EPeopleTurkic peoples of Iran
Iraqi Turkmen
Oghuz Turks of the Turkmeneli region of northern Iraq. They have lived there since Seljuk and Ottoman times, with Kirkuk as their centre.
Iraqi Turkmen are a Turkic people of the Oghuz branch living in Turkmeneli, the belt of northern Iraq linking Kirkuk, Erbil, Mosul, Tal Afar and Tuz Khurmatu. Their settlement there dates back to the Seljuk era and grew stronger under the Ottomans.
Their language is close to Azerbaijani and Turkish. According to 2013 data from Iraq's Ministry of Planning they number about 3 million, which makes them the third-largest people of the country after Arabs and Kurds.
Updated: September 28, 2026