Taking Away the Nation’s Existence (Ahiska-Meskhetian Turks)
Ahiska Turks are Meskhetians from Southwestern Georgia. The village they lived in was called Ahiska. In 1944, Ahiskans were deported to different places by Joseph Stalin. Stalin took away the Ahiskan nation’s existence by sending, “Soviet troops [who] descended on Ahiska, Georgia along the border with Turkey on Nov. 14, 1944” as Khalil Chakhalidze remembers (Doug Page). Even though the Ahiskans were transported to many different places before they came to America, many settled in Dayton, Ohio.
In my research Problem/Solution Paper, I will educate my reader about the refugee-status, the challenges Ahiskans had in finding a new home, while at the same time parents and their elders desire to move back to their original homeland, which was taken from them, perhaps never to be seen again.
The primary focus of my paper will be on a solution, pertaining to the reasons the nation’s existence has been taken from Ahiska (Meskhetian) Turks. This created a major relocation problem, because of much discrimination against them.
Opponents, people who come out against immigrants think that they are a drag on the economy, the community, etc. “But it’s been proven time and again that they help the economy. More people working means more jobs and a stronger economy. Which means more jobs for everybody,” said City Commissioner Matt Joseph (Page).
Land
Originally, Ahiska Turks were Meskhetians from Southwestern Georgia, formally known as Meskhetia. It is located to the east of the area of Adjaria and next to Turkey. According to the Meskhetian Turks: An Intorduction to their History, Culture and Resettlement Experiences article, “The area covers approximately 3,728 square miles and rests mostly in the valley of the Mtkvari River” (3). Based on, the Meskhetian Turks, article, “Meskhetia is surrounded by mountain ranges whose average heights are 1,000 to 1,400 meters above sea level in the west (where most Meshetian Turks lived), and 1,500 to 2,000 in the east (inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians)”. Ahiskans not only became homeless, they became stateless as well. The atmospheric conditions of Ahiska were dry and nearly cold. The western side of Ahiska where the green forests were, it was warm there. The main agricultural crops of Meskhetia were corn, wheat, barley, potato, and many kinds of fruits.
History
Relatives of Ahiskans have been separated and lost from each other. Most of them have not seen each other for many years. “Victims of mass deportation from Georgia, pogroms in Uzbekistan, and human right abuses in Russia, Meshetian Turks are being resettled in the United States after 6 decades of exile from their homeland” (Meskhetian Turks, 3). In his book entitled, “Ahıska Araştırmaları,” which means “Studies on Ahiska,” Mr. Yunus Zyerek remarks that even though thus much of disaster have been exposed to Ahiksans’ nation, at every turn they have been driven into a corner (133).
A Life of Hardship in Russia: 1989-2004 A wide range of Ahiskans settled in different cities of Russia. For around fifteen years they have faced the same hardships as they did before in Uzbekistan. Zuleyha Shakhmandarova, a wife and a mother of four children, said, “We lived in Russia for fifteen years. Compared to the United States, it was really hard over there as we were discriminated [against]. There were no jobs. [If] we ever made money producing things at home, that money would [go] directly to [our] kids’ school expenses” (Ebru TV). People’s rights have been vanquished. To be specific, in Russia parents were not allowed to sell vegetables, which they grew on their own farm. After a while, Russian’s quit buying stuff from Turkish people. For instance, in cities there were big long-lined bazaars, where people took their products to sell, displayed in their own marked places.
Turkish kids have been victimized because of their Muslim religion, because they are from different nations. The Turkish kids, who were going to school, were discriminated against Russian students and teachers. For example, I am Turkish and I was repressed by my classmates many times. Since Russian was not my native language, I struggled while doing my homework assignments, as well as other school work. I remember one day we were doing an in-class assignment and I did not understand how to do it. I asked for help from one of my classmates to explain the words that were hard for me to comprehend, so that I could do my class work. She made a rude face, ignored me, and said that she could not help me, that I would have to do it by myself. I remember how badly I felt and cried when I got a bad grade and failed the assignment, because I did not understand how to do it. Another memory is about some of the teachers’ attitudes toward us. When it was end of the school year and I was taking finals. Consequently, I knew I was going to fail my Russian class. Then my teacher told me that if I brought her a pack of vegetables or fruits she would change my grade and let me pass her class. Since they did not want to spend their money to buy fruits and vegetable, she was asking for a bribe. It’s because my teacher and other Russian educators could not get fresh vegetables and fruits by themselves. That is how we, as students, were treated by teachers and classmates, in Russia. “Since we were Turks, they refused to let our grandchildren into their schools. There [was] so much [discrimination]…we were up to our throats” said Halit Alioglu (Ebru TV).
Meskhetian Turkish Communities around the World
Their problem was that they lost their homes as well as everything in and on their properties. “Old men, young children and women, 100,000 of them were packed into cattle cars,” Khalil Chakhalidze pointed out (Page). They were taken across Central Asia, to such places as, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, etc.
In Uzbekistan about 15,000 Meskhetian Turks abide; placed in cities like Bukhara, Navoi, and Shamarkand. According to the Meskhetian Turks article, “Uzbekistan was where most Meskhetian Turks were sent in the 1944 deportation, and before the 1989,” (Aydingün, Harding, Hoover, Kuznetsov, & Swerdlow). Over 100,000 refugees were gathered into Uzbekistan. About 90,000 left the country before 1989. Seventeen thousand displaced people were transported to Russia, by Soviet leaders. A smaller population set out on their own to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
Most importantly to me, is that Azerbaijan was my motherland and I never got to see it, because I was only eight months old when I was taken to Russia. As of 2006 there were 90,000 to 110,000 of my native people still residing in Azerbaijan.
From the year 2006 an approximate total of six hundred to one thousand Ahiskan Turks were living in Georgia, until they began moving back to Azerbaijan.
As of 2006 Meskhetian Turks, who reside in Kazakhstan, are one-hundred-fifty-thousand strong and fifty thousand Meskhetian Turks populate in Kyrgyzstan.
The migration pathway led some Meskhetian Turks to Turkey, with around forty-thousand of them becoming residents of Türkiye (Turkey). One-half of the populations have been granted citizenship.
Within the Ukraine, about ten-thousand Turks settled in cities. These people were given Ukrainian citizenship.
Soon after, the largest number of people moved from those places. The causes of their movement from place to place were again persecution, and discrimination against their nationality and religion. To illustrate this, Mehdi Ali Bayramov, who has lived in New Jersey since 2006, highlights his feeling about relocation by saying, “Relocation, do you know what “relocation” means? Relocation means an order comes, you have got five days to leave this place” (Ebru TV). Ahiskans became stateless yet again.
Past and recent situations of Ahiska Turks are still in movement. Now, all of those people separated from their land, are immigrants in different countries.
Resettlement in the United States
Eventually, [Ahiskans] have been granted refugee status by the United Nations and the U.S. government, opening a way [for them to have] a second chance (Page). Many Ahiskans who settled in different states in U.S. are all happy to live in a country with such freedom, even though it still hard for them to be far, far from their own land. As soon as these refugees set foot in the U.S., every family received a volunteer. These volunteers helped Ahiskans get a place to live, such as a house or an apartment. The places had necessities such as living rooms, bedrooms, restrooms, closets and kitchens with food, etc. Those who have never had any of these luxuries before were surprised and did not even believe that it was real. For example, back in Russia I never had my own room, a separate kitchen or restroom. So when my family and I first entered the assigned apartment we were all surprised and shocked to see what it offered. It was a different time and caused a lot of feelings in us. The volunteers helped Turkish youths and young adults to get into schools. They assisted also with immunizations, social security cards, Medicaid and Medicare, transportation and places to learn English as a second language. Time passed and they became accustomed to America. Years later Ahiskans were employed and educated. They are still being educated today. Most teens graduate from high school and are receiving higher level of education from colleges and universities. As Tyanshan Muradoglu, who lives in New Jersey now, said, “Our kids have already shown academic success…We are very proud about this. We see our future [as] very [bright] and nice” (Ebru TV). Parents of these young folks are so happy when they see their children happy, because both parents and children were so unhappy in Russia, Uzbekistan, etc. At present, Ahiskans are moving to different states to get their own houses. Most Turkler (Turks) lived together in their homeland; however in the U.S. it is harder for them because they have to live separately from each other. This is why after around three to four years they strive to move close to their relatives in different states, in order to be closer to one another. A large number of Ahiskans relocated to Dayton, Ohio. This number is growing. The reason they move to Dayton is in order to buy their first homes. They repair and refurbish the houses, yards, etc. in order to be part of Dayton, community. The City Manager Tim Riordan added, “They [Meskhetian Turks] started as a small community and it’s growing because they’ve liked what they’ve found in Dayton, Ohio” (Gottschlich).
Director of the Ahiska Turkish American Community Center, Islam Shakhbandarov, mentioned, “We came to Dayton because it’s a good city for a refugee family. It’s affordable and also we can build a good (life) for our kids” (Gottschlich). The relocation of the immigrants and refugees was the initial reason they came to Dayton. Their second reason was the Dayton Mayor, Gary Litzell, and the Dayton community welcomed them. Litzell said, “We‘re going to do everything we can to help you make this your home” (Kristin McAllister). Recently, Ahiskans have set up a community in Old North Dayton.
After surviving such a hard life, the Turkish community is now happy and feels welcome in the Miami Valley. Shakhbandarov expressed his appreciation by saying, “Thank you, United States. Thank you, Dayton” (McAllister).
According to video of Ebru TV, Tyanshan Muradoglu’s mother emphasizes her feelings about her mother land by putting her words into a poem:
Dear beautiful star, please tell me why doesn’t the homeland like us and let us in? The star turned to me and said: “Why don’t you live where you are? Uzbekistan is a nice place. People who live there are compassionate and hospitable. And it’s very multicultural in Uzbekistan” Dear beautiful star, you are right. Uzbekistan is a nice place. Its people are very compassionate and caring. And it’s a multicultural country. Dear beautiful star, would you trade your real mom with foster one? Would you live under the arms of your foster one? My mom might be mute or deaf. Even if she is mute or deaf, she is still my mother. My mother can be steppe (Unfertile), but it is still my homeland. I would not trade any land for nice and fertile ones even if I have just little amount of the homeland soil in my hands (Ebru TV-New Jersey).
Solution
All in all, once Ahiskans get back to their homeland in Georgia, the hope is that the parents and elders will no longer be living in separate places, or being discriminated against by others. Mr. Yunus Zeyrek, contributed to one of the conferences held in Istanbul, Turkey, January of 2007. He talked about the return of Ahiskans to their homeland. He emphasized his thoughts by saying, “This important meeting that is being held here today has been organized with a view to making a positive start for addressing the issue of the return of Ahiska Turks to their homeland” (Bizim Ahiska). Mr. Yunus Zeyren begins the conference boldly with following words;
Mandkind is searching for peace, prosperity and happiness. However, the things we are looking for are in our hands, if only we could understand each other, show respect for each other’s rights. It is not fair for one is flying high while the other scrawling in hardship. Either we will be free and happy or we will all share the same run of misfortune tomorrow if not today. You cannot laugh in front of a crying one. We must never forget that the one, who’s laughing today, may be crying another day. As our ancestors say “do not let [the] oppressed take a sigh, and beware! You will pay for it by and by” (Zeyrek). Salima Ziyayeva (left) and Fatima Israfilova (right) said they are happy to be in Dayton after escaping the discrimination they suffered in Russia (Page).

Turkish men at the community center. More than 250 Turkish families form Russia have immigrated to Dayton over the past several years and have established the Ahiska Turkish American Community Center (Page). Turkish Ambassador H. E. Namik Tan visits Dayton and talks of local member of the Turkish community at the Dayton Engineers Club on Sunday, June 20 (McAllister). This map shows the area of Ahiska. More maps can be found in the following web address (http://www.ahiska.org.tr/?page_id=1842).

Works Cited
Aydıngün, Ayşegül, Çigğdem Balım Harding, Matthew Hoover, Igor Kuznetsov, and Steve Swerdlow. Meskhetian Turks. An Introduction to Their History, Culture, and Resettlement Experiences. Washington: Center for Applied Linguistics, 15 Sept. 2006. PDF.
Gottschlich, Anthony. "In Old North Dayton, Turkish Refugees Find Home, New Way of Life." Dayton Daily News. 18 June 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/in-old-north-dayton-turkish-refugees-find-home-new-way-of-life--771487.html>.
McAllister, Kristin. "Area Leaders Show Support for Turkish Community." Dayton Daily News. 21 June 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/area-leaders-show-support-for-turkish-community-774083.html>.
Page, Doug. "Dayton Looks to Immigrants to Revitalize City, Create Jobs." Dayton Daily News. 5 Apr. 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/dayton-looks-to-immigration-to-revitalize-city-create-jobs-1127250.html?viewAsSinglePage=true>.
"World in America." Ebru TV. Ebru TV, 12 Jan. 2006. Web. 05 Mar. 2012. <http://ebru.tv/en/genres/LifestyleCulture/world-in-america/episodes/1/106-ahiska>.
"World in America." Ebru TV. Ebru TV, 20 May 2009. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. <http://ebru.tv/en/genres/LifestyleCulture/world-in-america/episodes/5/509-ahiskan-americans>.
Zeyrek, Yunus. Ahıska Araştırmaları. Ankara: KOZAN OFSET Matbaacilik Sanayi Ve Ticaret Ltd. Sti., 2006. Print.
Zeyrek, Yunus. "BIZIM AHISKA." BIZIM AHISKA. Ahiska.org, 17 Jan. 2007. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ahiska.org.tr/?page_id=2163>.