre of Erdebil and the activation of the Shiite sect in the region. İsmail, one of the grandchildren of the Sheikh Safiyüddin that was the leader of the Shiite group reorganised this religious branch in accordance with his political interests and then, he established dominion firstly in Azerbaijan then in the entire Iran. İsmail gave the name of his grandfather to the state that he established and the dynasty of this state. He was the pioneer of a policy that orientated the destinies of both the Azerbaijani Turks and the Turkish-Islam world under his title as Ismail Shah. The Safevi dynasty that was founded by Shah Ismail had given precedence to the Azerbaijani Turks for nearly two and a half century (1500-1735).

But the continuous activation of the Shiah Islam by the Safevi people prevented the amalgamation of both the Azerbaijani Turks and the Ottoman Turks. Moreover, the sect of the Shiites was an unpassable bridge between the Azerbaijani Turks and the Ottoman Turks. Therefore, it caused the disconnection of the relations of these two Turkish regions. These situations created a negative effect in the establishment of the union within the Turkish world. Another negative effect of the Safevi dynasty was the strong diffusion of the Shiah Islam among the Iranians. In brief, Iran had used the Shiah Islam as a means for the protection f the national identity and had constituted an obstacle in front of the foundation of a union in Islam world. Iran was not contented with all these effects and then started to diffuse the Shiah Islam to the other Muslim countries and this situation caused an another disturbance in the Islam world. Thus, Iran has become the focus of secession and disintegration within the Islam world.

Pursuant to the Azerbaijani Turks, we should mention briefly about the two Turkish communities that dominated the fate of Iran. These communities are the Afsar Turkmens that are the ancestors of Nadir Shah and the Kacar Turks that established the second longest dynasty in Iran. As it is known, Afsar people were composed of one of the Oguz tribes. Some of Afsar people came to Anatolia and settled in this region together with the Seljuks and some others stayed in Turkistan. However, in the period of the Mongolian invasion, this second group of Afsar people who had stayed in Turkistan came to Azerbaijan and settled in this country. Taking the advantage of the gaps resulting from the decadence of the Safevi dynasty, the Halaç Turks that essentially lived within the environs of Kandahar succeeded in the establishment of their dominion in Iran.

This incident that was mistakenly registered in our histories as the invasion of Iran by the Afghani people is made up of the dominion of Halac Turks that were then named as Gılzay in Iran. Nadir, one of the leading beys of Afsar Turkmens put an end to the dominion of Halaç people. Under his title as Shah, Nadir invigorated the tribe that constituted the fundamental core of his dynasty. But for security purposes, he sent these people to miscellaneous centres of population in Iran. Therefore, Afsar people of today still live in a dispersed area in various regions of Iran. The population of Afsar Turkmens is estimated to be nearly 650.000 recently. Although they have presented their Turkish identity, they do not have a political influence in Iran.

Kacar Turks that established the second long-lasting dynasty following the Safevi State had come from Turkistan to Iran in the period of Tamburlaine. This Turkish tribe had firstly settled in the Caucasus fronts of the Northern Azerbaijan. But Safevi people that gradually got anxious about the development of this tribe in this region forced them to settle in the regions of Esterabad and Gürgen in Khorasan to outwear these Kacar people. The long-lasting turmoil resulting from the death of Nadir Shah attenuated Iran. In these critical days, Kacar people saved Iran from a probable decline. Kacar people who invaded Iran dominated the country with thedynasty that they founded between the years of 1794-1920 and they brought forth Iran to the modern times. However, this long-lasting period of domination fairly attenuated the Kacar Turks. As a result, the numbers of Kacar Turks that once established a dynasty have decreased and fallen to near 70-80.000. With this figure of population, Kacar people cannot create a political effect in the government of today in Iran. Kacar people still live in dispersed areas of miscellaneous regions in the provinces of Mazendaran and Gürgan.

Turks in Mongolia
The population of Mongolia is 2.400.000.
KAZAKHS (HASAG): Kazakhs with Nayman and Kiren roots that are composed of nearly 150 thousands of people live in the provinces of Bayan Ölgiy and Hovd in the northwest of the country. Pursuant to the dissolution of the Soviets, their population cannot be properly known as a result of the migrations to Kazakhstan. Despite these migrations, it is estimated that there are nearly 150 thousands of people composed of 95 thousands of people in Bayan Ölgiy and 40 thousands of people in Hovd.
Bayan Ölgiy was a province of Kazakhs in the past (aymag means a province). Nowadays, the Kazakh people have the Kazakh Liberal Party and they also broadcast from a radio. The other clans and tribes of Kazakh people are as follows:

Tartuş People: These people rooted from Kazaks that are divided into two groups such as the Lower and Upper Tartuş People are the descendants of Kirey Kazakhs.

Hoton People: With a population of nearly 6 thousands of people, Hotons live in the province of Uvs. Hoton people who are the hybrids of the Kazakhs and Khirghiz people live in the south west of the Uvs Lake and in the city and within the environs of Bugat. Hoton people who are Muslims speak with the Derbet dialect.

Uranhay people: With a population of 50 thousands of people, Uranhay people live in Mongolia and Russia and China. They live in the provinces of Hörsgöl and Uvs within the boundaries of Mongolia. Uranhay people had their own republic between the years of 1921 and 1944 but this republic was invaded by the Russians.

thanx u for all useful infos