Balkan Egyptians or simply Egyptians (Albanian: Maxhup, Serbian: Egipćani/Египћани or Đupci/Ђупци, Macedonian: Gjupci/Ѓупци) are an Albanian-speaking ethnic minority of Kosovo and Macedonia. They should not to be confused with the Egyptians of Egypt, who are unrelated. Albanian (gjuha shqipe IPA ) is a language spoken by over 6 million people, primarily in Albania, Kosovo, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, and the Republic of Macedonia but also in other parts of the Balkans, along the eastern coast of Italy and in Sicily, as well as by emigrant groups in Scandinavia... For other uses, including people named Islam, see Islam (disambiguation). ... The Roma people (singular Rom; sometimes Rroma, Rrom), often referred to as gypsies, are a heterogeneous ethnic group who live primarily in Southern and Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Latin America, the southern part of the United States and the Middle East. ... Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatama Gandhi and a Rajasthani tribesman The Indo-Aryans are the ethno-linguistic descendents of the Indic branch of the Indo-Iranians. ... The Serbian language is one of the standard versions of the Å tokavian dialect, used primarily in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and by Serbs everywhere. ... For other uses, see Kosovo (disambiguation). ...

Identity and origin

Balkan Egyptians were previously regarded as part of the Roma nationality, but now they are recognized as a separate ethnic group. Their origin is not clear. According to one theory, they are descendants of Roma who claim to have come to the Balkans from Egypt. Another theory claims that they are descendants of the Egyptian soldiers who came to Balkans in the 4th century. A very famous "Egyptian" lives in Zvolen Slovakia his name is Niter Siox. The Roma people (singular Rom; sometimes Rroma, Rrom), often referred to as gypsies, are a heterogeneous ethnic group who live primarily in Southern and Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Latin America, the southern part of the United States and the Middle East. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Location

Most of the Egyptians live in Kosovo and Macedonia, but some also live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Central Serbia, and Vojvodina. For other uses, see Kosovo (disambiguation). ... The term Serbia proper is often used in English to refer to the part of Serbia that lies outside the northern and southern autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. ... Official languages Serbian, Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian, Rusyn1 Capital Novi Sad Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % water  21,500 km²  n/a Population  â€“ Total (2002)  â€“ Density  2,031,992  94. ...

According to 1996 data, there were 87,000 Egyptians in Kosovo, while according to 1994 census in Macedonia, 3,169 Egyptians lived in this country.

After the Kosovo War in 1999, many of them fled from Kosovo and settled in Central Serbia, Vojvodina, and Montenegro. The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts (a civil war followed by an international war) in the southern Serbian province called Kosovo (officially Kosovo and Metohia), part of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ... The term Serbia proper is often used in English to refer to the part of Serbia that lies outside the northern and southern autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. ... Official languages Serbian, Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian, Rusyn1 Capital Novi Sad Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % water  21,500 km²  n/a Population  â€“ Total (2002)  â€“ Density  2,031,992  94. ... This article is about the country in Europe. ...

Name

Despite the fact that ethnic Roma are also in some languages referred to by terms derived from the word "Egyptian" (such as the English name "Gypsy"), the Albanians and Serbs who live in Kosovo do not use the name "Egyptians" to designate ethnic Roma, but only to the Albanian speakers who refer to themselves as "Egyptians", while Albanian and Serb (potentially derogatory) name for ethnic Roma is "Cigani". The Roma people (singular Rom; sometimes Rroma, Rrom), often referred to as gypsies, are a heterogeneous ethnic group who live primarily in Southern and Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Latin America, the southern part of the United States and the Middle East. ... The Roma people (singular Rom; sometimes Rroma, Rrom), often referred to as gypsies, are a heterogeneous ethnic group who live primarily in Southern and Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Latin America, the southern part of the United States and the Middle East. ...

References

• Dragan Novaković, Potomci faraona u Srbiji, DT Magazin, 4. april 1998.

See also

• Ashkali