Turks in the Balkans

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The Balkan Turks (Turkish: Balkan Türkleri) or Rumelian Turks (Turkish: Rumeli Türkleri) are the Turkish people who have been living in the Balkans since Ottoman rule, as well as their descendants who still live in the region today. The Turks are officially recognized as a minority in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Romania; in Greece the Turkish minority is recognized as "Greek Muslims". Furthermore, the Turkish language has minority language status in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Romania. Historically, from the Ottoman conquest until the 19th century, ethnically non-Turkish, especially South Slavic Muslims of the Balkans were referred to in the local languages as Turks (term for Muslims). This usage is common in literature, such as in the works of Ivan Mažuranić and Petar II Petrović-Njegoš. Today, the largest mainly Muslim Slavic ethnic group is known as the Bosniaks followed by Pomaks.

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