"Lithuanian Tatars" redirects here. For the Tatar population in Lithuania proper, see Tatars in Lithuania.
Lipka Tatars Tatarzy polscy Lietuvos totoriai Літоўскія татары
One of the variations of the flag of Lipka Tatars, almost resembling the flag of Golden Horde but with smaller and reversed logo located on the upper hoist side.
Total population
10,000–15,000
Regions with significant populations
Belarus
8,445 (2019 census)[1]
Lithuania
2,142 (2021 census)[2] – 3,200[3]
Poland
1,916 (2011 census)[4]
Languages
Tatar, Belarusian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian
Religion
Sunni Muslim
Related ethnic groups
Volga Tatars, Crimean Tatars
The Lipka Tatars (Lipka – refers to Lithuania, also known as Lipkas, Lithuanian Tatars; later also – Polish Tatars, Polish–Lithuanian Tatars, Belarusian Tatars, Lipkowie, Lipcani, Muślimi, Lietuvos totoriai) are a Turkic ethnic group who originally settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the beginning of the 14th century.
The first Tatar settlers tried to preserve their shamanistic religion and sought asylum amongst the non-Christian Lithuanians.[5] Towards the end of the 14th century, another wave of Tatars – this time, Muslims, were invited into the Grand Duchy by Vytautas the Great. These Tatars first settled in Lithuania proper around Vilnius, Trakai, Hrodna and Kaunas[5] and later spread to other parts of the Grand Duchy that later became part of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. These areas comprise parts of present-day Lithuania, Belarus and Poland. From the very beginning of their settlement in Lithuania they were known as the Lipka Tatars. While maintaining their religion, they united their fate with that of the mainly Christian Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.[citation needed] From the Battle of Grunwald onwards the Lipka Tatar light cavalry regiments participated in every significant military campaign of Lithuania and Poland.
The Lipka Tatar origins can be traced back to the descendant states of the Golden Horde, the Crimean Khanate and Kazan Khanate. They initially served as a noble military caste but later they became urban-dwellers known for their crafts, horses and gardening skills. Throughout centuries they resisted assimilation and kept their traditional lifestyle. While they remained very attached to their religion, over time they lost their original Tatar language, from the Kipchak group of the Turkic languages and for the most part adopted Belarusian, Lithuanian and Polish.[6][7] There are still small groups of Lipka Tatars living in today's Belarus, Lithuania and Poland, as well as their communities in the United States.
^"Перепись-2019". Retrieved 13 January 2024.
^"Gyventojų ir būstų surašymai – Oficialiosios statistikos portalas". Retrieved 13 January 2024.
^"Eastern Europe and migrants: The mosques of Lithuania". The Economist. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
^"Ludność. Stan i struktura demograficzno-społeczna – NSP 2011" (PDF) (in Polish).
^ ab(in Lithuanian) Lietuvos totoriai ir jų šventoji knyga – Koranas Archived 29 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
^Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups, "Polish or Lithuanian Tartars", Harvard University Press, pg. 990
^Leonard Drożdżewicz, Biographical Dictionary of Polish Tatars of the Twentieth Century, „Znad Wilii", nr 4 (68) z 2016 r., pp. 77–82, http://www.znadwiliiwilno.lt/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Znad-Wilii-68.pdf
The LipkaTatars (Lipka – refers to Lithuania, also known as Lipkas, Lithuanian Tatars; later also – Polish Tatars, Polish–Lithuanian Tatars, Belarusian...
Kipchak–Bulgar branch or "Tatar" in the narrow sense Volga Tatars Astrakhan TatarsLipkaTatars Kipchak–Cuman branch Crimean Tatars Dobrujan Tatars Karachays and...
the 14th century. From this time it was primarily associated with the LipkaTatars, many of whom settled in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth while continuing...
privileges and religious freedom also played a role. The LipkaTatars were a group of Tatars who settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th century...
referred to as Tatars, such as Volga Tatars, LipkaTatars, Crimean Tatars, Mishar Tatars, Dobrujan Tatars, Tatar (Hazara tribe) and Siberian Tatars. Russia is...
Канапацкі; Tatar: Ибраһим Борис улы Канапацкий, Ibrahim Boris uly Kanapatsky; 28 February 1949 – 9 September 2005) was a Belarusian LipkaTatar religious...
Balkan Turks, Turkish Cypriots, Cretan Turks, Yörüks, Volga Tatars, Crimean Tatars, LipkaTatars, Kazakhs, Gajals, and Megleno-Romanians. In the late 20th...
oldest mosques in the United States. It was founded by a small group of LipkaTatars, originating from the Białystok region of Poland. This was the first...
and prisoners of war. From this group came the LipkaTatars. In the early 19th century, several Tatars fled to the Ottoman Empire amidst rumours of forced...
The Volga Tatars or simply Tatars (Tatar: татарлар, romanized: tatarlar; Russian: татары, romanized: tatary) are a Kipchak-Bulgar Turkic ethnic group native...
grape Riesling LipkaTatars All pages with titles containing Lipka This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Lipka. If an internal...
Despite the popular misconception, Crimean Tatars are not a diaspora of or subgroup of the Tatars. Crimean Tatars constituted the majority of Crimea's population...
the Arabic language. The Belarusian Arabic alphabet was used by the LipkaTatars, who had been invited to settle in Belarusian territory, at the time...
village was primarily a LipkaTatar settlement. Up until this day, the Tatars still remain as the only minority in the village. The Tatars are Sunni Muslims...
to the Tatars who had participated on the side of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the war against the Ottoman Empire. After the LipkaTatar populace...
eldership, Tatars Street 6 (Lithuanian: Totorių g. 6) Kaunas. The history of Muslim community of Kaunas can be traced to the arrival of Muslim Lipkatatars in...
Powell Sr., an executive coach, and Cyndy, a homemaker. He has paternal LipkaTatar ancestry, from a great-great-grandfather Mustapha (a.k.a. Stephen) Chutsky...
16th century. However, Tatars have preserved their ethnic culture, national and religious identity. The majority of Lithuanian Tatars are Sunni Muslims. The...
heritage. His father, Walter Buchinsky (born: Valteris P. Bučinskis), was a LipkaTatar from Druskininkai in southern Lithuania. Bronson's mother, Mary (née...
Kruszyniany Mosque, another LipkaTatar mosque in Poland Raižiai Mosque, LipkaTatar mosque in Lithuania Navahrudak Mosque, LipkaTatar mosque in Belarus Rozporządzenie...
Brahma Kumaris in Antakalnis, Vilnius. The historical communities of LipkaTatars maintain Islam as their religion. Lithuania was historically home to...
Achmatowicz (April 16, 1899 – December 4, 1988) was a Polish chemist of LipkaTatar descent, who studied alkaloid natural products. His son, Osman Achmatowicz...
burma among Crimean Tatars and as pierekaczewnik among LipkaTatars, is a traditional meat pie in Crimean Tatar cuisine. In Crimean Tatar language sarmaq...
Białystok. Bohoniki was primarily a LipkaTatar settlement. Today, still a few families in the village are Tatars and practicing Muslims. Although residents...
Szynkiewicz, a Chairman of Związek Tatarów Litewskich (en. Society of Lithuanian Tatars), and sister Amina. In 1904 he graduated from the Minsk High School (Męska...
occupied Crimea. LipkaTatars Crimean Tatars in Romania Crimean Tatars in Bulgaria Crimean Tatars Crimean Khanate List of Crimean Tatars List of Crimean...
Global Information
Belarus
Lithuania
Poland