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The Kurds of Central Anatolia (Kurdish: Kurdên Anatolyayê/Anatolê, Turkish: Orta Anadolu Kürtleri or İç Anadolu Kürtleri are the Kurdish people who have immigrated and been in Central Anatolia (present day Aksaray, Ankara, Çankırı, Çorum, Eskişehir, Karaman, Kayseri, Kırıkkale, Kırşehir, Konya, Nevşehir, Niğde, Sivas, Yozgat provinces) since about 16th century.
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The core of the Kurds of Central Anatolia is formed by Tuz Gölü Kürtleri (Kurds of Lake Tuz) who live in Ankara, Konya and Aksaray provinces. Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) mentioned them as "Konya çöllerindeki Kürtler" (Kurds in the Konya deserts) in the interview with Ahmet Emin (Yalman) dated January 16/17, 1923.
History
The first Kurdish tribe that arrived at Central Anatolia is Modanlı tribe. They settled in Haymana in 1184 and spread to not only different places of Central Anatolia but also to Hasha-i İstanbul and Rumeli: Aksaray, Kütahya, Rumeli, Çatalca, Koçhisar, Haymana, Ipsala and Evreşe. And Modanlı tribe belonged to Merdisi tribe. The first Central Anatolian Kurdish village named Kürtler (Kurds) was founded in Yaban Âbâd (present day Kızılcahamam-Çamlıdere, Ankara) in 1463.
According to Mark Sykes, the first Kurdish exile to Central Anatolia was carried out during the reign of Selim I (1512–1520).
According to Hermann Wenzel, the original breeders of the Angora goat were these Kurdish people of Inner Anatolia.
Tribes
The largest tribes of the Kurds of Central Anatolia are the Bazaini or Shaikh Bazaini, Judikan, Saifkan, Chelebi, Janbeki, Jehanbegli, Khallikan, Mutikan, Hajibani, Barakati, Badeli, Ukhchizhemi, Rashvan, Sherdi, Urukchi, Milan, Zirikan, Atmanikan, and Tirikan. Formerly, some of the Janbegli were of Yazidi origin and followed Yezidism.
There are also many Kurds who are not connected with any tribes.
Languages
Two or the four primary dialects of Kurdish are used by the Central Anatolian Kurds. These are Kurmanji and Dimili/Zaza. Generally, their mother languages are Kurdish (Kurmanji) and Kurmanji-speaking people have difficulty to understand the language spoken in Haymana where Şeyhbızın (Şêxbizinî) tribe members live. It is said that the new generation of Kurdish people in some settlements no longer speak Kurdish.