The roots of the
Crimean Tatar diaspora community in Romania began with the
Cuman migration in the 10th century. Even before the Cumans arrived other Turkic people like the
Huns and the
Bulgars settled in this region. A distinct
Tatar ethnic identity first emerged following the
Golden Horde's invasion of Dobruja. In the 14th and 15th centuries the
Ottoman Empire colonized
Dobruja with
Nogais from
Bucak. Between 1593 and 1595 Tatars from Nogai and
Bucak were also settled to Dobruja. (Frederick de Jong)
Early history
After the
Russian annexation of Crimea in 1783
Crimean Tatars began emigrating to the
Ottoman coastal provinces of
Dobruja (today divided between
Romania and
Bulgaria). Once in Dobruja most settled in the areas surrounding
Mecidiye,
Babadag,
Köstence,
Tulça,
Silistre,
Beştepe, or
Varna and went on to create villages named in honor of their abandoned homeland such as Şirin, Yayla, Akmecit, Yalta, Kefe or Beybucak. From 1783 to 1853 tens of thousands of Crimean Tatars and
Nogais emigrated to the
Rusçuk region which subsequently became known as "Little Tartary". Following the Russian conquest of 1812, Nogais from Bucak also immigrated to Dobruja. Tatars who settled in Dobruja before the great exodus of 1860 were known as
Kabail. They formed the Kabail Tatar squadron in the
Nizam-ı Cedid (New Order) army of sultan
Selim III. They played a key role in
Mahmud II's struggle with
Mehmet Ali Pasha of Egypt, suppressed rebellions in
Bosnia and......
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