Zeybek is a traditional Turkish folk dance that originated from the Aegean Region of Turkey during the Ottoman period. It was performed by and named after the Zeybeks, and was later popularized in the early 20th century by Selim Sırrı Tarcan.

There are over 150 regional variations of the dance, ranging from the slower ağır zeybek to the more livelier kıvrak zeybek. Today, the Zeybek dance stands as a symbol of dignity, pride, and heroism within Turkish culture, embraced at weddings and festive gatherings, as well as by women for its graceful yet powerful movements and its symbolic evocation of honor and bravery.

The word zeybek was first attested in Ottoman Turkish sources of the 15th century, appearing in the chronicle Tevārīḫ-i Āl-i ʿOsmān of the Ottoman historian Aşıkpaşazade.

Although its exact origin remains uncertain, several etymological theories have been proposed, with a Turkic origin considered the most plausible. According to the Turkish musicologist and composer Onur Akdoğu, zeybek derives from the Old Turkic compound saybek, meaning “valiant lord”, formed from say (“strong, brave”) and bek (“chieftain”). Other scholars suggest alternative Turkic origins. For instance, professor Mehmet Öcal Özbilgin argues that the word stems from military terminology, originating from sü (“army”) and bey / bek (“lord”), thus conveying a sense of “leader of troops.”

The word and its derivatives appear in various neighboring cultures, reflecting the historical influence of the Zeybek dance. In Greece, a related form of the dance is known as the Zeibekiko, which evolved from the Turkish Zeybek dance. It was introduced to mainland Greece by Asia Minor Greeks and gained widespread popularity following the Greek–Turkish population exchange of 1923, eventually becoming one of the most iconic dances in Greek culture. In Albania, a dance called "Zebekshe" is also found in the Mat region, where it is described as “the dance of the freedom fighters” in reference to the Zeybeks. However, the Albanian version shows little to no resemblance in both style and structure from its Turkish counterpart.

One of the earliest accounts of the Zeybek dance dates from the 17th century, when Ottoman Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi described local dances in Manisa and Aydın during festivals, noting their distinctive martial gestures and proud postures.

The dance takes its name from the Zeybeks, a group of irregular soldiers of the late Ottoman period. The Zeybeks emerged in the mountainous regions of Western Anatolia as outlaws during times of weakened state control. Much like a Turkish version of legendary Robin Hood, they defended villagers against oppressive landlords and tax collectors, and often redistributed wealth taken from the rich. For this reason, they were seen as a valiant, brave, assertive people who stood against injustice. They had a hierarchical social structure. in which the leader was called the efe, while his armed companions were known as kızan.

From the 19th century onward, the Zeybeks were deployed as irregular troops of the Ottoman army due to their mountain skills, ambush tactics, and mastery of light weapons. They suppressed the uprisings in the Balkans, and fought in major conflicts such as the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-29, the Crimean War, and the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, where they earned recognition for their military skills and outstanding service on the fronts. In World War 1, as part of the Turkish War of Independence, they once again served as irregulars, and became the core striking of the Kuva-yi Milliye. Leaders such as Yörük Ali Efe, Çerkes Ethem, Atçalı Kel Mehmet Efe, Çakırcalı Mehmet Efe, and others led successful guerrilla campaigns against the Greek occupation before the establishment of the Turkish National Movement. Through these struggles, the Zeybeks became the national heroes of the independence movement.