Kafkas

Kafkas is a Turkish term that can refer to the Caucasus region or to something associated with it, and it also functions as a surname in Turkish-speaking communities. In Turkish, the adjective form Kafkas means Caucasian or Caucasus-related, while Kafkasya denotes the Caucasus region itself. The word appears in geography, history, and cultural contexts when Turkish-language texts discuss the Caucasus and its peoples, including the Greater and Lesser Caucasus mountain ranges that span parts of modern-day Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

As a surname, Kafkas is found among individuals in Turkey and among Turkish-speaking populations. Like many toponymic or ethnonymic surnames, it likely originates from geographic association with the Caucasus region. People bearing the name may be involved in a variety of professions, and the surname can appear in different countries where Turkish diaspora communities have settled.

The term also appears in historical and cultural references within Turkish discourse whenever the Caucasus is discussed, whether in studies of its geography, history, or its diverse peoples. The usage reflects the broader cross-cultural connections between the Turkish-speaking world and the Caucasus region.

See also: Caucasus; Kafkasya.