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Turkish Cypriots
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===Ottoman Cyprus=== {{further|Sürgün}} [[File:Ottomans conquering the Limassol Castle.png|thumb|right|A [[Ottoman miniature|miniature painting]] depicting the landing of Ottoman soldiers at [[Limassol Castle]] during the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus (1570–71)]] [[File:Cipro-Nicosia04.jpg|thumb|left|The Ottoman Turks built [[Büyük Han]] in 1572. Today it has become a thriving center of Turkish Cypriot culture.]] [[File:Larnaca 01-2017 img24 Kamares Aqueduct.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Bekir Pasha Aqueduct]] was built by the Ottoman governor [[Ebubekir Pasha]] in 1747. It is considered to be the most prominent water supply ever built in Cyprus.]] The basis for the emergence of a sizeable and enduring Turkish community in Cyprus emerged when [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] troops landed on the island in mid-May 1570 and [[Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573)|seized it within a year]] from [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] rule.<ref name="Shawn 1976 loc=178">{{Harvnb|Shawn|1976|loc=178}}.</ref> The post-conquest period established a significant Muslim community which consisted of soldiers from the campaign who remained behind and further settlers who were brought from [[Anatolia]] as part of a traditional Ottoman population policy.<ref>{{Harvnb|Orhonlu|1971|loc=99}}.</ref>{{broken footnote|date=May 2020}} There were also new converts to Islam on the island during the early years of Ottoman rule.<ref name="Jennings 1993 loc=137-38"/> In addition to documented settlement of Anatolian peasants and craftsmen, as well as the arrival of soldiers, [[decrees]] were also issued banishing Anatolian tribes, "undesirable" persons, and members of various "troublesome" Muslim sects, principally those officially classified as [[heretical]].<ref name="Jennings 1993 loc=232">{{Harvnb|Jennings|1993|loc=232}}.</ref> This influx of mainly Muslim settlers to Cyprus continued intermittently until the end of the Ottoman period.<ref name="Çevikel 2000 loc=178"/> Some Turkish Cypriots are descendants of [[Crypto-Christians]], a phenomenon that was not uncommon in the Ottoman Empire given its multi-faith character. In Cyprus, many Latins and [[Maronite Cypriots|Maronites]], as well as Greeks, converted to Islam at different points during Ottoman rule for a number of reasons ranging from collectively avoiding heavy taxation to ending an individual woman unhappy marriage.<ref>Jennings, 1993</ref> Their artificial embrace of Islam and their secret maintaining of Christianity led this group of crypto-Christians to be known in Greek as [[Linobambaki]] or the cotton-linen sect as they changed religion to curry favour with Ottoman officials during the day but practiced Catholicism at night.<ref>R.L.N Michael, Muslim-Christian Sect in Cyprus, The 19th Century Journal, issue 63, pages 751-762, 1908 </ref> In 1636 the conditions for the Christians became intolerable and certain Christians decided to become Muslims. According to Palmieri (1905) the Maronites who became Muslims lived mainly in the Nicosia District and despite the fact that the Maronites turned to Muslims they never gave up their Christian faith and beliefs hoping to become Christians. This is why they baptized their children according to the Christian faith, but they also practiced circumcision. They also gave their children two names, a Muslim and a Christian one.<ref>Palmieri, 1905</ref> Many of the villages and neighbouring areas accepted as Turkish Cypriot estates, were formerly Linobambaki activity centers. These include:<ref>R.L.N. Michael, Muslim-Christian Sect in Cyprus, The 19th Century Journal, issue 63, pages 751-762, 1908</ref> {{columns-list|colwidth=15em| * Agios Andronikos (Yeşilköy) * Agios Ioannis (Ayyanni) * Agios Sozomenos (Arpalık) * Agios Theodoros (Boğaziçi) * Armenochori (Esenköy) * Ayios Iakovos (Altınova) * Ayios Khariton (Ergenekon) * Dali (Dali) * Frodisia (Yağmuralan) * Galinoporni (Kaleburnu) * Kato Arodes (Aşağı Kalkanlı) * Tylliria (Dillirga) * Kornokipos (Görneç) * Kritou Marottou (Grit-Marut) * Limnitis (Yeşilırmak) * Louroujina (Akincilar) * Melounta (Mallıdağ) * Platani (Çınarlı) * Potamia (Bodamya) * Vretsia (Vretça) }} By the second quarter of the nineteenth century, approximately 30,000 Muslims were living in Cyprus, comprising about 35% of the total population. The fact that Turkish was the main language spoken by the Muslims of the island is a significant indicator that the majority of them were either Turkish-speaking Anatolians or otherwise from a Turkic background.<ref name="Nevzat & Hatay 2009 loc=912">{{Harvnb|Nevzat|Hatay|2009|loc=912}}.</ref> Throughout the Ottoman rule, the demographic ratio between Christian "Greeks" and Muslim "Turks" fluctuated constantly.<ref name="Hatay 2007 loc=17">{{Harvnb|Hatay|2007|loc=17}}.</ref> During 1745–1814, the Muslim Turkish Cypriots constituted the majority on the island compared to the Christian Greek Cypriots, being up to 75% of the total island population.{{efn|Drummond, 1745: 150,000 vs. 50,000; Kyprianos, 1777: 47,000 vs. 37,000;<ref>[https://archive.org/details/excerptacypriama00cobhuoft Claude Delaval Cobham] Excerpta Cypria, Cambridge University Press, 1908, p.366-67</ref><ref>[http://cypruslibrary.moec.gov.cy/ebooks/36821 Archimandrite Kyprianos] Istoria Khronoloyiki tis Nisou Kiprou (History and Chronicles of the Island of Cyprus, Ιστορία χρονολογική της νήσου Κύπρου) 1788, p.495</ref> De Vezin, 1788–1792: 60,000 vs. 20,000; Kinneir 1814: 35,000 vs. 35,000).<ref name="Hatay 2007 loc=19">{{Harvnb|Hatay|2007|loc=19}}</ref>}} However, by 1841, Turks made up 27% of the island's population.<ref>{{Harvnb|Spilling|2000|loc=25}}.</ref> One of the reasons for this decline is because the Turkish community were obliged to serve in the [[Ottoman army]] for years, usually away from home, very often losing their lives in the endless wars of the Ottoman Empire.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hatay|2007|loc=18}}.</ref> Another reason for the declining population was because of the emigration trend of some 15,000 Turkish Cypriots to Anatolia in 1878, when the Ottoman Turks handed over the administration of the island to Britain.<ref name="Heper & Criss 2009 loc=92">{{Harvnb|Heper|Criss|2009|loc=92}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Çakmak|2008|loc=201}}.</ref>
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