Gajal

The Gajal or Gadzhal (Turkish: Gacal, Bulgarian: Гаджал, Gadžal) a Turkic-speaking group of the Muslim faith living in the east of the Balkans. The main areas of settlement of the Gajals are located in the extreme southeast of the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as in the region of Eastern Thrace (Turkey). Because of the Turkic language, and the Islamic faith in other countries, gadjals are usually ranked among the Turks, although the gajals cause some ethnic isolation due to their ethnogenesis. Balkan-Gagauz language is native to the Gajals, and it is becoming more and more Turkic. The total number of Gajals is about 300,000 people, including about 20,000 native speakers.