The Turks in Tunisia were traditionally a privileged élite in Tunisia who held positions in the military and the bureaucracy.[15] However, by the nineteenth century, marriages with the local population linked the ruling families to indigenous notables. At this time, many Turks also turned to commerce and the crafts, initially in the Souq el-Trouk (the Bazaar of the Turks), where a considerable number of merchants of Turkish ancestry emerged.