{"id":5588,"date":"2023-09-07T11:20:58","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T11:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zoa.com\/2023\/?p=5588"},"modified":"2023-09-21T05:26:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T05:26:27","slug":"gagatrans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoa.com\/2023\/travel\/gagatrans\/","title":{"rendered":"Gagauzia & Transnistria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are two autonomous territories within Moldova where the inhabitants aren’t Moldovans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first of these territories is Gagauzia<\/a>, a Turkish-speaking enclave in southern Moldova about the size of California’s Marin County. The 130,000 people who live here are called Gagauz — hence the name of their territory. After the fall of the USSR, the Gagauz declared their independence from Moldova. After three years of negotiations, Moldova agreed to grant Gagauzia’s autonomy in exchange for the Gagauz agreeing to be part of Moldova. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do the Gagauz differ from their Moldovan neighbors? The Gagauz are descendants of an ethnic group who were relocated from eastern Bulgaria to Moldova by Russia in the early 19th century. At that time, Bulgaria had been under Ottoman rule for centuries. To this day, the Gagauz retain their Ottoman roots in terms of culture and language — but not religion. Like their Moldovan neighbors, the Gagauz are Orthodox Christians. So, in Gagauzia, you’ll find Turkish people who eat pork, drink wine and don’t observe Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The capital of Gagauzia is Komrat. In the center of town is a splendid gold-topped cathedral. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Not far away is the Gagauz Sofrasi<\/a>, an inn and restaurant where you’ll swear you’re in Turkey. The lamb was delicious and the wine was fabulous. With 12 major wineries, Gagauzia’s primary export is wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Visiting Gagauzia felt like a trip in a time machine. Most roads weren’t paved and donkeys sometimes blocked our route. Tucked away in the village of Ciadir-Lunga was a museum of old radios and Elvis Presley LPs — contraband that was treasured during the Communist era. Nearby was a windmill which is still used to grind grain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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