Sürgün

Sürgün is a Turkish noun meaning exile or banishment. It refers to the act of forcibly relocating a person or group by state authority, often away from their home region or place of influence. Sürgün can be internal, within the borders of a country, or international, involving removal to another country or abroad. The term is commonly used to describe political or administrative measures as well as punitive relocations.

The word derives from Persian sürgûn, meaning banishment, with the Turkish noun-forming suffix -ün.

In the Ottoman Empire and in the early Turkish Republic, sürgün functioned as an instrument of political control and administration. Officials, nobles, or perceived opponents could be sent to distant provinces, frontier settlements, or remote towns to reduce influence, assign service, or suppress unrest. The practice was part of broader population management and governance tactics, and it appears in historical records and biographies as a form of punishment or as standard administrative relocation depending on context.

In contemporary Turkish language, sürgün is mainly used in historical, literary, or descriptive contexts. When applied to current law, terms like deportation or internal exile would be used, depending on jurisdiction. As a cultural concept, sürgün also appears in Turkish literature and memory as a motif of separation and longing.