Kazakh diaspora in Turkey: life, history and traditions

The mass migration of Kazakhs began in the 18th century and continued until 1960. The reasons for migration varied: political, religious and economic. The history of the Kazakh diaspora in Turkey dates back to 1930, when about 18,000 Altai Kazakhs first migrated to India and Pakistan, and in 1952 one-tenth of all Kazakhs who migrated eventually arrived in Turkey. Today, more than 20,000 Kazakhs live in Turkey.

Most members of the Kazakh diaspora live in Istanbul, in the neighborhoods of Güneşli, Sefaköy, and Zeytinburnu. Before settling in Turkey, the nomads had the opportunity to move to the United States, but the elders decided that although they would live comfortably there, their descendants would quickly forget their language and traditions. Therefore, everyone unanimously chose the southwest of Asia. Turkey attracted Kazakhs with its cultural similarities, shared traditions, Turkic linguistic roots and common religion.

The Turkish government, in turn, covered the expenses of accommodating the Kazakh political refugees. They were granted Turkish citizenship, given land, provided housing and livestock, and exempted from military service for five years.

Abdulwahap Kara, a history professor at Mimar Sinan University, is one of the leading intellectuals of the Kazakh diaspora. He also serves as a guide for journalists interested in Kazakh migration history.
— I myself was born in Turkey, — he says. — I represent the third generation of Kazakhs living here. My family’s migration story began in 1930, when my grandfather, together with his family, was forced to leave Altai and, after moving through China and Pakistan, settled in Turkey.

— In my youth I often wondered: where did the Kazakhs come from and where are they going? Searching for answers pushed me to leave my profession as a programmer and become a historian. In 2002, after earning my doctorate, my first book «The Life and Struggle of Mustafa Shokay» was published in Turkish. The book was later translated into Kazakh and French, and director Satybaldy Narimbetov made a film about Mustafa Shokay based on it.

After our conversation, Abdulwahap invited us to his home for tea. His wife is also Kazakh, originally from India.
— We have three daughters and a son. We had some difficulties with the Kazakh language, but recently the consulate opened Kazakh language courses, which our children now attend. Trips to Kazakhstan also help a lot. Although local Kazakhs speak their native language, they do not know Cyrillic and cannot read. In my generation, only educated Kazakhs can read Kazakh; ordinary people cannot.

After lunch, Abdulwahap promised to show us the Kazakh mosque, the memorial stele dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Kazakh migration to Turkey, and introduce us to his friends from the diaspora.

On the way we meet Zuliman-apa, 77 years old.

The mosque built by Kazakhs in 1975.

The stele, installed in 2002, lists the names of the leaders of the migration.

We head to the home of the eldest aksakal — Kulanbai-kazhy.

— I was born in 1921, — says Kulanbai-kazhy. — In the 1930s a large group of Kazakhs, fighting and fleeing Chinese persecution, crossed into Pakistan. Among those who left their homeland were batyrs Ramazan and Kapai, thanks to whom many of us survived. During those turbulent years, we feared nothing and remained brave, which helped us endure.

— In Pakistan we traded goods, bringing merchandise from India. In 1953, 170 of us migrated to Turkey. In 1986 we founded a community of 19 aksakals to preserve traditions among the youth and, most importantly, to monitor marriages and prevent interethnic unions where possible. I have lived here for 58 years, raised three sons and three daughters, and have grandchildren.
Before we left, Kulanbai-kazhy gifted us his book about the migration of ethnic Kazakhs to Turkey.

The next day, together with Abdulwahap Kara, we headed to the villa of Abdulmansur Akzhol.
— My grandfather was from Köktogai, East Turkestan, — says Abdulmansur. — Like all Kazakhs, my grandfather settled in Turkey with his family in 1953. He once owned beautiful pastures, but today those lands belong to China. In one of his letters he wrote about a hidden cache of asyks buried on his land; I traveled to his old property and actually found the cache...

— I began my career in plastic production; my father owned a leather processing workshop. Later my friend and I opened a factory producing construction materials from paper. Around 500 people worked there. Our business grew quickly.

— Ten years ago, I bought land 30 kilometers from Istanbul, brought horses and livestock, and set up yurts — a small reminder of Kazakh life.

— Someone gifted me a real yurt, but it couldn’t withstand heavy rains, so I built a concrete yurt. To decorate it, I brought handmade tekemet, syrmak and tuskiiz from China and Mongolia. While my cottages were still unfinished, I lived here for a while.

— The second yurt is for celebrations — weddings of my children, relatives and friends. When we first arrived, there were only five of us; now our family has grown to 50 people.

Returning to the city, we hurry to the mosque to meet the elders of the Kazakh diaspora, but they have already left for evening prayer. So we head to our next hero.

This is musician Mustafa Buyyrgan. Born in Turkey in 1959. He first learned to play Turkish music and performed in a Turkish ensemble. Later, with a group of young men, he learned to play the dombra and sing Kazakh songs. Since then, they have traveled across Turkey and Europe performing Kazakh folklore. Mustafa also teaches his children and students to play the dombra.

In the 1960s Kazakhs began settling not only in Istanbul but in Izmir, Ankara and other cities. Thanks to Kazakhs, a new sector developed in the Turkish economy — leather processing and the production of leather goods.

In Zeytinburnu, Kazakhkent, and in markets of Istanbul, Ankara and other cities, workshops and shops owned by Kazakhs began producing and selling leather goods.

One of the owners is Ahmed Akis.
— My parents and my six brothers resettled here in the 1950s. Here we speak two languages: Kazakh and Turkish.

Ahmed's neighbor, Katipan-apa, sews and embroiders traditional bedding for newlyweds by hand.
— I was five years old when I was brought to Turkey. They welcomed us warmly, gave us livestock and land. Now I have four children, all studying, all healthy.

Another home is occupied by a married couple: the husband is a lawyer, the wife a dentist.
— My parents were teachers and worked hard to give my siblings and me a good education. I often visit Kazakhstan and took part in the Kurultai. When you return from the land of your ancestors, you want to go back again. I dream of a bridge between Kazakhstan and Turkey.

— My wife is a dentist. Her ancestors were traders and wealthy people in East Turkestan.

Ramazan-ata is from Altai. Like all families here, his ancestors fled through China into India. They arrived in Turkey in 1952.
— We’ve lived here ever since, and quite well. I’ve written poems dedicated to the hospitality of the Turkish people — they were even published in a magazine.

— My name is Kadisha Ramazan-kyzy. My aunt taught me to cut traditional ornaments, and I have been studying them for 17 years. These ornaments are nostalgia for the ancestral lands of our forefathers. In 2009 I visited Kazakhstan, and last year I went to Altai and studied local patterns. As poet Mirzhakyp Dulatov wrote:
«When someone says Alash from afar, I saddle my horse,
When someone says Kazakh, I am proud,
My father is Kazakh, my mother is Kazakh —
Why should I hesitate to call myself Kazakh?»
I will continue developing the ornament art of my ancestors for the rest of my life.

— My name is Kazhymedalim. I also came here in 1953, migrating from India. I have lived here ever since — now I am 90. My children have grown up and live in Europe. We are happy that Kazakhstan is now an independent state; you must do everything to preserve that independence. I wish prosperity to Kazakhstan! Please convey my greetings, from a 90-year-old man, to all Kazakhstani people!

The original version of this material was published on Voxpopuli.kz before its closure in 2023. The author restored the text and photographs from a personal archive to preserve documentary and historical materials.