Who Are the Pomaks?
The Pomaks are a Slavic-speaking Muslim people indigenous to the Rhodope Mountains, primarily in Bulgaria and Greece, with communities in Turkey and North Macedonia. Numbering approximately 300,000-500,000, they speak Bulgarian or a related Slavic dialect while practicing Islam—a combination that has made them politically contentious as various nations have claimed or rejected them.
Their origins and the circumstances of their conversion to Islam remain debated. Some theories suggest conversion during Ottoman rule to escape taxation or persecution; others propose earlier Bogomil Christian heterodoxy made conversion easier; still others argue for gradual voluntary adoption. The Pomaks themselves hold diverse views on their identity and history.
Mountain Culture
The Rhodope Mountains shaped Pomak life for centuries. Remote villages, accessible only by difficult mountain paths, preserved distinctive customs even as lowland societies changed. Traditional economy combined livestock herding (especially sheep and goats), small-scale agriculture, and forestry. The mountains provided summer pastures, timber, and medicinal herbs.
Traditional Pomak houses featured stone foundations, timber upper stories, and distinctive architectural details. Villages clustered around the mosque, which served as community center as well as place of worship. Extended families maintained strong bonds, with traditional hospitality obligations and mutual aid networks connecting households.
Music and Folklore
Pomak musical traditions preserve remarkable archaic features, including asymmetric rhythms, drone-based polyphony, and modal scales that fascinate ethnomusicologists. The gaida (bagpipe), kaval (end-blown flute), and davul (drum) accompany traditional songs and dances. Wedding celebrations could last days, featuring elaborate musical performances.
Oral traditions include epic songs, fairy tales, and historical narratives. Some songs preserve pre-Islamic elements alongside Islamic references. Pomak folklore features nature spirits, mountain deities, and magical beings similar to those in broader Balkan Slavic tradition, adapted to Islamic frameworks or persisting as folk belief.
Contested Identity
Pomak identity has been politically contested throughout modern history. Bulgarian nationalists considered them Islamicized Bulgarians to be "returned" to Christianity and Bulgarian identity—a project pursued through forced assimilation campaigns, especially in 1912-13, 1942-44, and 1971-74. These campaigns forced name changes, banned traditional dress, and suppressed Islamic practice.
In Greece, Pomaks were classified as part of the "Muslim minority" under the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, with Turkey claiming them as Turks. Greek policy oscillated between restricting the minority and attempting assimilation. Turkish policy in Thrace encouraged Turkish identity. The Pomaks themselves have increasingly asserted a distinct identity, though opinions on its content vary.
Contemporary Life
Post-communist Bulgaria has allowed greater expression of Pomak identity, though economic decline in mountain regions has driven emigration. Many work seasonally in Western Europe or have relocated to cities. Traditional practices decline as villages age and young people leave.
Efforts to preserve Pomak heritage include folklore festivals, documentation projects, and cultural associations. The community debates its relationship to Bulgarian national identity, to broader Muslim communities, and to transnational Pomak connections across borders. These discussions reflect broader European questions about ethnicity, religion, and minority rights.
References
- Neuburger, M. (2004). "The Orient Within: Muslim Minorities and the Negotiation of Nationhood in Modern Bulgaria"
- Todorova, M. (1997). "Identity (Trans)formation Among Bulgarian Muslims"
- Brunnbauer, U. (1999). "Diverging (Hi)stories: The Contested Identity of the Bulgarian Pomaks"
- Karagiannis, E. (2005). "Secularism in Context: The Case of the Bulgarian Pomaks"