Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association (ROİSDER)

Rodos, İstanköy ve On İki Ada Türkleri Kültür ve Dayanışma Derneği (ROİSDER)

Prof. Dr. Mustafa KAYMAKÇI President

Turks of Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese

The Turks of Rhodes and Kos consist of Turks who were settled on the islands from the Anatolian Turkish principalities after the conquest of Rhodes in 1522 and Turks who migrated from Crete in 1897.

Today, according to unofficial records, there is a Turkish population of over 9,000 living in Rhodes and Kos. During the 1923 Turkey-Greece Population Exchange, the Dodecanese Islands were not included in the exchange because they were considered Italian territory.

After the Dodecanese was ceded to Greece under the 1947 Paris Agreement, the cultural assimilation of the Turks in Rhodes and Kos, or more accurately, a cultural genocide, was staged.

To this end, Greece has implemented various methods. The most important of these are cultural and educational policies. Schools teaching Turkish on the basis of bilingualism in Rhodes and Kos have been closed since 1972. The closure of Turkish schools has left the Turkish population of the islands in a difficult situation. Today, Turks from Rhodes and Kos who can attend Greek state schools are exempt from religious education but are unable to exercise their right to religious education.

It is not possible for the Turks of Rhodes and Kos to seek their rights regarding the preservation of their cultural identity in Greece today. Fear prevails. It is known that Turks even avoid saying they are ‘Turkish’.

For this reason, the ‘Rhodes, Kos and Twelve Islands Turks Culture and Solidarity Association (ROİSDER)’ was established by Turkish islanders who emigrated to the Republic of Türkiye. The primary aim of the association is to protect the cultural identity of their relatives and compatriots on the islands.

ROİSDER organises conferences, panels and symposiums, issues press releases, writes information letters in Turkish, English and, where deemed necessary, Greek to domestic and foreign institutions and individuals, and carries out media work.

In addition to its work in Türkiye, the association works to raise awareness in international organisations such as the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe and the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN).    

ROİSDER also puts considerable effort into its publications. ROİSDER publications are available in both Turkish and English book form, so that the views and information of international institutions and organisations on the subject can be presented.

Annex: ROİSDER Publications

Turkish Publications

•Yunanistan:Rodos ve İstanköy’deki Etnik Türkler; •Rodos ve İstanköy Türklerinin Başlıca Sorunları(Broşür); • Rodos ve İstanköy Türklüğü; •Rodos ve İstanköy Türklerinin Yakın Tarihi “Ege Denizi’nde Yükselen Sessiz Çığlık; •Rodos ve İstanköy Türklüğü Ansiklopedisi; •Ege Adalarının Unutulan Halkı: Rodos ve İstanköy Türkleri; •Rodos ve İstanköy Türk Vakıfları; •Türk Kurtuluş Savaşı'na Katkıları ve Güncel Sorunları; • Güller Adası:Rodos; •Egenin Unutulan Türkleri; •Rodos ve İstanköy Türk Kültürü; •Yunan Algısında Türk İmgesi (Kökenleri ve Dostluk İçin Kültürel Çıkış Yolları); •Rodos ve İstanköy Türk Toplumunda Eğitim-Öğretim; •Rodos Türklerinde Sosyal Yaşam; •Rodos ve İstanköy Türklüğüne Adanmış Bir Hareket: Rodos, İstanköy ve Onikiada Türkleri Kültür ve Dayanışma Derneği; • Rodos ve İstanköy Türklüğünde İz Bırakanlar Ansiklopedisi; •Yunanistan’da Yaşamakta Olan Türklerin Sorunları

English Publications

•Greece: Ethnic Turks In Rhodes and Kos; •Main Problems of the Turks of Rhodes and Kos (Brochure); •Turkish Idenity In Rhodes and Kos; • The Recent History Of The Rhodes and Kos Turks, “The Silent Cry Rising In The Aegean Sea; •The Forgotten Turkish Identity of the Aegean Islands: Turkish Identity in Rhodes And Kos; • Turkish Foundations in Rhodes and Kos; • Rhodes and Kos Turks: Contributions to the Turkish War of Independence and Current Problems; • Turkish Culture In Rhodes and Kos; •Turkish Image in The Greek Perception (Origins and Cultural Outlet for Friendship); • Education In The Turkish Communıty Of Rhodes and Kos; •Encyclopedıa Of Personalities Who Left A Mark On The Turkishness Of Rhodes And Kos; •Problems Of Turks Living in Greece