Do Turkish people feel closer to Balkans or Central Asians?

[Thambi]

Genetically they're related to both and linguistically turkish people speak a turkic language but in terms of general affinity regarding culture, phenotype, cuisine, etc who do turkish people generally feel affinity towards?

[renaissance12]

Egyptians and Levantines ?

[Trouble]

Probably Balkans. Turkey is a Mediterranean nation at its core. Turkic influence is topical.

[Bornoz]

Balkans

[Thambi]

Probably Balkans. Turkey is a Mediterranean nation at its core. Turkic influence is topical.

so central asian influence is limited only to language and genetics? not much in terms of culture?

[Trouble]

so central asian influence is limited only to language and genetics? not much in terms of culture?

It is there in all three of those but it is still naturally a more Meditteranean nation than anything else. It's a similar situation with Azeri Turks who are much more similar to their Persian neighbors than they are to central Asian Turks.

[Kamal900]

It is there in all three of those but it is still naturally a more Meditteranean nation than anything else. It's a similar situation with Azeri Turks who are much more similar to their Persian neighbors than they are to central Asian Turks.

Pretty much. Azeris are genetically and culturally very linked with the Iranian world than to the Turkic peoples of central and east Asia. Anatolian Turkish culture is a blend between local Anatolian, Persian, Southern European with some Turkic elements here and there.

[Mortimer]

I think Bosniaks. Turks love Bosniaks and said they will defend them to the last man.

[Annihilus]

Central Asia for sure

[Mortimer]