Karapapak
Encyclopedia
The Karapapak (meaning Black Hat) are a small ethnic group of Turkic-speaking
people who mainly live in Azerbaijan
, in Georgia
, in the northeast of Turkey
near the border with Georgia
and Armenia
, primarily in the provinces of Ardahan
(around Lake Çıldır
), Kars
and Iğdır
, and in Iran
. The exact number for the Karapapak population worldwide is unknown but is likely to be in the hundred thousands. Karapapaks are not to be confused with Karakalpaks
.
), Karapapaks are often identified as a sub-ethnic group of Azerbaijanis
, even though in the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
they are sometimes listed as a separate ethnic group. Theories of Karapapaks descending from Kumyks
(a Turkic-speaking ethnic group in Dagestan
) have also been brought forward by scholars like Fahrettin Kırzıoğlu and Zeki Velidi Togan
. The Terekeme originally populated territories in what is now southern Georgia, northwestern Armenia, southern Dagestan, and central and northwestern Azerbaijan
, but almost entirely migrated to the Ottoman Empire
and Persia upon Russia
's conquest of the South Caucasus
between 1813 and 1828. Here they were given the name Karapapakh ("black hat") by the Anatolians reflecting the element of the Terekeme ethnic outfit that distinguished them from the local population.
Russia's expansion to Kars
(in Eastern Turkey) in 1878 as a result of the Russo-Turkish War led to some Karapapak settlements becoming part of Russia once again. With the Russian Revolution
and Soviet expansion south in late 1910s and 1920s, Karapapaks became a new nationality group in Soviet Union
. Late in 1930s, the Soviet Union stopped classifying Karapapaks as a separate people and in 1944, they were included in the mass deportation of Meskhetian Turks from Georgia to Central Asia.
Even though the Karapapaks left in the Caucasus had largely assumed Meskhetian Turkish or Azeri identity by the mid-20th century and despite lack of record of Karapapaks in modern censuses of the South Caucasus states, nowadays small groups may still identify themselves as Karapapak or Terekeme in the regions originally inhabited by them. Karapapaks are also found in Central Asia where many of them were deported along with the Meskhetian Turks in 1944 during the Stalinist population transfers
. The last census to mention Karapapaks as a separate ethnic group was the 1926 Soviet census, according to which there were 6,311 of them throughout the South Caucasus.
, which has undergone significant influence by the Eastern Anatolian dialects of Turkish
.
consisting largely of ashik
songs, legend
s and folk tales. Karapapak dances are very similar to those of Georgians, and Azerbaijanis.
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
people who mainly live in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, in the northeast of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
near the border with Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, primarily in the provinces of Ardahan
Ardahan Province
Ardahan Province is a province in the far north-east of Turkey, at the very end of the country, where Turkey borders with Georgia . The provincial capital is the city of Ardahan.- Geography :...
(around Lake Çıldır
Lake Çildir
Lake Çıldır , , - Tzovák Hiusisó) is a large freshwater lake in the Ardahan Province, northeastern part of Turkey. It is located at , close to the borders with Georgia and Armenia. Lake Çıldır is located in the elevation of about and surrounded by mountainous region. It has an area of and...
), Kars
Kars Province
Kars Province is a province of Turkey, located in the northeastern part of the country. It shares part of its border with the Republic of Armenia.The provinces of Ardahan and Iğdır were until the 1990s part of Kars Province.-History:...
and Iğdır
Igdir Province
Iğdır Province is a province in eastern Turkey, located along the border with Armenia, Azerbaijan , and Iran. Its adjacent provinces are Kars to the northwest and Ağrı to the west and south...
, and in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. The exact number for the Karapapak population worldwide is unknown but is likely to be in the hundred thousands. Karapapaks are not to be confused with Karakalpaks
Karakalpaks
The Karakalpaks are a Turkic speaking people. They mainly live in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya and in the delta of Amu Darya on the southern shore of the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. The name "Karakalpak" comes from two words: "qara" meaning black, and "qalpaq" meaning hat...
.
Origins and history
Sometimes referred to as Terekeme or Tarakama (a derivation from the words "Turcoman" or "Turkmen", meaning Oghuz TurksOghuz Turks
The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....
), Karapapaks are often identified as a sub-ethnic group of Azerbaijanis
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
, even though in the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
The Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary is, in its scope and style, the Russian counterpart to the Encyclopædia Britannica. It contains 121,240 articles, 7,800 images, and 235 maps...
they are sometimes listed as a separate ethnic group. Theories of Karapapaks descending from Kumyks
Kumyks
Kumyks are a Turkic people occupying the Kumyk plateau in north Dagestan and south Terek, and the lands bordering the Caspian Sea. They comprise 14% of the population of the Russian republic of Dagestan. They speak the Kumyk language...
(a Turkic-speaking ethnic group in Dagestan
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
) have also been brought forward by scholars like Fahrettin Kırzıoğlu and Zeki Velidi Togan
Zeki Velidi Togan
Zeki Velidi Togan was a historian, Turkologist, and leader of the Bashkir revolutionary and liberation movement.-Biography:He was born in Koedhoen village of Sterlitamak uyezd, today Bashkortostan....
. The Terekeme originally populated territories in what is now southern Georgia, northwestern Armenia, southern Dagestan, and central and northwestern Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, but almost entirely migrated to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and Persia upon Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
's conquest of the South Caucasus
South Caucasus
The South Caucasus is a geopolitical region located on the border of Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia also referred to as Transcaucasia, or The Trans-Caucasus...
between 1813 and 1828. Here they were given the name Karapapakh ("black hat") by the Anatolians reflecting the element of the Terekeme ethnic outfit that distinguished them from the local population.
Russia's expansion to Kars
Kars Province, Ottoman Empire
Eyalet of Kars was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. Its reported area in the 19th century was .The town of Kars, which had been levelled to the ground by the Timur in 1368, was rebuilt as an Ottoman fortress in 1579 by Lala Mustafa Pasha, and became capital of an eyalet of six sanjaks and also a...
(in Eastern Turkey) in 1878 as a result of the Russo-Turkish War led to some Karapapak settlements becoming part of Russia once again. With the Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
and Soviet expansion south in late 1910s and 1920s, Karapapaks became a new nationality group in Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Late in 1930s, the Soviet Union stopped classifying Karapapaks as a separate people and in 1944, they were included in the mass deportation of Meskhetian Turks from Georgia to Central Asia.
Even though the Karapapaks left in the Caucasus had largely assumed Meskhetian Turkish or Azeri identity by the mid-20th century and despite lack of record of Karapapaks in modern censuses of the South Caucasus states, nowadays small groups may still identify themselves as Karapapak or Terekeme in the regions originally inhabited by them. Karapapaks are also found in Central Asia where many of them were deported along with the Meskhetian Turks in 1944 during the Stalinist population transfers
Population transfer in the Soviet Union
Population transfer in the Soviet Union may be classified into the following broad categories: deportations of "anti-Soviet" categories of population, often classified as "enemies of workers," deportations of entire nationalities, labor force transfer, and organized migrations in opposite...
. The last census to mention Karapapaks as a separate ethnic group was the 1926 Soviet census, according to which there were 6,311 of them throughout the South Caucasus.
Language
Karapapaks speak a dialect of AzerbaijaniAzerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...
, which has undergone significant influence by the Eastern Anatolian dialects of Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
.
Religion
Most Karapapaks are Shia Muslims of the Twelvers school of thought. In the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, those identifying with the Caferi strand are listed as Turkmen (Tarakama).Culture
Karapapaks have developed rich traditions of oral literatureOral literature
Oral literature corresponds in the sphere of the spoken word to literature as literature operates in the domain of the written word. It thus forms a generally more fundamental component of culture, but operates in many ways as one might expect literature to do...
consisting largely of ashik
Ashik
An Ashik is a mystic troubadour or traveling bard, in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, and Iran who sings and plays the saz, a form of lute. Ashiks' songs are semi-improvised around common bases....
songs, legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s and folk tales. Karapapak dances are very similar to those of Georgians, and Azerbaijanis.
See also
- Meskhetian Turks
- Azerbaijanis in Turkey
- Ayrums