Ramsay, William Mitchell: Impressions of Turkey during twelve years' wanderings (London, 1897)

CHAPTER V.

THE MOHAMMEDAN RACES OF ASIA MINOR.

One of the facts that are most striking to the
traveller in Asia Minor is the interlacing and
alternation of separate and unblending races. In
half a dozen villages which you visit in the course
of a day you may find four or five separate peoples,
differing in manners, dress, language, and even re-
ligion, each living in its own village, and never inter-
marrying with, rarely even entering, the alien village
a mile or two distant. The broad distinction of
Christian and Moslem is wholly insufficient and
even misleading. The Turkish peasants entertain
a stronger hatred towards the Circassian, rigid and
pious Moslem as he is, than towards the Greek or
Armenian Christian, while they regard the Kizil-
Bash or heterodox Turkmens with a mingled
loathing and contempt, surpassing their worst
scorn for the Christian. You often meet a Greek
in a Turkish village, sitting in the Oda, apparently
in quite friendly conversation with the people ; but
you will hardly ever see a Turk in a Circassian
village, and rarely a Circassian in a Turkish village,

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