Turkey

   Estimated Gypsy population: 350,000, although some sources would say one million. An estimate for the years 1960-1970 gave a figure of 10,633 nomads.

   When the Turks captured the land that forms present-day Turkey from the Byzantine Greeks, they found a substantial Gypsy population already there. Sultan Bayezid drove many Romanies out of the parts of Anatolia under his control, and they came into Europe (Thrace and Serbia). Only those who became Muslim were allowed to stay in Turkey. Later records show the Gypsies to have had an important role in the Turkish state as musicians, smiths, and entertainers. The report of a celebration organized by Sultan Murad III in Istanbul in honor of his newborn son talks of a procession including 60 Gypsy smiths, pulling a cart in which three smiths were working. In a second procession the following month, 400 Romany smiths took part, as well as broom makers, bear trainers, chimney sweeps, musicians, acrobats, and dancers.

   In the Turkish Ottoman Empire, the Gypsies were generally treated as a slightly lower rank of Muslims. They paid higher taxes and were exempt from military service. In 1874 Muslim Gypsies gained equality with other Muslims in the empire. They were called up for military service and ceased paying the special tax.

   After World War II, many Muslim Gypsies moved from Greece to Turkey. Gypsies are referred to in Turkish by the pejorative term Cin-gene and also Kipti. Apart from the Romanies, there are also Lom (Bosha) and Dom (Nawwar) clans, in particular in the eastern regions. The nomads practice fortune-telling, sell crafts, or work with metals. The occupations of the settled Gypsies include musicians, flower sellers, or porters.

   During the 20th century, the Gypsies played a substantial role in creating music in the regions of Edirne, Istanbul, and Izmir. Since strict Islam forbade the playing of music, Greek, Jewish, and Gypsy musicians filled this gap. The most important instruments they played were the darabuka (drum), tambourine, qanun (zither), oud (lute), clarinet, and kemam (violin). Kibariye is a well-known singer of popular melodies.

   There is much prejudice against Gypsies, and there have been some incidents of conflict with the local population. In 1995 Zehala Baysal died in police custody in Istanbul. In 1996, 5,000 Gypsies were evicted from the Selamsiz quarter of Istanbul.

   Ali Celikbilek was Turkey's representative on the Comité International Tzigane until his death in 2001. One of his ideas was for Imrali Island to become a home for all the Gypsies in Turkey. Academic conferences held in Istanbul since 2003 have awakened local interest in the history and culture of the Gypsies as well as encouraging the Roma themselves to organize. Local organizations are linked by TROMDEF (Federation of Turkish Roma Associations), whose president is Erdinc Cekic.