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Lipka Tatars
Descendants of Tatars who settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the 14th century. They lost their mother tongue but kept Islam and their identity for six centuries.
The Lithuanian, or Lipka, Tatars descend from Tatars who came from the Golden Horde to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th–15th centuries. Grand Duke Vytautas granted them land in return for military service, and they formed famous cavalry units in the Polish and Lithuanian armies.
Over time the Lipka Tatars lost their mother tongue and switched to Belarusian, Polish and Lithuanian, but they kept Islam. Their religious books written in Slavic languages with the Arabic script — the "kitabs" — are a unique cultural heritage. The language branch shown here refers to their historical language.
Updated: September 28, 2026