View source for Armenians in Turkey

{{Short description|Ethnic group}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Armenians in Turkey<br />''Türkiye Ermenileri''
| pop              = 40,000<ref>{{cite web | url=https://tr.euronews.com/2019/04/08/ermeniler-neden-turkiyeyi-terk-ediyor-turkiye-de-ne-kadar-ermeni-kaldi | title=Ermenilerin Türkiye'den göçü | date=8 April 2019 }}</ref>-50,000<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.agos.com.tr/tr/yazi/30659/gokcek-e-gore-turkiye-de-15-milyon-gizli-rum-ermeni-ve-yahudi-varmis | title=Gökçek'e göre Türkiye'de 15 milyon gizli Rum, Ermeni ve Yahudi varmış | date=15 July 2024 }}</ref> (excluding [[Crypto-Armenians]])
| popplace         = [[Istanbul]], [[Diyarbakır]], [[Kayseri]], [[Mardin]], [[Şanlıurfa]], [[Vakıflı]], [[Tercan]], and [[Iskenderun]], [[Tunceli]], [[Kars Province|Kars]], [[Iğdır Province|Iğdır]], [[Van Province|Van]], [[Erzurum Province|Erzurum]], [[Adana Province|Adana]], [[Kahramanmaraş Province|Kahramanmaraş]], [[Ankara]], [[Erzincan Province|Erzincan]]
| languages        = [[Turkish language|Turkish]] (majority), [[Western Armenian]] (minority)<ref name="community" /><ref name="unesco.org" />
| religions        = Predominantly [[Christianity]] ([[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Apostolic]]) with [[Armenian Catholic Church|Armenian Catholic]], [[Armenian Evangelical Church|Armenian Evangelical]], and [[Muslim]] minorities.
| footnotes        = 
}}
{{Armenians}}
'''Armenians in Turkey''' ({{langx|tr|Türkiye Ermenileri}}; {{langx|hy|Թուրքահայեր}} or {{lang|hy|Թրքահայեր}}, {{Transliteration|hy|T’urk’ahayer}} {{lit|Turkish Armenians}}), one of the indigenous peoples of [[Turkey]], have an estimated population of 40,000<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-08 |title=Ermenilerin Türkiye'den göçü |url=https://tr.euronews.com/2019/04/08/ermeniler-neden-turkiyeyi-terk-ediyor-turkiye-de-ne-kadar-ermeni-kaldi |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=euronews |language=tr}}</ref> to 50,000<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-15 |title=Gökçek'e göre Türkiye'de 15 milyon gizli Rum, Ermeni ve Yahudi varmış |url=https://www.agos.com.tr/tr/yazi/30659/gokcek-e-gore-turkiye-de-15-milyon-gizli-rum-ermeni-ve-yahudi-varmis |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=Agos |language=tr}}</ref> today, down from a population of over 2 million Armenians between the years 1914 and 1921.{{cn|date=June 2025}} Today, the overwhelming majority of Turkish Armenians [[Armenians in Istanbul|are concentrated in Istanbul]]. They support their own newspapers, churches and schools, and the majority belong to the [[Armenian Apostolic]] faith and a minority of Armenians in [[Turkey]] belong to the [[Armenian Catholic Church]] or to the [[Armenian Evangelical Church]]. They are not considered part of the [[Armenian diaspora]], since they have been living in their historical homeland for more than four thousand years.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Baronian |first1=Marie-Aude |url=https://brill.com/view/title/30915 |title=Diaspora and Memory: Figures of Displacement in Contemporary Literature, Arts and Politics |last2=Besser |first2=Stephan |last3=Jansen |first3=Yolande |date=2006-01-01 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-94-012-0380-7 |doi=10.1163/9789401203807_006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Baser |first1=Bahar |last2=Swain |first2=Ashok |date=2009 |title=Diaspora Design Versus Homeland Realities: Case Study of Armenian Diaspora |url=https://cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/10967 |language=en|journal=Caucasian Review of International Affairs|page=57}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Minister denies calling Armenians 'Diaspora representatives' in Istanbul |url=https://www.tert.am/en/news/2011/05/12/diaspora-minister-hurriyet/279878 |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=www.tert.am |language=en}}</ref>

Until the [[Armenian genocide]] of 1915, most of the Armenian population of Turkey (then the [[Ottoman Empire]]) lived in the eastern parts of the country that Armenians call [[Western Armenia]] (roughly corresponding to the modern [[Eastern Anatolia Region]]).

Armenians are one of the four [[Minorities in Turkey|ethnic minorities]] officially recognized in Turkey, together with [[History of the Jews in Turkey|Jews]], [[Greeks in Turkey|Greeks]],<ref name=Kaya2015>{{Cite journal |last=Kaya |first=Nurcan |date=2015-11-24 |title=Teaching in and Studying Minority Languages in Turkey: A Brief Overview of Current Issues and Minority Schools |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/ymio/12/1/article-p315_13.xml |journal=European Yearbook of Minority Issues Online |language=en |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=315–338 |doi=10.1163/9789004306134_013 |issn=2211-6117|quote=Turkey is a nation–state built on remnants of the Ottoman Empire where non-Muslim minorities were guaranteed the right to set up educational institutions; however, since its establishment, it has officially recognised only Armenians, Greeks and Jews as minorities and guaranteed them the right to manage educational institutions as enshrined in the Treaty of Lausanne. [...] Private language teaching courses teach ‘traditionally used languages’, elective language courses have been introduced in public schools and universities are allowed to teach minority languages.|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=Toktas2006>{{Cite journal |last=Toktas |first=Sule |date=2006 |title=EU enlargement conditions and minority protection : a reflection on Turkey's non-Muslim minorities |url=https://cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/42732 |journal=East European Quarterly |language=en |volume=40 |pages=489–519 |issn=0012-8449|quote=Turkey signed the Covenant on 15 August 2000 and ratified it on 23 September 2003. However, Turkey put a reservation on Article 27 of the Covenant which limited the scope of the right of ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion or to use their own language. This reservation provides that this right will be implemented and applied in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Turkish Constitution and the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. This implies that Turkey grants educational right in minority languages only to the recognized minorities covered by the Lausanne who are the Armenians, Greeks and the Jews.}}</ref><ref name=Phillips2020>{{Cite journal |last=Phillips |first=Thomas James |date=2020-12-16 |title=The (In-)Validity of Turkey's Reservation to Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights |url=https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/10249/ |journal=International Journal on Minority and Group Rights |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=66–93 |doi=10.1163/15718115-02701001 |issn=1385-4879|quote=The fact that Turkish constitutional law takes an even more restrictive approach to minority rights than required under the Treaty of Lausanne was recognised by the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in its concluding observations on the combined fourth to sixth periodic reports of Turkey. The CERD noted that “the treaty of Lausanne does not explicitly prohibit the recognition of other groups as minorities” and that Turkey should consider recognising the minority status of other groups, such as Kurds. 50 In practice, this means that Turkey grants minority rights to “Greek, Armenian and Jewish minority communities while denying their possible impact for unrecognized minority groups (e.g. Kurds, Alevis, Arabs, Syriacs, Protestants, Roma etc.)”.}}</ref> and [[Bulgarians in Turkey|Bulgarians]].<ref name=Bayır2013>{{Cite book |last=Bayır |first=Derya |title=Minorities and nationalism in Turkish law |date=2013 |publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4094-7254-4 |series=Cultural Diversity and Law |location=Farnham|url=https://www.academia.edu/37557239| pages=88–89, 203–204}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Toktas |first1=Sule |last2=Aras |first2=Bulent |date=2009 |title=The EU and Minority Rights in Turkey |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25655744 |journal=Political Science Quarterly |volume=124 |issue=4 |pages=697–720 |doi=10.1002/j.1538-165X.2009.tb00664.x |jstor=25655744 |issn=0032-3195|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Köksal |first=Yonca |date=2006 |title=Minority Policies in Bulgaria and Turkey: The Struggle to Define a Nation |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14683850601016390 |journal=Southeast European and Black Sea Studies |language=en |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=501–521 |doi=10.1080/14683850601016390 |issn=1468-3857|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In addition to local ethnic Armenians who are Turkish citizens, there are also many recent immigrants from Armenia in Istanbul.<ref name=aljazeera2015/> There is also an unknown number of officially Muslim citizens of the Republic of Turkey who have recently started to identify as Armenians based on their Armenian roots, after being Islamised decades or centuries earlier.<ref>{{Cite thesis |title=Contesting Armenianness: plurality, segregation and multilateral boundary making among Armenians in contemporary Turkey |url=https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:2ccb91d8-8427-4121-9633-d97a8d86efc2 |publisher=University of Oxford |date=2020 |degree=PhD |language=English |first=H. |last=Papazian}}</ref> They are referred as [[crypto-Armenians]].

== History ==
{{Main|Armenians in the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Armenian population|Ottoman Armenian casualties}}
[[File:Ralamb-20.jpg|thumb|Picture of Armenian from the Ralamb Costume Book, 1657]]
Armenians living in Turkey today are a remnant of what was once a much larger community that existed for thousands of years, long before the establishment of the [[Sultanate of Rum]]. Estimates for the [[Ottoman Armenian population|number of Armenian citizens of the Ottoman Empire]] in the decade before World War I range between 1.3 (official Ottoman data) and 3 million (independent estimates).

When [[Constantinople]] finally became part of the Ottoman Empire, financial support was given to the Apostolic Church by the Sultan, so it could build churches in the city, which prior to that the Byzantines refused as they viewed the church as heretical. Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were viewed as a separate [[Millet (Ottoman Empire)|millet]], and given the status of [[second-class citizen]]s, but were not usually mistreated until later in the empire's history. Many Armenians gained significant positions in the empire in professions such as banking, which they almost had a monopoly in. The oldest Turkish company, [[Zildjian]], was founded by an Armenian in the 17th century.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pellegrinelli |first=Lara |date=2018-08-03 |title=A Family's 400-Year-Old Musical Secret Still Rings True |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/03/arts/music/zildjian-cymbals-400-years.html |access-date=2022-07-25 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Starting in the late 19th century, political instability, dire economic conditions, and continuing [[Hamidian Massacres|ethnic tensions]] prompted the emigration of as many as 100,000 Armenians to [[Europe]], the [[Americas]] and the [[Middle East]]. This massive exodus from the Ottoman Empire is what started the modern [[Armenian diaspora]] worldwide.

There was conflict between Armenians, Turks and Kurds between 1892 and 1915.  The [[Armenian genocide]]<ref>[https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20100819160104/http://www.umd.umich.edu/dept/armenian/facts/ /gen_bib1.html Extensive bibliography by University of Michigan on the Armenian genocide]</ref> followed in 1915–1916 until 1918, during which the Ottoman government of the time ordered the deportation. These measures affected an estimated 75–80% of all the Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire during [[World War I]]. Many died directly, while others died as a result of dehydration, disease, and starvation during the death marches.

As for the remaining Armenians in the east, they found refuge by 1917–1918 in the [[Caucasus]] and within the areas controlled by the newly established [[Democratic Republic of Armenia]]. They never returned to their original homes in today's Eastern Turkey (composed of six [[vilayets]], [[Erzurum Vilayet|Erzurum]], [[Van Vilayet|Van]], [[Bitlis Vilayet|Bitlis]], [[Diyarbekir Vilayet|Diyarbakır]], [[Mamuretülaziz Vilayet|Mamuretülaziz]], and [[Sivas Vilayet|Sivas]]).

Their descendants are known as [[Hidden Armenians]] and are present throughout [[Western Armenia]], but particularly in Dersim ([[Tunceli]]). Through the 20th century, an unknown number of Armenians living in the mountainous region of Dersim converted to [[Alevism]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Armenian Elements in the Beliefs of the Kizilbash Kurds|url=http://rbedrosian.com/mmpaul1.htm|access-date=28 April 2013|date=27 April 2013|newspaper=İnternet Haber}}</ref> During the [[Armenian genocide]], many of the Armenians in the region were saved by their [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] neighbors.<ref>{{cite book|last=A. Davis|first=Leslie|title=The Slaughterhouse Province: An American Diplomat's Report On the Armenian Genocide, 1915–1917|year=1990|publisher=A.D. Caratzas|location=New Rochelle, New York|isbn=9780892414581|edition=2. print.|editor=Blair, Susan K.}}</ref> According to Mihran Prgiç Gültekin, the head of the Union of Dersim Armenians, around 75% of the population of [[Dersim]] are "converted Armenians."<ref name="Mihran Gultekin">{{cite news|title=Mihran Gultekin: Dersim Armenians Re-Discovering Their Ancestral Roots |url=http://massispost.com/archives/1752 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130128104551/http://massispost.com/archives/1752 |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 January 2013 |access-date=30 December 2012 |newspaper=Massis Post |date=7 February 2011 |location=Yerevan }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.adanamedya.com/author_article_detail.php?id=2150 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130116131108/http://www.adanamedya.com/author_article_detail.php?id=2150 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 January 2013 |title=Dersimin Nobel adayları... |last=Adamhasan |first=Ali |date=5 December 2011 |newspaper=Adana Medya |access-date=20 October 2013 |language=tr }}</ref> He reported in 2012 that over 200 families in Tunceli have declared their Armenian descent, but others are afraid to do so.<ref name="Mihran Gultekin" /><ref name="Dersim Armenians back to their roots">{{cite news|title=Dersim Armenians back to their roots|url=http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/politics/news/60924/|access-date=31 December 2012|newspaper=[[PanARMENIAN.Net]]|date=7 February 2011}}</ref> In April 2013, Aram Ateşyan, the acting [[Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople]], stated that 90% of Tunceli's population is of Armenian origin.<ref name="internethaber">{{cite news|title=Tunceli'nin yüzde 90'ı dönme Ermeni'dir|url=http://www.internethaber.com/tuncelinin-yuzde-90i-donme-ermenidir-527098h.htm|access-date=28 April 2013|date=27 April 2013|newspaper=İnternet Haber|language=tr}}</ref>

Most of the Armenian survivors from [[Cilicia]] and the southernmost areas with Armenians like [[Diyarbakır]] ended up in northern [[Syria]] and the [[Middle East]]. All those who survived the death camps in/deportations to [[Deir ez-Zor]] ended up there as well. Armenians deported from areas that were under allied control by 1918, particularly the short lived [[French Mandate]], which had control of southeastern [[Turkey]] and all of [[Cilicia]] according to the [[Sykes–Picot Agreement]], were able to return to their homes to gather things or search for loved ones. After the fall of French Cilicia, Some of those returnees attempted to stay permanently after the Turks gained the territory back, but were all driven away by the early 1930s due to various reasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://armenianweekly.com/2011/10/14/a-history-of-destruction/|title=A History of Destruction: The Fate of Armenian Church Properties in Adana [i]|author=Hairenik|work=Armenian Weekly|date=14 October 2011}}</ref> Those who left the Mandate ended up in Syria, France, Armenia, the Americas and the rest of Europe, in that order. The Armenian population suffered a final blow with ongoing massacres and atrocities throughout the period 1920–1923, during the [[Turkish War of Independence]]. Those suffering the most were those Armenians remaining in the east and the south of Turkey, and the [[Pontic Greeks]] in the [[Black Sea Region]].

By the end of the 1920s, only a sprinkling of non-converted Armenians left in Turkey were scattered sparsely throughout the country, with the only viable Armenian population remaining in [[Istanbul]] and its environs, [[Diyarbakir]] and [[Malatya]], with those largely disappearing due to the [[Turkey-PKK War]] necessitating their migration to Istanbul. At the time of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, [[Hatay Province]] was part of Syria, and is why that area still has some established and officially recognized Armenian communities.

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Turkey|Minorities in Turkey|List of Turkish-Armenians}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Armenian-speaking population in Turkey<ref>Fuat Dündar, Türkiye Nüfus Sayımlarında Azınlıklar, 2000</ref>
!Year
!As first language
!As second language
!Total
!Turkey's population
!% of Total speakers
|-
|1927
|67,745
| –
|67,745
|13,629,488
|0.50
|-
|1935
|57,599
|9,782
|67,381
|16,157,450
|0.42
|-
|1945
|47,728
|12,354
|60,082
|18,790,174
|0.32
|-
|1950
|52,776
|9,322
|62,098
|20,947,188
|0.30
|-
|1955
|56,235
|6,084
|62,319
|24,064,763
|0.26
|-
|1960
|52,756
|19,444
|72,200
|27,754,820
|0.26
|-
|1965
|33,094
|22,260
|55,354
|31,391,421
|0.18
|}

Due to the Armenian Genocide and other events in Turkey during the last century, Turkish Armenians were killed, forced into hiding, and forcibly converted to Islam, which therefore split them into different groups. There are three groups- Armenian Christians, Crypto Armenians, and Muslim Armenians. Christian Armenians are in most cases part of the recognized minority, but can also include Crypto Armenians who are not legally recognized as Armenian but identify as both Armenian and Christian, and Armenian immigrants to Turkey. Crypto Armenians are Armenians who are legally identified as Turks and are either Christian and openly recognize their identity, hide their identity and either practice [[Crypto-Christianity]] or Islam, Openly identify as Armenian but are Muslim, or don't know about their ethnicity at all. The combined total of all Armenians in Turkey is unknown, because the number of people who are Crypto Armenian is hard to determine, with numbers ranging from as low as 30,000 to several million depending on how broad the standards were to be considered Crypto Armenian in the studies made. However, the combined total of immigrant Armenians and those in the recognized minority would be estimated at 150–170,000. Another statistic could be the number of people who are members of the [[Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople]], being at 95,000.

===Armenian Christians===
The officially recognized Armenian [[Christians|Christian]] population is estimated to be between 50,000 and 70,000, mostly living in [[Istanbul]] and its environs. They are almost always members of the [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Apostolic]], [[Armenian Catholic Church|Armenian Catholic]] or [[Armenian Evangelical Church|Armenian Evangelical]] churches. The number of Armenian Christians is both diminishing due to emigration to [[Europe]], the [[Americas]] and [[Australia]], and increasing due to immigrants from Armenia looking for work (who are entirely Christian), and Crypto-Armenians who decide to identify openly as Armenians and convert to Christianity. However, most of that growth is not reflected in official data, because Crypto-Armenians are not listed as part of the recognized Armenian minority due to Turkish laws on the officially recognized (Armenians, Greeks, and Jews) minorities, which doesn't allow newly identified Armenians to change their Turkish identities they were given at birth. As for Armenian immigrants, most are unable to join the minority because they are illegal immigrants. Due to those factors, the [[de jure]] number of Armenian Christians is much lower than the [[de facto]] amount.

The Armenian minority is recognized as a separate [[Millet (Ottoman Empire)|"millet"]] in the Turkish system and has its own religious, cultural, social and educational institutions along with a distinct media. The Turkish Armenian community struggles to keep its own institutions, media and schools open due to diminishing demand from emigration and quite considerable economic sacrifices.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

====Regions with Armenian Christians====
=====[[Istanbul Province|Istanbul]]=====
[[File:Ara_Guler.JPG|thumb|[[Ara Güler]] was an Armenian-Turkish photojournalist, nicknamed "the Eye of Istanbul".]]
{{main|Armenians in Istanbul}}
{{See also|Istanbul pogrom}}
The Armenian community of [[Istanbul]] is the largest in Turkey, a catalyst being due to the fact that it was the only place that Armenian Christians were at least somewhat protected at the time of the creation of Turkey post [[Armenian genocide]]. Other factors included the Patriarchate having its headquarters in the city, and the city's economy and quality of life attracting Armenian immigrants which allowed for the community to keep stable numbers in the face of [[Istanbul Pogrom|discrimination]] and constant migration.

The three most important areas where Armenians live in Istanbul are the [[Kumkapı]] quarter, [[Yeşilköy]] and [[Pangalti]] neighborhoods, as well as the [[Prince Islands]]. Kumkapi is the location of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, and is known for its many fish restaurants and historic Churches. One of the main differences between the areas is that Kumkapi is [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Apostolic]], While Pangalti has a mix of [[Armenian Catholic Church|Armenian]] and [[Roman Catholic]], and Yesilköy is mostly Armenian Catholic, Roman Catholic and Syriac Orthodox. Kumkapi is also located in the [[Fatih|Old city]], while Pangalti is in the [[Şişli|newer part]], and Yesilköy is a neighborhood within Greater Istanbul next to the outer walls of the Fatih District.

=====[[Hatay Province]]=====
[[Iskenderun]] has one small Armenian church, and a community of a few dozen Armenians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anadolukatolikkilisesi.org/iskenderun/en/cristiani.asp|title=Iskenderun: Catholic Church – Katolik Kilisesi – Chiesa Cattolica – Katholischer Church|work=anadolukatolikkilisesi.org|access-date=2015-07-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305192407/http://www.anadolukatolikkilisesi.org/iskenderun/en/cristiani.asp|archive-date=2016-03-05|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Vakıflı, Samandağ|Vakıflı Köyü]] ([[Armenian language|Armenian]]: {{lang|hy|Վաքիֆ}} — '''Vakif''') is the only remaining fully ethnic Armenian village in [[Turkey]]. This village and 6 others managed to brave past the Armenian genocide in the [[Musa Dagh Resistance|Musa Dagh Defense]]. This particular village only exists as of now due to some of the population deciding to stay after [[Hatay province]] was [[Hatay State|invaded and annexed by Turkey]] in 1939, while the other 6 villages populations decided to leave.<ref name="hurriyet050731">{{cite news|first=Ersin|last=Kalkan|url= http://hurarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr/goster/haber.aspx?id=338656|work=[[Hürriyet]]| title=Türkiye'nin tek Ermeni köyü Vakıflı |date= 2005-07-31|access-date=2007-02-22|language=tr}}</ref><ref name="lonelyplanet">{{cite book |last=Campbell |first=Verity |title= Turkey |year=2007 |publisher=[[Lonely Planet]] |isbn=978-1-74104-556-7 | url= https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetturk00veri|url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetturk00veri/page/438 438] |quote=Vakifli. }}</ref> It is located on the slopes of [[Musa Dagh]] in the [[Samandağ]] district of [[Hatay Province]], the village overlooks the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and is within eyesight of the [[Syria]]n border. It is home to a community of about 130 Turkish-Armenians,<ref name="lonelyplanet"/> and around 300 people who are from the village who come back to visit during the summer.

====Immigration from Armenia====
The Christian Armenian presence in Turkey is reinforced by a constant flow of mostly illegal immigrants from Armenia who settle in Turkey in search of better job opportunities, where the difference in pay can be quite significant.<ref name=aljazeera2015>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/armenian-immigrants-life-turkey-150420070803126.html |title=Armenian immigrants look for a better life in Turkey |access-date=2015-08-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913023903/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/armenian-immigrants-life-turkey-150420070803126.html |archive-date=2016-09-13 }} Quote"I earn $600 a month, which is more than twice the money I would earn in Armenia"</ref> Despite a negative public opinion in Armenia of "an Armenian who works for a Turk" as a result of the century-long uneasy relationship between the two countries, by 2010, there were between 22,000 and 25,000 Armenian citizens living illegally in Istanbul alone, according to Turkish officials,<ref name="illegal">{{cite news|title=Turkey: Armenian Illegal Migrants Put National Grievances Aside for Work|date=2 September 2011|access-date=8 September 2011|first1=Marianna |last1=Grigoryan |first2=Anahit |last2=Hayrapetyan|work=[[EurasiaNet]]|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/64116}}</ref> and an estimated total amount of 100,000. Many of them are employed in Turkish households to provide domestic services, such as cooking and cleaning.<ref>Gevorg Ter-Gabrielyan. [https://archive.today/20130417072209/http://apsnyteka.narod2.ru/k/kavkazskoe_sosedstvo_turtsiya_i_yuzhnii_kavkaz/chast_pervaya/index.html Armenia and the Caucasus: Crossroad or Dead-End?].</ref> According to a 2009 interview poll of 150 Armenian work migrants, the majority are women.<ref name="illegal"/> In 2010, amid Armenia's push for the recognition of the [[Armenian genocide|1915 Armenian genocide]] as a genocide, Prime Minister [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan|Erdoğan]] threatened to deport the illegal immigrants back to Armenia,<ref>Suna Erdem. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7066218.ece Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatens to expel 100,000 illegal Armenians]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}. ''[[The Times]]''. 18 March 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2011.</ref> however the situation gradually thawed. Some Armenian immigrants do not discuss ever returning to their homeland having adapted to life in Turkey.<ref name="illegal"/> Beginning in 2011, children of the Armenian citizens living illegally in Istanbul have been allowed to attend local Armenian minority schools, but as they are not Turkish citizens, they do not receive diplomas at the end of the school term.<ref>[http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/18629126.asp Armenian Children to Be Educated] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004030139/http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/18629126.asp |date=October 4, 2015 }}. ''[[Hürriyet]]''. 2 September 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/77077/|title=Children of Armenian irregular immigrants to attend community schools in Turkey|work=PanARMENIAN.Net|access-date=11 June 2015}}</ref> According to the researcher Alin Ozinian number of Armenians living illegally in Turkey (in 2009) is 12,000 to 13,000 and not 70,000 to 100,000 as has previously been estimated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-194672-100-report-12000-armenian-citizens-working-illegally-in-turkey.html |title=Today's Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news |website=www.todayszaman.com |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429080605/http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-194672-100-report-12000-armenian-citizens-working-illegally-in-turkey.html |archive-date=29 April 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Number of Armenians Illegally Living in Turkey Only 12,000: Recent Study Reports|url=https://www.tert.am/en/news/2010/03/18/armeniansturkey/1259246|access-date=2021-07-31|website=www.tert.am|language=en|archive-date=2022-12-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205021947/https://www.tert.am/en/news/2010/03/18/armeniansturkey/1259246|url-status=live}}</ref> Aris Nalci, a journalist working for the newspaper Agos, gave a little bit higher numbers, between 12,000 and 14,000 (in 2010).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.azatutyun.am/a/1965222.html|title=Study Sheds Light on Armenian Migrants in Turkey|newspaper=«Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» Ռադիոկայան |date=22 February 2010 |last1=Danielyan |first1=Emil }}</ref>

=====[[Diyarbakir Province]]=====
[[Diyarbakir]] (or Amida/Tigranakert) has three operating Armenian churches as of 2015– one Apostolic,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://armenianweekly.com/2013/09/10/mass-celebrated-at-sourp-giragos-church-in-diyarbakir/|title=Mass Celebrated at Sourp Giragos Church in Diyarbakir|author=Hairenik|work=Armenian Weekly|date=10 September 2013}}</ref> one Catholic, and one Protestant<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christiantoday.com/article/after.12.years.turkey.closes.the.door.on.american.church.volunteer/33407.htm|title=After 12 years, Turkey closes the door on American church volunteer – Christian News on Christian Today|work=christiantoday.com|date=29 July 2013 }}</ref>- The largest amount for any city in Turkey excluding Istanbul. The city's modern Armenian community was established in the 1920s and 30s when all the Armenians that still lived in the surrounding areas consolidated by moving to Amida, forming a community consisting of 30 families in the 1980s in Sur, the historic district of Diyarbakir. It could also be assumed that many Crypto Armenians have been living here as well, because when the [[St. Giragos Armenian Church|Apostolic church]] was restored in 2011 after years of abandonment, several thousand people came to celebrate mass there, including diasporans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2013/10/turkish-armenians-rediscover-roots.html|title=Armenian Life Returns to Diyarbakir – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East|work=Al-Monitor}}</ref> In 2017, the Southeastern third of [[Sur, Diyarbakır|Sur district]] was leveled due to being occupied by Kurdish Insurgents. The Armenian Church was raided by what is suspected to be [[Grey Wolves (organization)|Grey Wolves]] after most of the residents of Sur were forced to leave, and the district was occupied by the Turkish Army. This part of the district is being rebuilt and resold to Turkish and foreign investors.

===Muslim Armenians===

====[[Hemshins]]====

Also in Turkey are the '''Hopa Hemshinli''' (also designated occasionally as '''eastern Hemshinli''' in publications) are Sunni Muslims of Armenian origin and culture who converted to Islam during Ottoman and earlier rule, and mostly live in the Hopa and Borçka counties of Turkey's [[Artvin Province]]. In addition to Turkish, they speak a dialect of [[Western Armenian language|western Armenian]] they call "''Homshetsma''" or "Hemşince" in Turkish.<ref>Ibit, Uwe Blasing, "Armenian in the vocabulary and culture of the Turkish Hemshinli".</ref>

===Other Armenians===

====[[Hidden Armenians|Crypto Armenians]]====
"Hidden Armenians" and "crypto-Armenians"<ref>{{cite news|last=Ziflioğlu|first=Vercihan|title=Hidden Armenians in Turkey expose their identities|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=hidden-armenians-in-turkey-expose-their-identities-2011-06-24|access-date=13 November 2013|newspaper=[[Hürriyet Daily News]]|date=24 June 2011}}</ref> are [[umbrella term]]s to describe people in Turkey "of full or partial ethnic Armenian origin who generally conceal their Armenian identity from wider Turkish society."<ref>{{cite news|last=Ziflioğlu|first=Vercihan|title=Elective courses may be ice-breaker for all|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/elective-courses-may-be-ice-breaker-for-all.aspx?pageID=238&nid=23512|access-date=24 June 2013|newspaper=[[Hürriyet Daily News]]|date=19 June 2012}}</ref> They are  descendants of Armenians in Turkey who were [[Islamized]] and  [[Turkified]] under the threat of either death, displacement, loss of property or a combination of those during the [[Armenian genocide]].<ref name="noravank">{{cite web|last=Khanlaryan|first=Karen|title=The Armenian ethnoreligious elements in the Western Armenia|url=http://www.noravank.am/eng/issues/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=3724|publisher=[[Noravank Foundation]]|access-date=16 June 2013|date=29 September 2005}}</ref>
Ways in which they were converted included orphans being taken in by Muslim families, Armenian women being taken as wives by soldiers, and entire families converting by joining communities that accepted them.

Many Cryptos are totally unaware of their Armenian ethnicity, living as Turks or Kurds, while many know they are Armenian but hide it out of fear of discrimination.

=====Religious affiliation=====
Considering the advanced nature of Crypto Armenians, they cannot be classified as either Muslim or Christian. Some practice [[Crypto-Christianity]], masquerading as Muslims, while many genuinely practice Islam. Most Cryptos who later identify as Armenians are Christian as well, with a common practice among those who confess their ethnicity being to have a Christian baptism performed. Still, some who confess do not change their religion, and continue on as Muslims. Others even practice both faiths depending on where they are.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2013/02/turkey-secret-armenians.html# |title=Turkey's Secret Armenians - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East |access-date=2015-08-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313070741/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2013/02/turkey-secret-armenians.html |archive-date=2016-03-13 }} quote: "Jazo Uzal, a villager from the province of Mus, goes to church in Istanbul, where he spends the winters, but when he returns home during the summer he observes the Muslim rites of worship, including fasting."</ref> That may just be due to a lack of churches, and for identified Armenians who are Muslim, a fear of Turkish extremists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2013/10/turkish-armenians-rediscover-roots.html |title=Armenian Life Returns to Diyarbakir - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East |access-date=2015-07-15 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095239/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2013/10/turkish-armenians-rediscover-roots.html |archive-date=2016-03-04 }} quote: “I am happy to see my father getting back in touch with his Armenian identity. However, I am afraid not only of the state but also of militant groups.”</ref>

==Politics==
[[File:Garo_Paylan_interview.jpg|thumb|Garo Paylan (Armenian: Կարօ Փայլան, born 1972) is a Turkish politician of Armenian descent. He is a Member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) representing Istanbul. He became one of the first Armenian members of Turkey's parliament in decades.]]

The wealth tax known as [[Varlık Vergisi]], a Turkish tax levied on the non-Muslim citizens of Turkey by a law enacted on November 11, 1942, with the stated aim of raising funds for the country's defense in case of an eventual entry into [[World War II]] had devastating effect on the ethnic minorities of Turkey, and most importantly the Armenian community.<ref name="dilek">{{cite news
 |url=http://www.radikal.com.tr/haber.php?haberno=163380 
 |access-date=2008-10-25 
 |title=6–7 Eylül Olayları (1) 
 |work=[[Radikal]] 
 |department=Türkiye 
 |first=Dilek 
 |last=Güven 
 |language=tr 
 |date=2005-09-06 
 |quote=Nitekim 1942 yılında yürürlüğe giren Varlık Vergisi, Ermenilerin, Rumların ve Yahudilerin ekonomideki liderliğine son vermeyi hedeflemiştir...Seçim dönemleri CHP ve DP'nin Varlık Vergisi'nin geri ödeneceği yönündeki vaatleri ise seçim propagandasından ibarettir. 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915030905/http://www.radikal.com.tr/haber.php?haberno=163380 
 |archive-date=15 September 2008 
 |url-status=dead 
}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Smith|first=Thomas W.|title=Constructing A Human Rights Regime in Turkey: Dilemmas of Civic Nationalism and Civil Society.|date=September 2, 2001|page=4|quote=One of the darkest events in Turkish history was the Wealth Tax, levied discriminatory against non-Muslims in 1942, hobbling Armenians with the most punitive rates.}}</ref> The law came under harsh criticism, as property holders had to sell a lot of their assets at greatly deflated prices or such assets were confiscated by the authorities. The unpopular law was abolished on March 15, 1944.

The traditional Armenian political parties were known to be very active in Ottoman political life, including the [[Armenian Revolutionary Federation]] (ARF – Dashnagtsutiun), the [[Social Democrat Hunchakian Party]] (Hunchak) and the Armenakan Party, the predecessor of the [[Armenian Democratic Liberal Party]] (Ramgavar Party).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kaligian|first=Dikran|date=2009-05-31|title=ARF-CUP Relations Under Ottoman Constitutional Rule|url=https://armenianweekly.com/2009/05/30/arf-cup-relations-under-ottoman-constitutional-rule/|access-date=2021-07-30|website=The Armenian Weekly|language=en-US}}</ref> But the activities of all these Armenian parties were curtailed after the [[Armenian genocide]]. Ethnic-based political parties as well as religious-based political parties are prohibited in Turkey by law.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.legislationline.org/download/id/7853/file/Turkey_law_political_parties_1983_am2014_en.pdf|title=Law On Political Parties|pages=33|chapter=Fourth chapter, part one, article 78, provision B|access-date=2021-07-30|archive-date=2019-12-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213125817/https://www.legislationline.org/download/id/7853/file/Turkey_law_political_parties_1983_am2014_en.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Armenians of Turkey were also highly critical of the activist role that the [[Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia]] (ASALA), the [[Justice Commandos Against Armenian Genocide]] (JCAG), [[Armenian Revolutionary Army]] (ARA) and other Armenian guerrilla organizations played in targeting Turkish diplomats and interests worldwide at the height of their anti-Turkish campaign in the 1970s and 1980s. The fears of the Turkish Armenians were justified with the fact that at many times, Turkish-Armenian institutions and even religious centers were targeted by threats and actual bombings in retaliation of the acts of ASALA, JCAG, ARA and others.

The Turkish-Armenian [[Artin Penik]] committed suicide in 1982 by [[self-immolation]] in protest of the [[Ankara Esenboğa Airport attack|terrorist attack]] on 7 August 1982 in [[Ankara]]'s [[Esenboğa International Airport]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,925699,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081230053309/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,925699,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 30, 2008|title=Turkey: A Cry for Bloody Vengeance|date=23 August 1982|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=11 June 2015}}</ref> by the [[Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia]]. Penik died five days after he set himself on fire in [[Taksim Square|Taksim]] plaza, the main square of [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]], and his stance was reflected by the Turkish mass media as a protest of most Turkish-Armenians against such attacks. Nine people had been killed and more than 70 wounded in the attack on the Turkish airport.

Another turbulent point for the Armenian community of Turkey was the highly publicized public trial of the Armenian gunman and one of the perpetrators of the attack, the 25-year-old [[Levon Ekmekjian]], who was found guilty and eventually hanged at [[Ankara]]'s civilian prison on January 30, 1983. He had been sentenced to death in September 1982 after having confessed that he had carried out the airport attack with another gunman on behalf of ASALA, and despite the fact that he publicly condemned violent acts during his own trial and appealed to the Armenian militants to stop the violence.

The [[Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission]] (TARC)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Turkish_Armenian_Reconciliation_Commission|title=Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission|access-date=11 June 2015}}</ref> was set up in July 2001 a joint project of a number of Turkish and Armenian intellectuals and political experts to discuss various aspects of the Turkish-Armenian relations and approving a set of recommendations to the governments of [[Turkey]] and [[Armenia]] on how to improve the strained relations between the two countries.

Thousands of Turks joined Turkish intellectuals in publicly apologizing for the [[World War I]] era mass killings and deportations of Armenians in the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The unprecedented apology was initiated by a group of 200 Turkish academics, journalists, writers and artists disagreeing with the official Turkish version of what many historians consider the first genocide of the 20th century. Their petition, entitled "[[I Apologize campaign|I apologize]]", was posted on a special website https://web.archive.org/web/20150815013428/http://www.ozurdiliyoruz.com/.

On the occasion of a [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] qualifying match between the two [[Turkey national football team|national football teams of Turkey]] and [[Armenia national football team|Armenia]] in the Armenian capital [[Yerevan]], and following the [[President of Armenia|Armenian President]] [[Serzh Sargsyan]]'s invitation to attend the match, on 6 September 2008, the [[President of Turkey|Turkish President]] [[Abdullah Gül]] paid a breakthrough landmark visit to Armenia that he said "promises hope for the future" for the two countries.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7602066.stm|title=Gul in landmark visit to Armenia|access-date=11 June 2015|work=BBC News|date=6 September 2008}}</ref>

===Local politics===

The Armenians in Turkey used to be active in Turkish politics. The Turkish-Armenian Sarkis "Aghparik" Cherkezian and Aram Pehlivanyan (Nickname: Ahmet Saydan) played a pivotal role in the founding of the [[Communist Party of Turkey (historical)|Communist Party of Turkey]]. There used to be Armenian activists in many other Turkish political parties as well. In 2015, three Turkish-Armenians, [[Garo Paylan]] ([[Peoples' Democratic Party (Turkey)|Peoples' Democratic Party]]), [[Markar Esayan]] ([[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|Justice and Development Party]]), and [[Selina Özuzun Doğan]] ([[Republican People's Party]])—were elected, and became the first Armenians to be elected as Member of Parliament to the [[Grand National Assembly of Turkey]] since 1961.<ref>''Armenian Observers in Turkey's Parliamentary Election'' The Armenian Weekly, 9 June 2015, reached on June 9, 2015 {{cite web|url=http://armenianweekly.com/2015/06/09/armenian-observers-in-turkey/ |title=Armenian Observers in Turkey's Parliamentary Election |date=9 June 2015 |access-date=2015-06-09 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328102401/http://armenianweekly.com/2015/06/09/armenian-observers-in-turkey/ |archive-date=2016-03-28 }}</ref>

[[Hrant Dink]], the Turkish-Armenian journalist, writer and political activist, and the chief editor and publisher of [[Agos]] had carved himself a position of that of a very prominent figure for conveying the ideas and aspirations of the Armenian community in Turkey not only for Turkish-Armenians but for many Armenians worldwide. His newspaper ''Agos'' had played an important role in presenting Armenian historical grievances through publishing of articles and opinions in the [[Turkish language]] addressed to the Turkish public opinion. [[Assassination of Hrant Dink|His assassination]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6279241.stm|title=Turkish-Armenian writer shot dead|access-date=11 June 2015|work=BBC News|date=19 January 2007}}</ref> in front of his newspaper offices on January 19, 2007, turned into an occasion for expression of national grief throughout Turkey and the rallying of great support for the concerns of the Armenian community in Turkey by the general Turkish public.

{{wide image|dinkfuneral3.jpg|800px|Protests in Istanbul during the funeral of murdered journalist Hrant Dink where more than 100,000 people marched.<ref>''Mass protest at editor's funeral'' The Guardian, 24 January 2007, reached on 2 February 2013 {{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/jan/24/pressandpublishing.turkey |title=Mass protest at Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink's funeral |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=24 January 2007 |access-date=2016-12-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312111513/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/jan/24/pressandpublishing.turkey |archive-date=2016-03-12 }}</ref> Protesters hold banners saying "''We are all Hrant, we are all Armenians''". (panorama from [[Halaskargazi Boulevard]] in [[Şişli]] district)}}

Dink was best known for advocating Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and [[human rights|human]] and [[minority rights]] in Turkey; he was often critical of both Turkey's [[denial of the Armenian genocide|denial]] of the Armenian genocide, and of the [[Armenian diaspora]]'s campaign for its international recognition. Dink was prosecuted three times for [[Article 301 (Turkish penal code)|denigrating Turkishness]], while receiving numerous death threats from Turkish nationalists. At his funeral, one hundred thousand mourners marched in protest of the assassination, chanting "We are all Armenians" and "We are all Hrant Dink". Criticism of Article 301 became increasingly vocal after his death, leading to parliamentary proposals for repeal of the law.

== Religion ==
[[File:Surp Krikor Lusavoriç Armenian Church.jpg|thumb|Surp Krikor Lusavoriç Kilisesi (St. Gregory The Enlightener Church) in [[Kuzguncuk]], [[Üsküdar]], [[Istanbul]].]]
[[File:Adalar 5586.jpg|thumb|Assumption Armenian Catholic Church in [[Büyükada]], [[Adalar]], [[Istanbul]].]]

===Religious affiliation===
Virtually all Armenians who are officially registered as part of the Armenian Minority are [[Christianity|Christians]], and are either of the Armenian [[Armenian Apostolic|Apostolic]], [[Armenian Catholic|Catholic]], or less commonly [[Armenian Evangelical Church|Protestant]] denominations. The religion of others and those not officially part of the minority is elaborated on in the Demographics section.

=== Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople ===
{{Main|Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople}}

The '''Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul''' (officially Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople) is, since 1461, the religious head of the Armenian community in Turkey. The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople has exerted a very significant political role earlier and today still exercises a spiritual authority, which earns it considerable respect among [[Oriental Orthodox churches]]. The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople recognizes the primacy of the [[Catholicos of All Armenians|Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians]], in the spiritual and administrative headquarters of the Armenian Church, the [[Etchmiadzin|Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin]], [[Etchmiadzin|Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia]], in matters that pertain to the worldwide [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Church]]. In local matters, the Patriarchal [[Episcopal see|See]] is [[autonomous]].

[[Sahak II Mashalian]] is the 85th [[Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople]] under the authority of the Supreme Patriarch and [[Catholicos of All Armenians]].

===Armenian Catholic Archdiocese of Constantinople===

The [[Armenian Catholic Archdiocese of Constantinople]] is based in Istanbul and in 2008 reported 3,650 followers.

=== Christmas date, etiquette and customs ===
Armenians celebrate [[Christmas]] at a date later than most of the Christians, on 6 January rather than 25 December. The reason for this is historical; according to Armenians, Christians once celebrated Christmas on 6 January, until the 4th century. 25 December was originally a [[pagan]] holiday that celebrated the birth of the sun. Many members of the church continued to celebrate both holidays, and the Roman church changed the date of Christmas to be 25 December and declared January 6 to be the date when the [[three wise men]] visited the baby Jesus. As the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] had already separated from the Roman church at that time, the date of Christmas remained unchanged for Armenians.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lraper.org/main.aspx?Action=DisplayNews&NewsCode=N000001752&Lang=ENG | title=Why Do Armenians Celebrate Christmas on 6 January? | publisher=Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul | access-date=2007-01-04 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926222541/http://www.lraper.org/main.aspx?Action=DisplayNews&NewsCode=N000001752&Lang=ENG | archive-date=2007-09-26 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Armenians in Turkey refer to Christmas as ''Surp Dzınunt'' (Holy Birth) and have fifty days of preparation called ''Hisnag'' before Christmas. The first, fourth and seventh weeks of Hisnag are periods of vegetarian fast for church members and every Saturday at sunset a new purple candle is lit with prayers and hymns. On the second day of Christmas, 7 January, families visit graves of relatives and say prayers.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lraper.org/main.aspx?Action=DisplayNews&NewsCode=N000001768&Lang=ENG | title=Our New Year and Nativity/Theophany Traditions | publisher=Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul | access-date=2007-01-04 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926222627/http://www.lraper.org/main.aspx?Action=DisplayNews&NewsCode=N000001768&Lang=ENG | archive-date=2007-09-26 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Armenian churches in Turkey===
{{Main|List of Armenian churches in Turkey}}
Turkey has hundreds of Armenian churches. However, the majority of them are either in ruins or are being used for other purposes. Armenian churches still in active use belong to various denominations, mainly Armenian Apostolic, but also Armenian Catholic and Armenian Evangelical Protestant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bolsohays.com/webac.asp?referans=4|title=Armenians of Istanbul – Istanbul Armenians|access-date=11 June 2015}}</ref>

== Education ==
Turkey's Armenian community faces educational problems due to the steadily decreasing number of students every school year and lack of funding. The number of Armenian schools decreases year by year. This number has fallen from 47 to 17 today with currently 3,000 Armenian students, down from 6,000 Armenian students in 1981.<ref name="community">{{cite web|url=http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2010/09/29/r-melqonyan-book/|title=Turkologist Ruben Melkonyan publishes book "Review of Istanbul's Armenian community history"|author=Helix Consulting LLC|access-date=11 June 2015}}</ref> Schools are kindergarten through 12th grade (K–12), kindergarten through 8th grade (K-8) or 9th grade through 12th (9–12). ''Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu'' means "Armenian primary+secondary school". ''Ermeni Lisesi'' means "Armenian high school".
The Armenian schools apply the full Turkish curriculum in addition to Armenian subjects, mainly Armenian language, literature and religion.

In September 2011, the Turkish government recognized the right of [[Armenians in Turkey#Armenians from Republic of Armenia in Turkey|immigrant families from Armenia]] to send their children to schools of the Turkey's Armenian community. This move came as a result of lobbying of Deputy Patriarch [[Aram Ateşyan]], according to whom there were some 1,000 children of Armenian immigrants in Turkey at that time.<ref name="zaman2">''Armenian immigrant children to be allowed in minority schools'' Today's Zaman, 2 September 2011 {{cite web|url=http://www.todayszaman.com/news-255550-armenian-immigrant-children-to-be-allowed-in-minority-schools.html |title=Armenian immigrant children to be allowed in minority schools |access-date=2011-10-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903131422/http://www.todayszaman.com/news-255550-armenian-immigrant-children-to-be-allowed-in-minority-schools.html |archive-date=2011-09-03 }}</ref> However, as they are not Turkish citizens, at the end of the school term, they do not receive diplomas.<ref name="kendimekadaryazar">{{in lang|tr}} ''Gayrimüslimler için hayat tozpembe değil''. {{cite web|url=http://kendimekadaryazar.blogspot.com.tr/2012/08/gayrimuslimler-icin-hayat-tozpembe-degil.html |title=Gayrimüslimler için hayat tozpembe değil |access-date=2014-04-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045215/http://kendimekadaryazar.blogspot.com.tr/2012/08/gayrimuslimler-icin-hayat-tozpembe-degil.html |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2024}}

; K-8
* [http://www.aramyanuncuyan.k12.tr Aramyan-Uncuyan] Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070813083325/http://www.bezciyan.k12.tr/ Bezciyan] Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161020050655/http://www.bomontiermeni.com/ Bomonti] Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu
* [http://www.dadyan.k12.tr Dadyan] Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu
* [http://www.kalfayan.k12.tr Kalfayan Cemaran] İlköğretim Okulu
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170307181529/http://www.karagozyan.org/ Karagözyan] İlköğretim Okulu
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110413173715/http://www.anarathigutyun.k12.tr/ Kocamustafapaşa Anarat Higutyun] Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu
* [http://www.levonvartuhyan.com Levon Vartuhyan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928130453/http://levonvartuhyan.com/ |date=2017-09-28 }} Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu
* [http://www.feio.k12.tr Feriköy] Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu
* Nersesyan-Yermonyan Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu
* [http://www.pangaltilisesi.k12.tr Pangaltı Anarat Higutyun] Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu
* [http://www.tarkmancas.com/ Tarkmanças] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227175242/http://www.tarkmancas.com/ |date=2019-12-27 }} Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu
* [http://www.yesilkoyermeniokulu.k12.tr Yeşilköy] Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu
; 9–12
* [[Getronagan Ermeni Lisesi]]
* [http://www.surphaclisesi.k12.tr Surp Haç] Ermeni Lisesi
;K–12
* [http://www.esayan.com Esayan] Ermeni İlköğretim Okulu ve Lisesi
* [http://www.pangaltilisesi.k12.tr Pangaltı] Ermeni Lisesi
* [http://www.sahakyan-nunyan.k12.tr Sahakyan-Nunyan] Ermeni Lisesi

==Health==
[[File:Surp Pırgiç Ermeni Hastanesi.JPG|200px|thumb|right|[[Surp Prgiç Hospital|Surp Prgiç Armenian Hospital]], [[Zeytinburnu]]]]
Among other institutions, Turkish Armenians also have their own long-running hospitals:
*[[Surp Prgiç Hospital|Surp Prgiç Armenian Hospital]] (Սուրբ Փրկիչ in [[Armenian language|Armenian]] – pronounced Sourp Pergitch or St Saviour). It also has its media information bulletin called "Surp Prgiç"
*[[Sourp Hagop Armenian Hospital|Surp Agop Armenian Hospital]] (Սուրբ Յակոբ in [[Armenian language|Armenian]] pronounced Sourp Hagop)

==Language==
The majority of Armenians in Turkey speak [[Turkish language|Turkish]]. Only about 18% of them can speak [[Armenian language|Armenian]], and most of that number are bilingual, with some having [[Armenian language|Armenian]] as their [[mother language|first language]], and others learning it as a [[second language]].<ref name="community" />

===Western Armenian===
{{Main|Western Armenian}}
Western Armenian ({{Langx|hy|Արեւմտահայերէն pronounced Arevmedahayeren}}), {{Langx|hy|Արեւմտեան աշխարհաբար pronounced Arevmedyan Ashkharhapar}}, (and earlier known as {{Langx|hy|Թրքահայերէն}}, namely "Trkahayeren" ("Turkish-Armenian") are one of the two modern [[dialect]]s of the modern [[Armenian language|Armenian]], an [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European language]].

The Western Armenian dialect was developed in the early part of the 19th century, based on the Armenian dialect of the Armenians in [[Istanbul]], to replace many of the Armenian dialects spoken throughout Turkey.

It was widely adopted in literary Armenian writing and in Armenian media published in the Ottoman Empire, as well as large parts of the [[Armenian diaspora]] and in modern Turkey. Partly because of this, [[Istanbul]] veritably became the cultural and literary center of the Western Armenians in the 19th and early 20th century.

Western Armenian is the language spoken by almost all of the [[Armenian diaspora]]. The only diaspora community that uses [[Eastern Armenian]] is the [[Iranian Armenian]] community, or those who immigrated from Armenia. Nevertheless, Western Armenian is the primary dialect of Armenian found in [[North America|North]] and [[South America]], [[Europe]] (except [[Russian Armenians|those in Russia]]) and most of the [[Middle East]] (except in [[Iran]] and [[Armenia]]). Western Armenian is the primary language of the diaspora because the great majority of the [[Armenian diaspora]] in all these areas (Europe, Americas, Middle East) was formed in the 19th and early 20th century by Armenian populations from the Ottoman Empire, which is where Western Armenian was historically spoken.

Nevertheless, the Western Armenian language is still spoken by a small minority of the present-day Armenian community in Turkey. However, only 18 percent of the Armenian community speaks Western Armenian, while 82 percent of the Armenian community speaks Turkish. This percentage is even lower among younger people of whom only 8 percent speaks Western Armenian and 92 percent speaks Turkish.<ref name="community" /> 
Turkish is replacing Western Armenian as a [[mother language]], and [[UNESCO]] has added Western Armenian in its annual '''''Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger''''' where the Western Armenian language in Turkey is defined as a '''[[endangered language|definitely endangered language]]'''.<ref name="unesco.org">[http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?pg=00206 UNESCO Culture Sector, UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, 2009] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222090430/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?pg=00206 |date=February 22, 2009 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.bianet.org/english/kategori/english/112728/unesco-15-languages-endangered-in-turkey UNESCO: 15 Languages Endangered in Turkey, by T. Korkut, 2009] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331051956/http://www.bianet.org/english/kategori/english/112728/unesco-15-languages-endangered-in-turkey |date=March 31, 2009 }}</ref>

The [[Western Armenian language]] is markedly different in grammar, pronunciation and spelling from the [[Eastern Armenian language]] spoken in [[Armenia]], [[Iran]] and [[Russia]], although they are both [[Mutual intelligibility|mutually intelligible]]. Western Armenian still keeps the [[classical Armenian orthography]] known as Mashdotsian spelling, whereas Eastern Armenian adopted [[Spelling reform of the Armenian language 1922–1924|reformed spelling]] in the 1920s (Eastern Armenian in Iran did not adopt this reform then).

===Armeno-Turkish (Turkish in Armenian alphabet)===
From the early 18th century until around 1950, and for almost 250 years, more than 2000 books were printed in the [[Turkish language]] using letters of the [[Armenian alphabet]]. This is popularly known as Armeno-Turkish.

Armeno-Turkish was not used just by Armenians, but also many non-Armenian elite (including the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] Turkish intellectuals) could actually read the Armenian-alphabet Turkish language texts.

The Armenian alphabet was also used alongside the Arabic alphabet on official documents of the Ottoman Empire, written in [[Ottoman language|Ottoman Turkish]]. For example, the [[Aleppo]] edition of the official gazette of the Ottoman Empire, called "Frat" (Turkish and Arabic for the Euphrates) contained a Turkish section of laws printed in Armenian alphabet.

Also very notably, the first [[novel]] to be written in the Ottoman Empire was 1851's ''[[Akabi Hikayesi]]'', written by Armenian statesman, journalist and novelist [[Vartan Pasha]] (Hovsep Vartanian) in [[Ottoman Turkish language|Ottoman Turkish]], was published with [[Armenian script]]. ''Akabi Hikayesi'' depicted an impossible love story between two young people coming from two different communities amidst hostility and adversity.

When the Armenian [[Duzian family]] managed the Ottoman mint during the reign of [[Abdülmecid I]], they kept their records in Ottoman Turkish written in Armenian script.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mansel|first=Philip|title=Constantinople|year=2011|publisher=Hachette UK|isbn=978-1848546479|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LrnvC98bNSoC}}</ref>

Great collection of Armeno-Turkish could be found in Christian Armenian worship until the late 1950s. The [[Bible]] used by many Armenians in the Ottoman Empire was not only the Bible versions printed in Armenian, but also at times the translated [[Turkish language]] Bibles using the [[Armenian alphabet]]. Usage continued in Armenian church gatherings specially for those who were Turkophones rather than Armenophones. Many of the Christian spiritual songs used in certain Armenian churches were also in Armeno-Turkish.

===Armenians and the Turkish language===
[[File:Istanbul - Armenian school - P1040046.JPG|thumb|The Armenian school in Kumkapi, Istanbul (next to the Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Church)]]
Armenians played a key role in the promotion of the [[Turkish language]] including the reforms of the [[Turkish language]] initiated by [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]].

[[Bedros Keresteciyan]], the Ottoman [[linguist]] completed the first [[etymological dictionary]] of the [[Turkish language]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Dabağyan|first=Levon Panos|title=Osmanlı'da şer hareketleri ve II. Abdülhamid Hân|publisher=IQ Kültürsanat Yayıncılık|year=2002|isbn=9789756618332|edition=1. basım.|location=İstanbul}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite news|title=Özür dilediğim Ermeniler ve 2008 için son birkaç sözcük|language=tr|newspaper=BirGun|url=http://www.birgun.net/sunday_index.php?news_code=1230423799&year=2008&month=12&day=28|url-status=dead|access-date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821115842/http://birgun.net/sunday_index.php?news_code=1230423799&year=2008&month=12&day=28|archive-date=21 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=May 5, 2010|title=Armenian-Turkish dictionary published in Turkey|newspaper=PanArmenian|url=http://www.panarmenian.net/m/eng/news/48159|access-date=18 January 2013}}</ref> Armenians contributed considerably to the development of printing in Turkey: [[Apkar Tebir]] started the first printing house in Istanbul in 1567;<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-04-22|title=Apkar Tıbir'le Karagümrük'te başlayan matbaacılık tarihi {{!}} Agos|url=http://www.agos.com.tr/tr/yazi/7579/apkar-tibirle-karagumrukte-baslayan-matbaacilik-tarihi|access-date=2021-07-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422160658/http://www.agos.com.tr/tr/yazi/7579/apkar-tibirle-karagumrukte-baslayan-matbaacilik-tarihi|archive-date=2017-04-22}}</ref> [[Hovannes Muhendisian]] (1810–1891), known as the "Turkish Gutenberg", established a printing press in Istanbul  that operated from 1839 until [[World War I]];<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Hacikyan|first1=Agop Jack|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GmtPLvnrc38C&q=Hovannes+Muhendisian&pg=PA48|title=The Heritage of Armenian Literature: From the Eighteenth Century to Modern Times|last2=Basmajian|first2=Gabriel|last3=Franchuk|first3=Edward S.|last4=Ouzounian|first4=Nourhan|date=2000|publisher=Wayne State University Press|isbn=978-0-8143-3221-4|pages=48|language=en}}</ref> [[Boghos Arabian]] (1742-1835) designed the Turkish type and was appointed by [[Sultan Mahmut II]] in 1816 as the superintendent of the imperial printing press, which notably published the first Turkish daily newspaper, ''[[Takvim-i Vekayi]]'' and its translation to Armenian and other languages.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Hacikyan|first1=Agop Jack|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GmtPLvnrc38C&q=Boghos+Arabian&pg=PA48|title=The Heritage of Armenian Literature: From the Eighteenth Century to Modern Times|last2=Basmajian|first2=Gabriel|last3=Franchuk|first3=Edward S.|last4=Ouzounian|first4=Nourhan|date=2000|publisher=Wayne State University Press|isbn=978-0-8143-3221-4|pages=48|language=en}}</ref>

The linguist [[Agop Dilâçar|Agop Martayan Dilâçar]] specialized in [[Turkic languages]] and was appointed head specialist of the [[Turkish Language Association]] (TLA) by Atatürk. Following the issue of the Law on Family Names in 1934, Mustafa Kemal Pasha suggested him the surname ''Dilaçar'', meaning "language opener", which he gladly accepted.<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://tdk.gov.tr/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/20_Ekrem-Beyaz.pdf}}</ref> In addition to [[Armenian language|Armenian]] and [[Turkish language|Turkish]], Martayan knew 10 other languages including [[English language|English]], [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Latin]], [[German language|German]], [[Russian language|Russian]] and [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]. He was invited on September 22, 1932, as a linguistics specialist to the ''[[First Turkish Language Congress]]'' supervised by [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]], together with two other Armenian linguists, İstepan Gurdikyan and Kevork Simkeşyan. He taught history and language at [[Ankara University]] between 1936 and 1951 and was the head advisor of the ''Türk Ansiklopedisi'' (''Turkish Encyclopedia''), between 1942 and 1960. He held his position and continued his research in linguistics at the Turkish Language Association until his death in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A. Dilâçar|url=http://www.dildernegi.org.tr/TR,456/a-dilacar.html|access-date=2021-07-30|website=www.dildernegi.org.tr}}</ref>

==Culture==
[[Image:Vakifli church-DCP 8791 25p.jpg|thumb|[[Vakıflı, Samandağ|Vakıflı]] the only [[List of Armenian ethnic enclaves|remaining Armenian village]] in [[Cilicia]].<ref name="hurriyet050731"/><ref name="lonely-planet">{{cite book |last=Campbell |first=Verity |title= Turkey |year=2007 |publisher=[[Lonely Planet]] |isbn=978-1-74104-556-7 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=jstw7Sxkp4gC&q=Vakifli&pg=PA438}}</ref>]]
Armenians try to keep a rich cultural life and do participate in the Turkish art scene.

===Music===
The pan-Turkish [[Kardeş Türküler]] cultural and musical formation, in addition to performing a rich selection of Turkish, Kurdish, Georgian, Arabic and gypsy musical numbers, also includes a number of beautiful interpretation of Armenian traditional music in its repertoire. It gave sold-out concerts in [[Armenia]] as part of the Turkish-Armenian Cultural Program, which was made possible with support from [[USAID]].

The "Sayat-Nova" choir was founded in 1971 under the sponsorship of the St. Children's Church of Istanbul performs traditional Armenian songs and studies and interprets Armenian folk music.

In classical opera music and theatre, Toto Karaca was a major figure on the stage. In the folk tradition, the effect of [[Udi Hrant Kenkulian]] as a legendary [[oud]] player is indisputable.

In contemporary music, [[Arto Tunçboyacıyan]] and his brother the late [[Onno Tunç]] are two veritable jazz musicians, composers and arrangers. The Turkish rock artist [[Yaşar Kurt]] declared he was of ethnic Armenian descent. Another famous Armenian rock musician is [[Hayko Cepkin]]. Hayko Tataryan is also well known for singing in Turkish, Armenian and Greek, so is his son Alex Tataryan. Very recently the Turkish-Armenian singer Sibil Pektorosoğlu (better known by her mononym Sibil) has become popular winning pan-Armenian music prizes for her recordings.

===Cinema and acting===
In movie acting, special mention should be made of Vahi Öz who appeared in countless movies from the 1940s until the late 1960s, Sami Hazinses (real name Samuel Agop Uluçyan) who appeared in tens of Turkish movies from the 1950s until the 1990s and [[Nubar Terziyan]] who appeared in more than 400 movies. Movie actor and director Kenan Pars (real name Kirkor Cezveciyan) and theatre and film actress Irma Felekyan (aka Toto Karaca), who was mother of [[Cem Karaca]].

===Photography===
In photography [[Ara Güler]] is a famous [[photojournalist]] of Armenian descent, nicknamed "the Eye of Istanbul" or "the Photographer of Istanbul".

===Literature===
Turkish Armenian novelists, poets, essayists and literary critics continue to play a very important role particularly in the literary scene of the [[Armenian diaspora]], with works of quality in Western Armenian.

Robert Haddedjian chief editor of [[Marmara (newspaper)|Marmara]] newspaper published in [[Istanbul]] remains a pivotal figure in the literary criticism scene. [[Zahrad|Zareh Yaldizciyan]] (1923–2007), better known by his pen name Zahrad was a renowned Western Armenian poet.

A number of Turkish writers – such as Sait Faik, Kemal Tahir and Ahmed Hamdi Tanpinar – also represented Armenians in their work and, in the case of Tanpinar, actually had Armenian friends and taught in Armenian schools.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAIIU6eq7sQ&t=5334s|title=GU-Q Faculty Seminar: Armenians in Modern Turkish Literature|website=[[YouTube]]|date=18 November 2020 }}</ref>

== Media ==
Istanbul was home to a number of long-running and influential Armenian publications. Very notable now-defunct daily newspapers included ''[[Arevelk]]'' (1884–1915), ''[[Puzantyon]]'' (1896–1908), ''[[Sourhantag]]'' (1899–1908), ''[[Manzoume Efkyar]]'' (1912–1917), ''[[Vertchin Lour]]'' (1914–1924). Outside Istanbul, the notable daily publications included ''[[Arshalouys]]'' (1909–1914), ''[[Tashink]]'' (1909–1914) and ''[[Van (newspaper)|Van]]'' (1908–1909).

Presently, Istanbul has two Armenian language dailies. These two newspapers, ''Jamanak'' (established in 1908) and ''Marmara'' also have a long tradition of keeping alive the Turkish Armenian literature, which is an integral part of the Western Armenian language and [[Armenian literature]].

*''[[Jamanak]]'' (Ժամանակ in [[Armenian language|Armenian]] meaning time) is a long-running Armenian language daily newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey. The daily was established in 1908 by [[Misak Kochounian]] and has been somewhat a family establishment, given that it has been owned by the [[Kochounian family]] since its inception. After Misak Kochounian, it was passed down to [[Sarkis Kochounian]], and since 1992 is edited by [[Ara Kochounian]].
*''[[Marmara (newspaper)|Marmara]]'', [http://www.normarmara.com/] daily in [[Armenian language|Armenian]] (Armenian: Մարմարա) (sometimes "Nor Marmara" – New Marmara) is an Armenian-language daily newspaper published since 1940 in Istanbul, Turkey. It was established by Armenian journalist [[Souren Shamlian]]. [[Rober Haddeciyan|Robert Haddeler]] took over the paper in 1967. ''Marmara'' is published six times a week (except on Sundays). The Friday edition contains a section in Turkish as well. Circulation is reported at 2000 per issue.
*''[[Agos]]'', [http://www.agos.com.tr/] (Armenian: Ակօս, "Furrow") is a bilingual Armenian weekly newspaper published in Istanbul in Turkish and Armenian. It was established on 5 April 1996. Today, it has a circulation of around 5,000. Besides Armenian and Turkish pages, the newspaper has an on-line English edition as well. [[Hrant Dink]] was its chief editor from the newspaper's start until his assassination outside of the newspaper's offices in Istanbul in January 2007. Hrant Dink's son [[Arat Dink]] served as the executive editor of the weekly after his assassination.
*''[[Lraper]]'', [https://web.archive.org/web/20071009220119/http://www.lraper.org/] (Լրաբեր in [[Armenian language|Armenian]]) is a trilingual periodical publication in Armenian, Turkish and English languages and is the official organ of the [[Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople|Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople]]

Other Armenian media titles include: ''[[Sourp Pergiç]]'' (St. Saviour) the magazine of the Armenian Sourp Pergiç (Pergitch) Hospital, also ''[[Kulis (magazine)|Kulis]]'', ''[[Shoghagat]]'', ''[[Norsan]]'' and the humorous ''[[Jbid]]'' (smile in Armenian)

In September 2011, the Turkish government granted some financing to ''Jamanak'', ''Marmara'' and ''Agos'' as part of a wider campaign in support of existing minority newspapers in Turkey.<ref name="sabah">''Dardaki azınlık gazetelerine bayram gecesi yardımı...'' Sabah, 8 September 2011 {{cite web|url=http://www.sabah.com.tr/Gundem/2011/09/08/dardaki-azinlik-gazetelerine-bayram-gecesi-yardimi# |title=Dardaki azınlık gazetelerine bayram gecesi yardımı |access-date=2011-10-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004224600/http://www.sabah.com.tr/gundem/2011/09/08/dardaki-azinlik-gazetelerine-bayram-gecesi-yardimi |archive-date=2016-10-04 }}</ref> The [[Turkish Press Advertisement Agency]] also declared intention to publish official government advertisements in minority newspapers including Armenian ones.<ref>''Minority Newspaper Meets with The Turkish Press Advertising Agency'' Greek Europe Reporter, 28 July 2011 {{cite web|url=http://eu.greekreporter.com/2011/07/28/minority-newspaper-representatives-meet-with-the-head-of-turkey%E2%80%99s-press-advertising-agency-in-istanbul/ |title=Minority Newspaper Meets with the Turkish Press Advertising Agency &#124; Greek Reporter Europe |access-date=2011-10-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306004956/http://eu.greekreporter.com/2011/07/28/minority-newspaper-representatives-meet-with-the-head-of-turkey%E2%80%99s-press-advertising-agency-in-istanbul/ |archive-date=2016-03-06 }}</ref>

==Famous Turkish-Armenians==
{{Main|List of Ottoman Armenians|List of Turkish Armenians}}

==Turkish Armenians in the diaspora==
Despite leaving their homes in Turkey, the Turkish Armenians traditionally establish their own unions within the [[Armenian diaspora]]. Usually named "Bolsahay Miutyun"s (Istanbul-Armenian Associations), they can be found in their new adopted cities of important Turkish-Armenian populations. Among them are the "[[Organization of Istanbul Armenians]] of Los Angeles", the "Istanbul Armenian Association in Montreal", etc.

The Turkish Ambassador to Germany, Hüseyin Avni Karslıoğlu, inaugurated in December 2012 at the [[Bergen-Belsen concentration camp|Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp]] a memorial stone with bronze letters (third of its kind after the Polish and Dutch similars) to the memory of eight Turkish citizens killed during the [[Holocaust]], one of whom is a Turkish Armenian with the name Garabed Taşçıyan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ha-ber.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20693&Itemid=0|title=Berlin'in haber sitesi ha-ber.com Almanya ve Türkiye'den gazete manşetleri. Berlin news. Berlin Nachrichten|access-date=11 June 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214093438/http://ha-ber.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20693&Itemid=0|archive-date=14 December 2012}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Armenians in the Ottoman Empire]]
*[[Armenians in Istanbul]]
*[[Minorities in Turkey]]
*[[Kurds in Turkey]]

===General===
*[[Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople]]
*[[Anti-Armenian sentiment in Turkey]]
*[[List of Armenian Patriarchs of Constantinople]]
*[[List of Turkish-Armenians]]
*[[Armenians in the Ottoman Empire]]
*[[Ottoman Armenian casualties]]
*[[Armenia–Turkey relations]]
*[[Confiscated Armenian Properties in Turkey]]
*[[Armenian cultural heritage in Turkey]]
*[[Varlık Vergisi]]

===Demography===
*[[Diyarbakır]]
*[[Beyoğlu]]
*[[Istanbul]]
*[[Kumkapı]]
*[[Crypto-Armenians]]
*[[Hemshin peoples]]
*[[Vakıflı, Samandağ]], the only remaining ethnic Armenian village in Turkey.

===Personalities===
*[[Agop Dilâçar]]
*[[Vartan Pasha]]
*[[Hrant Dink]]
*[[Patriarch Shenork I Kaloustian of Constantinople|Patriarch Shenork I Kaloustian]]
*[[Patriarch Karekin II Kazanjian of Constantinople|Patriarch Karekin II Kazanjian]]
*[[Patriarch Mesrob II Mutafyan of Constantinople|Patriarch Mesrob II Mutafyan]]

===Media===
*[[Agos]]
*[[Marmara (newspaper)]]
*[[Jamanak]]

== References ==

{{Reflist|30em}}

== Sources ==

* {{Cite journal|url=http://www.aksiyon.com.tr/detay.php?id=23084 |access-date=2008-08-28 |title=Anneannem bir Ermeni'ymiş! |date=2005-12-26 |journal=Aksiyon |first=Erhan |last=Başyurt |volume=577 |publisher=Feza Gazetecilik A.Ş. |language=tr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227175220/http://www.aksiyon.com.tr/detay.php?id=23084 |archive-date=February 27, 2009 }}

<small>This article contains some text originally adapted from the public domain [[Library of Congress Country Study]] for [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/trtoc.html Turkey].</small>

==Further reading==
*H. Birsen Örs, [http://afs.sagepub.com/content/36/4/604.short "Perception of the Army by Armenian Minorities Living in Turkey"], ''[[Armed Forces & Society]]''. Vol. 36, No. 4 (2010).
*{{cite book |last1=Galip |first1=Özlem Belçim |title=New Social Movements and the Armenian Question in Turkey: Civil Society vs. the State |date=2020 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-030-59400-8 |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Kieser |first1=Hans-Lukas |last2=Bayraktar |first2=Seyhan |last3=Mouradian |first3=Khatchig |title=After the Ottomans: Genocide's Long Shadow and Armenian Resilience |date=2023 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-78831-276-9 |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Suciyan |first1=Talin |title=The Armenians in Modern Turkey: Post-Genocide Society, Politics and History |date=2015 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-85772-773-2 |language=en}}

==External links==
{{externalvideo|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43uE1bUM_JI&t=216s Turkey’s hidden Armenians search for stolen identity -FRANCE 24 English]}}
{{commons category|Armenians in Turkey}}
General
*[http://www.bolsohays.com/ Istanbul Armenians site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090324044931/http://www.zibec.org/ Surp Prgiç Armenian Hospital website]
*{{cite web|url= http://www.armenian.ch/asa/Docs/faae02.pdf |title=Armenians in Turkey Today }}&nbsp;{{small|(348&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}} [[Tessa Hofmann]]
*[http://www.oia.net Organization of Istanbul Armenians of Los Angeles]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150815013428/http://www.ozurdiliyoruz.com/ Ozur Diliyoruz Turkish Apology site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160305081053/http://armenocide.am/ The Armenian Genocide 1915]
* [https://www.houshamadyan.org/home.html Houshamadyan], a project to reconstruct and preserve the memory of Armenian life in the Ottoman Empire

Media
*[http://www.agos.com.tr/ Agos Armenian weekly newspaper]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071009220119/http://www.lraper.org/ Lraper, Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople Bulletin]
*[http://www.normarmara.com/ Marmara Armenian daily newspaper]
*[http://www.hyetert.com/ Hye Tert Armenian site] (Turkish)

{{Armenian diaspora}}
{{Immigration to Turkey}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armenians In Turkey}}
[[Category:Turkish people of Armenian descent| ]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Turkey]]
[[Category:Armenian people by location]]