Reference Type:  Electronic Article
Author: Radu, Elena - Ciotaru, Luminița Oana
Year: 2008
Title: Antropology of the Turkish and Tartar Population in South Dobrugja
City: București
Publisher: Institute of Anthropology "Francisc I. Rainer", Romanian Academy.
E-Pub Date: 2008 september 1.
Website Title: acad.ro
Date Accessed: 2013.11.01
Language: English
Keywords: Tatar, Turkish, anthropology, settlement, urbanization
Abstract: (ENG) Due to its geographic position, Dobrudja was at the crossroad of important commercial, nautical and terrestrial roads that joined here, coming from the North-Pontic steppes, from Anatolia and from the Mediterranean world. Dobrudja played in the history of civilization, the role of “bridge” and “gate” through which passed in both directions the goods of the natives’ civilization and those from abroad. Dobrudja was the main entrance gate of the Christianity in Dacia (Vasile Pârvan) “an extremly rich laboratory of comparative ethnology, through the extraordinary mosaic of races” (Eugen Pittard). The Turkish colonized the Asian and Mongolian people, and the immigrations from Russia diversified this ethnical mosaic. For consolidating their power, the ottoman authorities populated Dobrudja with Tartars from the North of the Black Sea and with Turks from Asia Minor (Anatolia). Thanks to its geographic variety, Dobrudja attracted people of various races, ethnic groups, confessions, beliefs, and thus it remained an Europe and Asia in miniature, a “huge live ethnographical museum” (C. Brătescu). In this regard, the current paper represents the first anthropologic study on the Turkish population in Dobrudja, from the beginnings of the settlement of these ethnic minorities on the Romanian teritory.
URL: http://www.acad.ro/sectii2002/proceedingsChemistry/doc2008-3/art13Radu.pdf