u/LouisDeSade

As Turks, there's a large group that generally believes we are Muslimized Greeks when it comes to DNA. Frankly, this is a theory with both true and false aspects.

1- The main reason for this belief is that we resemble Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, or Mongols in appearance; we have slanted eyes and more European features. The point is that we are not actually Turkish in the true sense; I accept this aspect as a genetic heritage.

2- However, out of 85 million people in Türkiye, 60-65 million identify themselves as Turkish. The rest are other minorities, mostly Kurds, Zazas, etc. If we separate these, these 60-65 million Turks are actually from ancient Greece. With the Trojan War and Alexander the Great's immense success, the people of Anatolia and many other places could not resist this power, and the ancient peoples of Anatolia were Hellenized. Later, with the Seljuks, the Hellenized Anatolian people were Turkified. Of course, I don't deny the Greek and Turkish blood in our veins. Looking at the general picture, the main gene is Anatolian, and these are covered by two major genes: Turkish and Greek genes, followed by secondary genes. Other genes such as Armenian, Kurdish, Arab, Georgian, Bulgarian, and Persian are present.

3- Because of this, I honestly feel Anatolian, but I also have respect for my Greek and Turkish ancestors.

4- This situation might be partly due to Atatürk. Atatürk was a truly intelligent leader. Genetically, culturally, and in other ways, we were quite different from Central Asia and weren't fully Turkish. He tried to integrate us into ancient Anatolian civilizations, the Trojans, the Sumerians (they weren't Anatolian, but he tried this too), and even sent special agents to Mexico to research the continent of Mu.

5- So why did the country's name become the Republic of Turkey instead of the Republic of Anatolia? Actually, this is mostly due to Westerners. In medieval Latin, it was Turquia and Turchia, and in Greek sources, it was Τουρκία. It means the country of the Turks, the homeland of the Turks.

6- That's why Atatürk added the phrase "Happy is he who says I am a Turk" to the constitution; you don't have to be genetically Turkish, you can be Turkish anywhere in the world according to Atatürk.