The conclusion to the paper (posted above) on the genetics of the Gagauz people ...which lead me to do more investigation. They have a mysterious past, as with many peoples. I know nothing about slavs, bulgars or genetics, so it was difficult for me to understand most of the history.
http://www.medgenetics.ru/UserFile/File/Varzar.pdfIn conclusion, our Y-chromosome analysis indicates a strong similarity between Gagauzes and Balkan populations... Interestingly, using microsatellite markers, we also discovered some traces of recent Anatolian lineages in the Gagauz paternal gene pool. This discovery matches the hypothesis of a Seljuk (Anatolian) origin of the Gagauz language... Furthermore, we demonstrated that at the Balkan scale the Gagauzes are not a genetically homogeneous group. The observed genetic heterogeneity correlates well with the cultural and linguistic diversity among the Gagauzes and was presumably determined by the culturally and/or genetically heterogeneous environment on the Balkans. Genetic drift caused by cultural isolation and migration of Gagauzes from the Balkans to Bessarabia could also have facilitated the genetic differentiation among the Gagauz populations.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Gagauz.aspx (videos of Gagauz people singing, and more on right hand column, pictures of Gagauz:
http://www.gagauzia.info.md/index.php?newsid=104)
http://www.geographictravels.com/2010_0 ... chive.htmlThe Gagauz are ethnic Turks. Their very name means “straight-nosed Turks.” There are two theories on how they reached present-day Moldova. The first theory is that they are descended from the Ottoman conquers of the 15th and 16th centuries. The other theory was more popular in the past. It stated that the Gagauz were descended from the Bulgars, also a Turkic people, who pillaged their way into Europe from the Central Asian steppes. The basis for this hypothesis is that Gagauz use to call themselves “true Bulgars” when they lived among the Bulgarians. They resented Bulgarians calling them "Gagauz" because it implied they were Turks like the Ottomans rather than a small “t” Turkic people like the Bulgarians who became Slavic in culture. Today the Gagauz prefer the Ottoman-origin theory.
No one knows when the conversion happened but the Gagauz are Eastern Orthodox Christians belonging to a See in the Russian Orthodox Church. During the 1800s the first noting of religion amongst the Gagauz was made. The Gagauz were being oppressed by the Ottomans for being Christian. Around this time Russian Orthodox Church was the only Orthodox Church not under Ottoman control and it was therefore a political statement to belong to it while living in the Ottoman Empire. The Gagauz probably converted from Sunni Islam due to missionary activity or, if the Bulgar theory is correct, converted out of a desire to be aligned with a free Orthodox church.
http://www.jewishtravelagency.com/Jewis ... gauzia.pdfGagauzia is distinct due to its main ethnic group. The Gagauz are a Turkic-speaking, Christian ethnic minority whose Muslim antecedents fled the Russo-Turkish wars in the 18th century. They were allowed to settle in the region in exchange for their conversion to Christianity. Their language is a dialect of Turkish, with its vocabulary in fluenced by Russian Orthodoxy as opposed to the Islamic influences inherent in Turkish. Gagauz look to Turkey for cultural inspiration and heritage.
wikipedia
According to some theories, the Gagauz people descend from the Seljuq Turks that settled in Dobruja, or from Pechenegs, Uz (Oghuz) and Cuman (Kipchak) people that followed the Anatolian Seljuq Sultan Izzeddin Keykavus II (1236–1276). More specifically, one clan of Oghuz Turks migrated to the Balkans during the inter-tribal conflicts with other Turks. This Oghuz Turk clan converted from Islam to Orthodox Christianity after settling in the Eastern Balkans (in Bulgaria) and were called Gagauz Turks. A large group of the Gagauz later left Bulgaria and settled in southern Bessarabia, along with a group of ethnic Bulgarians. There is a related ethnic group also called Gagavuz (or Gajal) living in the European part of northwestern Turkey.
wikipedia on Bulgars
Traditionally, historians have associated the Bulgars with the Huns, who migrated out of Central Asia. Anthropological data collected from medieval Bulgar necropolises from Dobrudja, Crimea and the Ukrainian steppe have shown that Bulgars were a Caucasoid people with a small Mongoloid component and practiced circular type artificial cranial deformation. This finding is consistent with a model in which the Turkic languages were gradually imposed in Central Asia and East European Plain on Caucasian (Scythian & Finno-Ugrian) peoples with relatively little genetic admixture, another possible example of a language shift through elite dominance. Ibn Fadlan, who visited Volga Bulgaria in the 10th century, describes the appearance of the Bulgars as "ailing" (pale) and "not ruddy" like the Rus' people.
wikipedia on Seljuks in Dobruja
Background
Seljuk Turks in Anatolia (most of modern Turkey) were defeated by the Mongols in the Battle of Kösedağ (1243). During the rest of the century, they were more or less puppets of the Mongols. In 1257, the Mongols divided Seljuk lands between two brothers, Izzettin Keykavus II and Kılıç Aslan IV. Moreover, İzzettin was forced to obey his younger brother. Although İzzettin tried to struggle, in 1262 he had to flee from Antalya, a port in Seljuk territory to Byzantine territory with a large partisan group.[1]
Settlement in Dobruja
Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, who had just recaptured Constantinople (modern İstanbul) from the Latin Empire, was a relative of İzzettin. However, he had allied himself with the Mongols of Baghdad (who’ll soon be called Ilkhanids) and instead of supporting İzzettin, he kept İzzettin as a refuge and settled İzzettin's partisans to the area between Varna, now in Bulgaria and the estuary of the Danube (1262–1263), a country which later on was named as Dobruja (Turkish: Dobruca). After an unsuccessful revolt in Byzantine Empire, İzzettin fled to Crimea, which was under Golden Horde rule. But his followers stayed in the area allocated to them. Their new leader was Sarı Saltık Dede, whose tomb is in Babadag, Romania.[2]
Aftermath
In 1307, a part of Dobruja Turks under Ece Halil[3] returned to Anatolia. They settled in the northwest Anatolian beylik of Karesi, which became later a part of the Ottoman Empire.[2] The rest stayed in Dobruja. While keeping their language, they converted to Christianity. They maintained their political independence from Second Bulgarian Empire. Their small principality of Dobruja lived until the Ottoman conquest in 1417.[2]
They are believed to be the anchestors of modern Gagauz people. The name Gagauz may be a reminiscence of the name Kaykavus.[4]from a forum
http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showth ... ost1107894First of all, Gagauz people are not Turkic but Turkish because they were originally from Anatolia who migrated into Balkans after the Mongol army destroyed Seljuk empire. The indications of Anatolian Oghuz Turkish in their language easily recognizable even by amateur linguists.
Their history and Anatolian origin is well recorded and attested by several Byzantine chronicles. The son of Seljuk sultanate seek refuge to Constantinople after their state has been destroyed by the Mongol army and the Byzantine emperor accepted to provide a home to them if they accept to be converted as christians. They accepted and Byzantine emperor allowed them to settle around today`s Varna, Bulgaria. They created "Despotate of Gagauzia" in Varna, a vassal state to Byzantines and it continued to survive `till Ottoman empire`s advancements in Balkans.
Gagauzs are as Bulgarian as Azis the gypsy. Yes, most of Gagauz in Bulgaria has been assimilated during the last century but this doesn't make them Bulgarians at all.
Morski, tell me what "Asli Bulgar" means? You cant but i can because it`s a Turkish sentence. Actually they are right because they are clearly more Bulgar than you slavic speaking Bulgarians. At least they belong to a relative ethnos and they speak similar language with first Bulgars.
Quote Originally Posted by Zmey Gorynych
"They don't look turkic, they are orthodox and only a few speak the gagauz language, most speak russian as their native language. My opinion is that they were turkified (now russianized) bulgarians. As for the "gagauz" themselves - very confused people not even they know what they are."You are wrong. Their Gagauz tongue contains archaic elements spoken by the very first Anatolian Turks 1000 years ago. Today`s Turkish people doesn't use these expressions but these are still exists in Gagauz speech. Even this is enough to prove their true origin.
Gagauz people themselves in Bulgaria, Greece or Moldova might be confused but this is because of centuries of oppressions and strict Russification. Trust me, if your ancestors would live through the same fate as poor Gagauz, you would be confused as them by now about your origin.
This is Gagauz song from Gagauz Yeri (within Moldova) and they proudly identify themselves as Oghuzes as they are: "Gagauzyam benim, benim Oğuz milletim". Gagauz people in Gagauz Yeri identifies themselves as Turkic without a doubt, their unofficial flag includes a Wolf head aswell.
...and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.