Today, the world marks International Roma Day. It was established at the World Romani Congress in London back in 1971.

This is an opportunity to recall not only the pan-European history of the Roma but also local groups, particularly the Crimean Roma — a community that historically existed on the peninsula but today remains small in number and largely assimilated.

Historically, the Roma appeared in Crimea several centuries ago, likely during the Crimean Khanate or earlier, as a result of migrations from the Balkans and Asia Minor. In the Crimean Tatar language, the word “çingene” (çingeneler) was used to designate them — a common ethnonym for Roma in Turkic languages. In the Crimean steppe, the names “dayfu” (dayfular) or “tayfa” (tayfalar) were also common. They were also called “urmaçel”, “qrımı”, and “tataçe”.

The Crimean Roma were integrated into the Crimean Tatar environment and actively participated in the daily life of local communities. Unlike many other Roma groups in Europe, the Crimean Roma often led a settled lifestyle and were involved in traditional occupations, particularly blacksmithing, music, and trade.

Historian and journalist Roman Kabachii notes in his materials about the Crimean Roma that even living compactly, they were not isolated. Despite ethnic differences, the Crimean çingene had a similar social status to the peninsula’s Muslim population and were deeply involved in the life of local communities. Their religion is related to Islam, and their language contains many Turkic words.

The role of the Crimean Roma in preserving the Crimean Tatar musical tradition deserves special attention. As public and cultural figure Amet Bekir notes, it was the Crimean Roma who performed music during holidays, weddings, and public events, thanks to which it was preserved and passed on.

“It was our Crimean Roma, meaning the çingene, who took this place — they played our music in pubs, coffee houses, and during grand celebrations. At weddings or other important feasts. They popularised it and thus preserved and passed it on to the next generation of Crimean Tatars!”

The Second World War was a tragedy for the Crimean Roma as well. Like other Roma groups in Europe, they suffered persecution by the Nazi regime. At the same time, due to their integration into the Crimean Tatar environment, the recording and scale of the losses remain insufficiently researched.

In 1944, some of the Crimean Roma were deported along with the Crimean Tatar people. In the post-war period, the issue of a separate identity for the Crimean Roma was practically unrecorded. Some of them fully integrated into other communities, particularly the Crimean Tatar community; others identified themselves as Roma in a broader, extra-regional sense.

As of today, the Crimean Roma do not constitute a numerically large community. They are more often viewed as a historically formed group, a significant part of which was assimilated, but the memory of which is preserved in family histories, local traditions, and research.

That is why mentioning the Crimean Roma today is not only an act of remembrance but also an important step towards restoring the complex and multi-layered history of Crimea. And in the conditions of the temporary occupation of Crimea, preserving the historical truth about all communities of the peninsula acquires special significance. After all, even those groups that partially lost their identity as a result of historical processes remain integral to Ukrainian cultural heritage.