Özet:

Region which is called Turkish Europe defines the geography where Turks live densely in the Balkans. Turkish conquests in the Balkans starting with the Ottoman Empire were supported with settlement policies and most of the Balkans became almost Turkish homeland until the end of the sixteenth century. This region before the War of 93 (1877-1878 Russian-Turkish War) was like a small Ottoman Empire where Turkish, Bulgarian, Greek, Jewish, Albanian, Serbian, Pomak, Romanian, Tatarian and Circassian immigrants lived together with different ethnic factors and religious communities. From the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Ottoman Empire faced riots of non-Muslims in the region resulting from provocations of European states and Russia and the success of these riots to a large extent until the end of the century led Muslim Turks in the region to migrate to Anatolia. The main source of our study is the report entitled "Statistical Information as to the Populations of European Turkey: 1878" signed by British consul A.H.Layard with the date of July 1878, belonging to the Foreign Office with number FO 881/3655 and acquired from London National Archives, England. First pages of the report, which consists of 39 pages, contains summary and general information about total population and lands of the Ottoman Empire in Asia, Europe and Africa. Afterwards Muslim and non-Muslim male population in district, county and villages of provinces under the domination of Ottomans in the Balkans are given with tables in a detailed way.

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