Gajal

The Gajal or Gadzhal (Turkish: "Gacal", Bulgarian: Гаджал, "Gadzhal") are a Turkic subgroup, closely related to the Gagauz. Their name derives from a common root (Gajal are also sometimes named as "Gagavuz"). The Gajal, however, are Sunni Muslims, unlike the Gagauz, who are Orthodox Christians.

The minor Gajal communities dwell mostly in the Balkans, particularly Bulgaria (in Deliorman), Albania, Serbia (chiefly Kosovo), Montenegro, and the Republic of Macedonia. They are also present in northwestern Turkey where some 14,000 Gajal reside since immigrating from the Western Balkans. The nation is particularly concentrated in: rural Edirne, Turkey; Eastern Thrace, whilst they usually identify as an ethnic group distinct from other Muhajirs. Gajal folk are reported to be of distinctive physical traits featuring a shorter stature and a darker complexion than other settlers to whom they are local.