▁bas in . ▁That ▁last ed ▁until ▁defeat ▁in ▁the ▁Rus so - T urk ish ▁War ▁of ▁ 1 8 7 7 – 1 8 7 8 . ▁ ▁The ▁Ott oman ▁Empire ▁took ▁its ▁first ▁foreign ▁lo ans ▁on ▁ 4 ▁August ▁ 1 8 5 4 , ▁shortly ▁after ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁Crime an ▁War . ▁ ▁The ▁war ▁caused ▁an ▁ex od us ▁of ▁the ▁Crime an ▁Tat ars . ▁From ▁the ▁total ▁T atar ▁population ▁of ▁ 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁in ▁the ▁T aur ide ▁Province , ▁about ▁ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁Crime an ▁Tat ars ▁moved ▁to ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁Empire ▁in ▁continu ing ▁waves ▁of ▁em igration . ▁Tow ard ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁C au cas ian ▁Wars , ▁ 9 0 % ▁of ▁the ▁Circ ass ians ▁were ▁ex iled ▁from ▁their ▁hom el ands ▁in ▁the ▁C au cas us ▁and ▁settled ▁in ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁Empire . ▁During ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁there ▁was ▁an ▁ex od us ▁to ▁present - day ▁Turkey ▁by ▁a ▁large ▁portion ▁of ▁Muslim ▁pe op les ▁from ▁the ▁B alk ans , ▁C au cas us , ▁Crime a ▁and ▁Cre te , ▁By ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁as ▁many ▁as ▁ 4 5 % ▁of ▁the ▁island ers ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁Muslim , ▁had ▁great ▁influence ▁in ▁m old ing ▁the ▁country ' s ▁fundamental ▁features . ▁These ▁people