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

THE MOHAMMEDAN RACES OF ASIA MINOR 95

or, if you do, he glares about, feeling himself an
enemy among enemies.

The same feature was noted by ancient observers
in Asia Minor. Strabo speaks of the great variety
of distinct races in Cappadocia about the Christian
era, which implies that the same cause acted then
as now, viz., the races did not mix by intercourse
and intermarriage. The tendency of Roman rule
was to obliterate racial differences, and encourage
homogeneousness ; and the same result was even
more strongly fostered by the influence of the
Church. Hence, in the fourth century, the great
Cappadocian fathers, Basil and the Gregories,
speak of the Cappadocians as if they were a single
homogeneous race, different from and superior to
the Galatians.

But since the Seljuk Turks entered Asia Minor
in 1070, the conciliation of racial differences has
ceased (except that those Christians, who accepted
Mohammedanism, amalgamated with the immi-
grant Turks, as we shall see). All the different
races that have swept over the unhappy land have
left representatives in the existing population ;
and all the different strains of blood remain un-
mixed.

I. Tcrks.—Even those who call themselves
Osmanli, or Ottoman Turks, and consider themselves
homogeneous in race, present considerable varieties.