Pomaks


Pomaks

 

the formerly colloquial name for Bulgarian Muslims; the term is also accepted in scholarly literature.

The Pomaks were converted to Islam by the Turkish conquerors in the 16th to 18th centuries, but they maintained their native language and customs. The Pomaks live mainly in the Rhodope Mountains and work in mining, the lumber industry, and agriculture.

REFERENCES

Vasilev, K. Rodopskite bulgari mokhamedani. Plovdiv, 1961.
Narodnostna i bitova obshtnost na rodopskite bulgari. Sofia, 1969.