The Turkomans of Iraq are defined by their complexity, as their language, history, and culture continue to evade clear-cut definitions.  Moreover, inconsistencies and ambiguities plague much of the data and terminology associated with the group.  Reflective of this is the fact that “Turkoman” is a generic name that encompasses both ethnic Turkmen and Turkic-speaking communities in Iraq, while “Turkmen” denotes only the ethnic Turkmen of Central Asian descent.[1]

The language of the Turkomans belongs to the Oghuz group of Turkic languages.  The group’s official written language is Istanbul Turkish.[2]  The majority of Iraqi Turkomans are Sunni Muslims, although a significant number are Shia Muslims.[3]

Music is an important component of Turkoman culture. The long-necked lute, known as the tanbar or saz, is considered to be the most important instrument in northern Iraq and is widely used by the Turkomans, especially in Talafar and Kirkuk.[4]  Historically, the tanbar has taken on both sacred and spiritual roles; it is utilized by both the mystics of certain Islamic sects and amateur musicians and singers.[5]

Demography

Valid estimations of the Turkoman population are difficult to obtain given that the Iraqi government did not recognize them as a separate ethnic group until the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.  Turkomans are also no longer tribally organized, after years of assimilation into the general population of Iraq.[6]  In 1986, the group reportedly numbered around 222,000 and was assimilating rapidly.[7]  The 2007 CIA World Factbook groups the Turkomans, Assyrians, and other ethnic minorities together for a total of 5 percent of the Iraqi population.[8]

Geographic Distribution

The Turkomans live primarily in the mountainous northern region of Iraq known as Kurdistan,[9] a semi-autonomous region run by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) that enjoys greater security than the southern and central regions of the country.[10]   Their settlements are located primarily in Kirkuk, Mosul, Suleimaniyah, Erbil, Diyala, Khilla, and Baghdad.[11]

The Turkomans originally came to Iraq under the Ottoman Empire in an effort to repel tribal raids.[12]  Iraqi historian Abdul Majid Fahmi Hassan reports that Turkoman migration began in the mid 17th century C.E. when the Ottoman Sultan Murad IV gained control of the region from Iran and then left army troops in the area to maintain control. He asserts that the Iraqi Turkomans are the descendants of these troops.[13]  Other historians date large Turkoman settlements around Kirkuk to the 9th century C.E. – when caliphs stationed troops around the city.[14]

Historic Hardship

Much of the Turkoman hardship centers on land issues and ethnic tensions in Kurdistan between Turkomans and Kurds, Arabs, and Assyrians.  The Turkomans have been a minority group since their arrival in Iraq and have long experienced only limited political representation – a Turkoman official has only been elected during the Ottoman Empire and the Iraqi monarchy.[15]  Political wrangling over the oil-rich city of Kirkuk has also caused divisions between the Turkomans and other ethnic groups,[16] as the Turkomans believe Kirkuk to be their own ancestral capital and cultural center.[17]  However, the liberation of Kirkuk after the U.S. invasion spurred thousands of Kurds to return to their original lands there; this migration created new tensions between Turkomans, Arabs, and Kurds.[18]

Along with other non-Arab groups, the Turkomans were impacted by Ba’athist “Arabization” policies and operations, such as the al-Anfal campaign, and were forcefully expelled from northern Iraq and replaced by Arabs.[19]  (However, it should be noted that Dr. Nouri Talabany, head of the Kurdish Human Rights Organization, claims that both Turkomans and Arabs were recruited by Saddam Hussein in the ethnic cleansing of Kurds.)[20]  During the Iran-Iraq war, the Iraqi central government destroyed around ten Shia Turkoman villages south of Kirkuk.[21] Then, after a failed Kurdish uprising in 1991, more Turkomans, Kurds, and other non-Arabs were forced to flee to Turkey, Iran, and the mountains of Kurdistan.[22] 

Ongoing Hardship

Since Saddam’s fall in 2003, issues of political representation have continued to impact the group.  Indeed, under Iraq’s interim government only one female Turkoman minister was assigned to represent the community.[23]  Other outstanding Turkoman concerns include the status of Kirkuk, the recognition of the Turkish language, and the acceptance of the Turkoman community within the greater Iraqi population.[24]  Tensions between the Kurds and the Turkomans have also escalated since the U.S. invasion as Kurds continue to return to their homes in northern areas such as Kirkuk.[25] While the Kurds would like to see Kirkuk fall under the jurisdiction of the KRG, the Turkomans, along with the Arabs, would prefer that the city fall under the central government in Baghdad.[26]

It should be noted that the country of Turkey plays a role in the situation of the Iraqi Turkoman.  The nation has an interest in preventing Kurdish settlement in Turkoman-inhabited areas such as Kirkuk and has aligned itself with the community.[27]

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