 Therefore, the Iraqi Turkmen (as well as the Syrian Turkmen and Anatolian Turkmen) do not identify themselves with the Turkmen people of Turkmenistan.Rather, the term "Turkmen" in the Middle East is often used to designate Turkic-speakers, particularly in the Arab areas, or where Sunni Turks live in Shitte dominated areas.The Iraqi Turkmens are the descendants of various waves of Turkic migration to Mesopotamia beginning from the 7th century until the end of Ottoman rule (1919).