Gulshat Rozyyeva, a PhD candidate at the Australian National University (ANU), focuses her research on Turkmenistan and Central Asian and Diaspora Studies. She shares insights drawn from her ethnographic research project.
In a modest restaurant tucked between apartment blocks in Bahçelievler the scent of freshly baked somsa mingles with the sound of Turkmen pop music. Families gather around steaming plates of dograma and unash, while children dart between tables, their laughter echoing off the tiled walls. This is not in Ashgabat or Mary – but in Istanbul. And this is not just dinner. It is a quiet act of cultural preservation.
As a Turkmen living in the West, I have often wondered how diasporas maintain their identity in foreign lands. Does it always have to be through protest, political organizing, or mass mobilization? Or can identity be expressed in quieter, more intimate ways – through food, clothing, and rituals?
My ethnographic research, conducted as part of my PhD project in Istanbul, suggests that the latter is more prominent among ordinary Turkmens in Istanbul. Over the course of several months, I engaged in participant observation and informal interviews with Turkmen businesses – restaurants, textile shops, and grocery stores – across the city of Istanbul. In these everyday spaces, I witnessed a vibrant cultural revival unfolding in plain sight: traditional dishes being prepared with care, elders passing down language and customs to younger generations, and shop interiors adorned with symbols of home. These micro-practices, though often overlooked, serve as powerful acts of cultural preservation and adaptation.
A Diaspora in the Shadows
Turkmenistan has a growing diaspora – especially in Türkiye. According to the Turkish Ministry of Interior, over 230,000 Turkmen citizens currently reside legally in Türkiye, including more than 125,000 long-term and 45,000 short-term residents. On top of that, the number of irregular migrants from Turkmenistan has surged dramatically – from just 508 in 2014 to a peak of 18,113 in 2023. As of July 2025, over 5,000 irregular Turkmen migrants have been apprehended by Turkish authorities. These official figures suggest that the Turkmen population abroad, particularly in Türkiye, is rapidly expanding. Independent sources of information provide much higher estimates including numbers of undocumented migrants who overstay their visa.
Yet, the Turkmen diaspora remains one of the least studied in Central Asia because of limited academic interest, scarce funding, and the community’s historical insularity. Turkmens are hesitant to speak openly with outsiders, especially researchers. But my position both as a Turkmen and a researcher has allowed me to build trust and gain access to stories that might otherwise remain untold.
Culinary Identity in Bahçelievler
In the middle-income district of Bahçelievler, nestled in Istanbul’s European side, over a dozen establishments proudly carry the word “Turkmen” in their names. Most are restaurants, and nearly all serve traditional dishes that evoke powerful memories of home.
I visited six restaurants in total, conversed with their owners as well as guests. According to the visitors and the staff, two most prominent restaurants are Japbaklar and Ashgabat City, bothopened in 2022, just 500 meters apart. These two establishments are the original restaurants that were first to cater Turkmen cuisine in Istanbul’s European side. They were drawn to Bahçelievler for its bustling Turkmen diaspora and offer rich menus with staples like dograma, unash, fitchi, and somsa.
Both establishments are family-owned and operated. Their founders spoke candidly about the bureaucratic hurdles of registering foreign-owned businesses in Türkiye, the misunderstanding they face with contractors, and the creative and yet legal workarounds they have had to employ. Despite these challenges, they have become community hubs – hosting weddings, funerals, circumcisions, and religious holidays like Gurban Bayram and Ramaadan.
For the owners, cooking Turkmen food is not just a livelihood – it is a form of cultural storytelling. As one of the Japbaklar brothers explained:
When we first opened in 2022, hardly anyone here knew what Turkmen palaw was. Now, we serve not only Turkmens and Turks, but also tourists from the hotel across the street. For us, this is not just a job – it’s a way to show the world who we are.
At Ashgabat City, the choice of name sparked deep reflection. One of the founders shared:
We are originally from Dashoguz, but we chose the name “Ashgabat City” because it represents the capital – our country’s heart. It is a name that every Turkmen and outsider recognizes.
The story behind Japbaklar is even more personal. The name refers to four clever orphan brothers from Turkmen folklore – symbols of resilience and wit. One of the owners smiled as he said:
We’re also four brothers, and we felt this name captured not just our family, but the spirit of Turkmen culture and literature.
These restaurants are more than businesses – they are living archives of memory, identity and belonging. In every dish served and every story shared, they quietly preserve a culture far from home.
Beyond food, Turkmen identity finds expression in rites of passage. An interesting example is Maral Milli Lybaslary, opened in 2018, a wedding salon that specializes in traditional Turkmen ceremonies. Bride and groom choose their kurte and telpek, while families gather to celebrate in ways that mirror customs from the homeland. Maral Milli Lybaslary caters not only to Turkmens from Turkmenistan, but also to Afghan and Iranian Turkmens living in Istanbul who wish to follow the traditional Turkmen wedding ceremonies.
To me, these ceremonies are more than nostalgic gestures – they are acts of cultural continuity. They allow younger generations, many of whom have never set foot in Turkmenistan, to experience, understand and internalize their heritage.
Challenges of Integration
Running a business as a migrant in Türkiye is no easy feat. Turkmen entrepreneurs face bureaucratic red tape and limited access to capital. Yet, they persist – often relying on community networks, informal mentorships, and sheer determination.
Their resilience is a testament to the strength of diaspora identity. In the absence of state support – either from Turkmenistan or Türkiye – these individuals have carved out spaces where culture can thrive. An example is the shelter provided by Ashgabat City to affected Turkmens during the devastating earthquake of April 2025. Equally powerful is the kindness and empathy extended by Japbaklar, who supported seriously ill Turkmen individuals in Istanbul unable to care for themselves. Despite their own limited means, these business owners demonstrated a profound act of solidarity – one that reflects the growing sense of unity and mutual understanding within the diaspora.
A Cultural Reawakening
Traditionally perceived as insular and politically disengaged, the Turkmen community in Istanbul is undergoing a subtle but significant transformation. Through business ownership, they are not only sustaining themselves economically but also asserting their cultural presence through the simple acts of cooking, gathering, and remembering. These practices are not loud or confrontational – they are quiet, persistent, and deeply rooted in the rhythms of daily life.
This revival reflects a dual trend: a growing demand for culturally specific services among homesick Turkmens, and a broader reawakening of Turkmen identity in the diaspora. It is a form of cultural preservation that unfolds not in political arenas, but in kitchens, salons, and community gatherings. These spaces become informal archives of memory, resilience, and belonging – especially for younger generations who may never have visited Turkmenistan but still carry its essence in their rituals and relationships.
Yet, these stories remain largely undocumented and under-researched. The Turkmen diaspora, despite its growing presence in Türkiye and beyond, continues to exist in the margins of academic inquiry and public discourse. This silence is not due to a lack of significance, but rather a lack of visibility.
I believe these stories of resilience, adaptability, and enduring sense of self deserve more attention not just from scholars, but from the government, journalists, policymakers, and cultural institutions. There is an urgent need for:
- Expanded international research on Turkmen diasporas, particularly in urban centers like Istanbul, where cultural adaptation is most visible.
- Collaborative ethnographic projects that center community voices and explore the intersections of migration, identity, and everyday life.
- Public storytelling platforms – exhibitions, documentaries, oral history archives that bring these narratives to wider audiences.
- Government’s engagement that recognizes the contributions of migrant communities and supports their cultural and economic integration.
By documenting and amplifying these quiet acts of cultural preservation, we not only honor the resilience of the Turkmen diaspora, we also challenge dominant narratives about migration, identity, and belonging. These stories remind us that cultural survival does not always require protest or mobilization. Sometimes, it is enough to cook a meal, wear a kurte, or name a restaurant after a folklore characters.
We should listen more closely to these quiet revivals. We should study them, share them, and support them before they fade into the silence.
About the Author
Gulshat Rozyyeva is a PhD Candidate at the Australian National University (ANU) with research focus on Turkmenistan and broader Central Asian Studies, Diaspora Studies, Protest Mobilization, and Migration Studies. The author wishes to acknowledge Mr. Omar Chmaisse, whose expertise in Middle Eastern Studies, including Türkiye, helped inform this article.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of the editorial group and other authors who write for the publication. Progres.online creates a space for the expression of diverse opinions in Turkmenistan.
