Albanian Cypriots
Language: Cyprus Albanian (Kipro-arbërisht): A Tosk dialect of Albanian with large Greek and Turkish influences
Ancestry: Descended from Albanian migrants who came to Cyprus during the period of Ottoman rule
Region: Spread throughout Cyprus in small communities and ethnic enclaves, with a substantial minority in Nicosia
Religion: Sunni Islam (~45%), Bektashi Islam (~20%), Eastern Orthodoxy (~30%), Maronite (<1%), Other (~4%)
Culture: A unique blend of Albanian, Greek, and Turkish cultures, with some elements of traditional Cypriot culture
Population: 80,000-90,000 (2017 estimate)
History: The origins of the Albanian Cypriots date all the way back to the initial Ottoman annexation of Cyprus in 1571. As the House of Osman solidified its control over the island, families were brought in from Ottoman-controlled Albania in order to increase the number of Muslims in Cyprus, offset the unruly Greek populace of the island, and help disperse the Albanian population in Ottoman territory. This contributed to the already dramatic demographic shift in Cyprus caused by the introduction of Turkish settlers. Making their new homes in relatively isolated communities dotted across the island, the Albanian diaspora in Cyprus engaged in cultural exchanges with neighboring Greek and Turkish enclaves throughout the centuries, synthesizing a unique culture with influences from all three groups. Many prominent figures in both Cypriot and Ottoman history were Albanian Cypriots; Mehmet Ali Pasha, an Albanian Cypriot commander who would go down in history as "the founder of modern Egypt," grew up in the Albanian-majority coastal community of I Kuq [Kokkina]. The status of Albanian Cypriots would remain for the most part unchanged during British rule over the island, which began in 1878. With Albania's proclamation of independence in late 1912, many Albanian Cypriots would leave the island to join the fight for Albanian independence, but Albanians remained a large community in Cyprus; some would fight later in World War I under the British flag. However, the demographic situation of Cyprus would see volatile change in the decades following World War II and British withdrawal from the region in 1960; by this point, the number of Albanian Cypriots had reached nearly 40,000, or 8% of the island's total population. Anticipating the end of British administration, the Greek majority in Cyprus (around 75% of the population) began to push for enosis, or unification with Greece; the Turkish and Albanian minorities, which saw the threat enosis could pose to their cultural identity, sought to block any unification and supported taksim: a partition of Cyprus. Eventually, when the conflict spiraled into international crisis in 1974, triggered by a Greek-backed coup in Cyprus followed by a Turkish invasion from the north, Cyprus was divided: the Republic of Cyprus would continue to exist in the south, dominated by Greek Cypriots, while Turkish and Muslim Albanian leaders would proclaim the Republic of Northern Cyprus in the northeast; the two would be divided by a UN buffer zone, which runs across the island and right through the Cypriot capital city of Nicosia. From that point on, the Albanian Cypriots would have to choose which half of the island to live in, usually determined by religious affiliation: the vast majority of Muslim Albanian Cypriots made their home in Northern Cyprus, while the Christian Albanian Cypriots would settle in the south. Nonetheless, Albanian Cypriots retain a proud, distinct identity as Cyprus's third major ethnic group, and in recent years have become the leaders in advocating reconciliation and eventual reunification of the island.
Language: Cyprus Albanian (Kipro-arbërisht): A Tosk dialect of Albanian with large Greek and Turkish influences
Ancestry: Descended from Albanian migrants who came to Cyprus during the period of Ottoman rule
Region: Spread throughout Cyprus in small communities and ethnic enclaves, with a substantial minority in Nicosia
Religion: Sunni Islam (~45%), Bektashi Islam (~20%), Eastern Orthodoxy (~30%), Maronite (<1%), Other (~4%)
Culture: A unique blend of Albanian, Greek, and Turkish cultures, with some elements of traditional Cypriot culture
Population: 80,000-90,000 (2017 estimate)
History: The origins of the Albanian Cypriots date all the way back to the initial Ottoman annexation of Cyprus in 1571. As the House of Osman solidified its control over the island, families were brought in from Ottoman-controlled Albania in order to increase the number of Muslims in Cyprus, offset the unruly Greek populace of the island, and help disperse the Albanian population in Ottoman territory. This contributed to the already dramatic demographic shift in Cyprus caused by the introduction of Turkish settlers. Making their new homes in relatively isolated communities dotted across the island, the Albanian diaspora in Cyprus engaged in cultural exchanges with neighboring Greek and Turkish enclaves throughout the centuries, synthesizing a unique culture with influences from all three groups. Many prominent figures in both Cypriot and Ottoman history were Albanian Cypriots; Mehmet Ali Pasha, an Albanian Cypriot commander who would go down in history as "the founder of modern Egypt," grew up in the Albanian-majority coastal community of I Kuq [Kokkina]. The status of Albanian Cypriots would remain for the most part unchanged during British rule over the island, which began in 1878. With Albania's proclamation of independence in late 1912, many Albanian Cypriots would leave the island to join the fight for Albanian independence, but Albanians remained a large community in Cyprus; some would fight later in World War I under the British flag. However, the demographic situation of Cyprus would see volatile change in the decades following World War II and British withdrawal from the region in 1960; by this point, the number of Albanian Cypriots had reached nearly 40,000, or 8% of the island's total population. Anticipating the end of British administration, the Greek majority in Cyprus (around 75% of the population) began to push for enosis, or unification with Greece; the Turkish and Albanian minorities, which saw the threat enosis could pose to their cultural identity, sought to block any unification and supported taksim: a partition of Cyprus. Eventually, when the conflict spiraled into international crisis in 1974, triggered by a Greek-backed coup in Cyprus followed by a Turkish invasion from the north, Cyprus was divided: the Republic of Cyprus would continue to exist in the south, dominated by Greek Cypriots, while Turkish and Muslim Albanian leaders would proclaim the Republic of Northern Cyprus in the northeast; the two would be divided by a UN buffer zone, which runs across the island and right through the Cypriot capital city of Nicosia. From that point on, the Albanian Cypriots would have to choose which half of the island to live in, usually determined by religious affiliation: the vast majority of Muslim Albanian Cypriots made their home in Northern Cyprus, while the Christian Albanian Cypriots would settle in the south. Nonetheless, Albanian Cypriots retain a proud, distinct identity as Cyprus's third major ethnic group, and in recent years have become the leaders in advocating reconciliation and eventual reunification of the island.
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