The Pomaks

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Starting this thread for any relevant information or discussion on the Pomaks. A Slavophone Muslim minority primarily living in Thrace.

In Bulgaria they are classified as 'Bulgarian Muslims' and the state has attempted to assimiliate them numerous times over the years, often under the arguement they're ancestors were Christian Bulgarian that converted to Islam.

In Greece the general belief is that they are "Slavicized" Greek Muslims.

Upton the establishment of Eastern Rumelia in 1878, the Pomaks of the Tamrash region established their own indepdent republic in opposition to rule by the new autonomous Christian government. The state independently functioned until the Bulgarian annexation of the region (along with Eastern Rumelia) in 1886.

[Liberator of Makedonija]

The Pomak vernacular differs quite substantially from Standard Bulgarian with a lot more influence from Greek and Turkish. Danish linguist Holger Pedersen pointed-out in 1907 the similar grammatical forms between Pomak and Armenian.

A 1935 Turkish census saw 3,381 people in Thrace declare their native language as Bulgarian, whilst a much larger 18,382 people delcared their native language Pomak.

Bellow is a wordlist comparing English and the Rhodope Pomak dialect.

Hello Dobar den (Formal), Zdravej (Informal)

I am Pomak/Bulgarian/Bulgarian Muslim (man) Je sam Pomak/Balgarin/Balgarski Mohamedanin

I speak bulgarian Je lafim balgarcko

How are you? Kak si?

Thank you Blagodarja

Good day Dobar den

Children Detine

This chair Aisos skemle

That auntie Ainos lelka

Ibrahim is my uncle Ibrahim e moj amiđa

Hatiđa is my sister Hatiđa e moja sestra

My father Mojet bubajko

What are you doing? Kina rabutaš?

I knew Je znajeh

Do you know? Znaješ li ti?

He was a good man Toj beše dobar čilak

I am from Xanthi Je sam ot Skeča

One woman from the new village Enna žena ot novoto selo

One day and one night Edin den i enna nošt

Last year Lani

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Flag of the Tamrash Republic

[Liberator of Makedonija]

A state in western Thrace was also established in 1913, although I haven't looked into the exact reasons as of yet. Going off its flag my guess is that the local Islamic (including Pomak) population was trying to avoid being carved up by Greece and Bulgaria at the Treaty of Bucharest.

[Carlin]

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Capital in Kumanovo, interesting.