Editing Turkish Cypriots (section)

==Culture==
{{see also|Culture of Northern Cyprus}}

The Turkish Cypriots are [[Turkish language|Turkish]]-speaking, regard themselves as [[secular]] [[Muslims]], and take pride in their [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] heritage.<ref name="Broome 2004 loc=279">{{Harvnb|Broome|2004|loc=279}}.</ref> However, Turkish Cypriots differentiate themselves from mainlanders, especially from the religiously conservative settlers who have come to Cyprus more recently, but their strong connection to Turkey is nonetheless undisputed.<ref name="Broome 2004 loc=282">{{Harvnb|Broome|2004|loc=282}}.</ref> Hence, the Turkish Cypriot identity is based on their ethnic Turkish roots and links to mainland Turkey, but also to their Cypriot character with cultural and linguistic similarities with Greek Cypriots.<ref name="Güven-Lisaniler & Leopoldo 2002 loc=183">{{Harvnb|Güven-Lisaniler|Rodriguez|2002|loc=183}}.</ref> Their culture is heavily based on family ties linked to parents, siblings, and relatives; one's neighbourhood is also considered important as emphasis is given on helping those in need.<ref name="Broome 2004 loc=286">{{Harvnb|Broome|2004|loc=286}}.</ref> Thus, much of their lives revolves around social activities, and food is a central feature of gatherings. [[Turkish Cypriot folk dances]], music, and art are also integral parts of their culture.<ref name="Broome 2004 loc=286"/>

===Religion===
[[File:Larnaca 01-2017 img30 Salt Lake.jpg|thumb|right|250px|upright|The [[Hala Sultan Tekke]] was built by the Ottomans in the 18th century.]]

The majority of Turkish Cypriots (99%) are [[Sunni Muslims]].<ref name="Boyle and Sheen 1997 loc=290">{{Harvnb|Boyle|Sheen|1997|loc=290}}.</ref> However, the [[Secularism|secularizing]] force of [[Kemalism]] has also exerted an impact on Turkish Cypriots.<ref>{{Harvnb|Nevzat|Hatay|2009|loc=928}}.</ref> Religious practices are considered a matter of individual choice and many do not actively practice their religion.<ref>{{Harvnb|Darke|2009|loc=10}}</ref> Alcohol is frequently consumed within the community and most Turkish Cypriot women do not cover their heads.<ref name="Boyle and Sheen 1997 loc=290"/> Turkish Cypriot males are generally [[Religious male circumcision|circumcised]] at a young age in accordance with religious beliefs, although, this practice appears more related to custom and tradition than to powerful religious motivation.<ref>{{Harvnb|Nevzat|Hatay|2009|loc=911}}.</ref>

The social/religious phenomenon of [[crypto-Christianity]] was observed in Cyprus, as in other parts of the Ottoman Empire. The crypto-Christians of Cyprus were known as Linobambaki (= ''of linen and cotton''). They are mentioned by foreign travellers as Turks who are secretly Greeks, observing the Greek Orthodox [[fasting]] (Turner 1815), drinking wine, eating pork and often taking Christian wives.<ref>Άντρος Παυλίδης, "Η Κύπρος ανά τους αιώνες μέσα από τα κείμενα ξένων επισκεπτών της" (Antros Palvlides, "Cyprus through the centuries in the texts of her foreign visitors), ed. Φιλόκυπρος (Philokypros), Cyprus 1994, vol. 2, pp. 1098 (William Turner 1815), 1141 (Luis Salvator 1873), 1163 (Hepworth W. Dixon 1878). In Greek language.</ref>

===Language===
{{main|Cypriot Turkish|Languages of Cyprus}}

The [[Turkish language]] was introduced to Cyprus with the Ottoman conquest in 1571 and became the politically dominant, prestigious language, of the administration.<ref name="Johanson 2011 loc=738">{{Harvnb|Johanson|2011|loc=738}}.</ref> In the post-Ottoman period, Cypriot Turkish was relatively isolated from standard Turkish and had strong influences by the [[Cypriot Greek]] dialect. The condition of coexistence with the Greek Cypriots led to a certain bilingualism whereby Turkish Cypriots' knowledge of [[Greek language|Greek]] was important in areas where the two communities lived and worked together.<ref name="Johanson 2011 loc=739">{{Harvnb|Johanson|2011|loc=739}}.</ref>

According to Prof. C. F. Beckingham (1957), in Cyprus religious and linguistic divisions do not always coincide. There were "Turkish",<ref>Quotation marks as in the source.</ref> i.e. Muslim villages in which the normal language was Greek. Among them were Lapithiou, Platanisto, Ayios Simeon<ref>There are/were wholly or almost wholly Turkish villages named after Christian saints.</ref> Beckingham said that this phenomenon has not been adequately investigated.{{sfn|Beckingham|1957|p=166|ps=:In Cyprus religious and linguistic divisions do not quite coincide. While many Turks habitually speak Turkish there are 'Turkish', that is, Muslim villages in which the normal language is Greek; among them are Lapithiou (P i), Platanisso (F i), Ayios Simeon (F i) and Galinoporni (F i). This fact has not yet been adequately investigated. With the growth of national feeling and the spread of education, the phenomenon is becoming not only rarer but harder to detect. In a Muslim village the school teacher will be a Turk and will teach the children Turkish. They already think of themselves as Turks, and having once learnt the language, will sometimes use it in talking to a visitor in preference to Greek, merely as a matter of national pride. On the other hand, many Turks, whose mother tongue is Turkish, learn Greek because they find it useful to understand the language of the majority, though it is much less common for them to write it correctly''}} The existence of Greek-speaking Muslims is also mentioned in subsequent works.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=r8wGkxXeZuUC&q=Greek-speaking+Muslims Stavroula Varella, Language Contact and the Lexicon in the History of Cypriot Greek, Peter Lang, 2006, p. 64]</ref> Ozan Gülle (2014), "it is historically well documented that Turkish Cypriots showed large differences in their frequency of communication in Cypriot Greek [...]: On one end of the spectrum are Turkish Cypriots who were probably monolingual Cypriot Greek speakers or had only little competency in Turkish, ...".<ref>[https://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/19366/7/Guelle_Vasif_Ozan.pdf Ozan Gülle (2014), "Structural Convergence in Cyprus", Inauguraldussertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Philosophie an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, p. 149]</ref>

The linguistic situation changed radically in 1974, following the [[division of Cyprus]] into a Greek south and a Turkish north. Today, the Cypriot Turkish dialect is being exposed to increasing standard Turkish through immigration from Turkey, new mass media, and new educational institutions.<ref name="Johanson 2011 loc=738"/> Nonetheless, a Turkish speaker familiar with the Cypriot Turkish variety of Turkish can still easily identify a member of the community from one who is not.<ref name="Güven-Lisaniler & Rodriguez 2002 loc=184">{{Harvnb|Güven-Lisaniler|Rodriguez|2002|loc=184}}.</ref> Although many Turkish Cypriots command standard Turkish as well, they generally choose to use their own variety in particular contexts to affirm their identity. Most commonly, these differences are in pronunciation, but they extend to [[lexicon]] and grammatical structures as well.<ref name="Güven-Lisaniler & Rodriguez 2002 loc=184"/> There are many words used by Turkish Cypriots that originate in the particular historical circumstances of the island, including [[English language|English]] and Greek, and therefore have no precedent in standard Turkish. There are also words used by the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities which are authentically Cypriot in origin.<ref name="Güven-Lisaniler & Rodriguez 2002 loc=184"/>

===Music and dances===
{{main|Turkish Cypriot folk dances}}
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Folk music and dancing is an integral part of social life among Turkish Cypriots. Traditional Turkish Cypriot folk dances can be divided into five categories: [[Karsilama]]s, [[Syrtos|Sirtos]], [[Zeybek dance|Zeybeks]], [[Çiftetelli|Ciftetellis]]/Arabiyes, and Topical Dances (such as Orak, Kozan, Kartal and Topal). The folk dancing groups usually have performances during national festivals, weddings, Turkish nights at hotels and within tourism areas.