Kurdistani Turks

The Kurdistani Turks (Kurdish: Tirkên Kurdistanî; Turkish: Kürdistan Türkleri), also referred to as Kurdistani Turkmen (Kurdish: Turkmenên Kurdistanî; Turkish: Kürdistan Türkmenleri) or Turks of Kurdistan (Kurdish: Tirkên Kurdistanê; Turkish: Kürdistan Türkleri), are Kurdistanis of Turkic origin who mostly adhere to a Turkish heritage and identity. Most Kurdistani Turks are the descendants of the Ottoman soldiers, traders and civil servants who were brought into region that make up modern day Kurdistan from Anatolia during the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Despite the popular reference to the Turks of Kurdistan as "Turkmen", they are not directly related to the Turkmen people of Turkmenistan and do not identify as such.