Jump to content

Torbeši

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Alltan (talk | contribs) at 20:49, 26 April 2023 (→Areas of settlement). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about Muslim Macedonian-speaking ethnoreligious group. For other Muslim populations from the wider region of Macedonia, see Selânikli, Pomaks, Vallahades, Gorani.
Torbeši
Female folk dance of Torbeši in the village of Gorno Kosovrasti, near Debar
Total population
39,555[1][2] (1981)
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Macedonian
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Macedonians, Pomaks, Macedonian Turks, Bulgarians, Mijaks, Gorani people
Part of a series on
Macedonians
Flag of North Macedonia
By region or country
 
Macedonia (region)
Diaspora
Subgroups and
related groups
Culture
Religion
Other topics

The Torbeši (Macedonian: Торбеши), are a Muslim Macedonian-speaking ethnoreligious group in North Macedonia and Albania.[6] They have been culturally distinct from the Orthodox Christian Macedonian community for centuries, and are and linguistically distinct from the larger Muslim ethnic groups in the greater region of Macedonia: the Albanians, Turks and Romanis. However, some Torbeši also still maintain a strong affiliation with Turkish identity and with Macedonian Turks.[7] The regions inhabited by these Macedonian-speaking Muslims are Debarska Župa, Dolni Drimkol, Reka, and Golo Brdo (in Albania).

Name

Torbeši are sometimes also referred to as Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian: Македонци-муслимани, romanized: Makedonci-muslimani) or Muslim Macedonians[8], and are in some sources grouped together with Pomaks.[9][10][11][12]

Origins

The Torbeši are largely the descendants of Orthodox Christian Slavs from the region of Macedonia who were converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman Empire ruled the Balkans.[13] The various Sufi orders (like the Khalwati, Rifa'is and Qadiris) all played a role in the conversion of the Slavic and Paulician population.[14]

Areas of settlement

North Macedonia

The largest concentration of Torbeš can be found in western North Macedonia and eastern Albania. Most of the villages in Debar regions are populated by Torbeš. The Struga municipality also holds a large number of Macedonian Muslims who are primarily concentrated in the large village of Labuništa. Further north in the Debar region many of the surrounding villages are inhabited by Torbeš. The Dolna Reka region is also primarily populated by Torbeš. Places such as Rostuša and also have large Torbeš populations. Another large concentration of Torbeš is in the so-called Torbešija which is just south of Skopje. There are also major concentrations in the central region of North Macedonia, surrounding the Plasnica municipality and the Dolneni municipality.

Albania

Demographics

The exact numbers of Torbeš are not easy to establish. The historian Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia, before World War II, the Torbeš population stood at around 27,000.[15] Subsequent censuses have produced dramatically varying figures: 1,591 in 1953, 3,002 in 1961, 1,248 in 1971 and 39,355 in 1981. Commentators have suggested that the latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks. Meanwhile, the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World War II more than 70,000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other Muslim groups, most notably the Albanians.[16]

Ethnic affiliation

There are some tensions with the Macedonian Christian community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church.[17]

The 2021 North Macedonia census was the first to have a separate ethnic category for Torbeš; a total of 4,174 individuals in the country identified as such and a further 455 identified as "Muslim Macedonians". However, data at the municipal and settlement levels is not available for these groups.[18]

In municipalities containing the largest concentrations of Torbeš villages,[6] the 2021 census results were as follows for individuals who participated in the census:

Municipality Muslim (%)[19] Macedonian mother tongue (%)[20] Ethnic affiliations[21]
Centar Župa 99.4 28.6 Turk: 86.1%; Macedonian: 7.0%; Albanian 5.6%; Other 1.2%
Debar 97.9 32.1 Albanian: 60.7%; Turk: 19.7%; Macedonian: 8.3%; Other 3.1%
Mavrovo and Rostuša 79.2 88.9 Turk: 33.7%; Macedonian: 31.9%; Other: 23.2%; Albanian: 10.2%
Struga 67.9 46.7 Albanian: 54.4%; Macedonian: 31.4%; Turk: 7.3%; Other: 5.1%

Political activities

The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the Association of Macedonian Muslims. It was established in 1970 with the support of the authorities, probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations in control.[22]

A controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council of the Islamic community in North Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official language of Muslims in Macedonia. The decision prompted protests from the leaders and members of the Macedonian Muslim community.[17]

Notable people

After falling under Ottoman rule, many mosques and other Islamic buildings, such as the Isa Bey Mosque, sprang up all over cities like Skopje
  • Ottoman Bitola in the 1800s
    Ottoman Bitola in the 1800s
  • Prilep at the end of the 19th century
    Prilep at the end of the 19th century
  • Minarets in the Ottoman Skopje skyline
    Minarets in the Ottoman Skopje skyline
  • Ottoman Štip
    Ottoman Štip

See also

References

  1. ^ Hugh, Poulton (2000). Who Are the Macedonians?. Hurst & Company, London. p. 124. ISBN 9781850655343.
  2. ^ Pettifer, James (1999). The new Macedonian Question. Macmillan Press Ltd. p. 115. ISBN 9780230535794.
  3. ^ Gallagher, Tom (2005). The Balkans In The New Millennium: In the Shadow of War and Peace. London: Routledge. p. 85. ISBN 0-415-34940-0.
  4. ^ Kappeler, Andreas; Edward Allworth; Gerhard Simon; Georg Brunner (1994). Muslim communities reemerge: historical perspectives on nationality, politics, and opposition in the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. Duke University Press. p. 331. ISBN 0-8223-1490-8.
  5. ^ Poulton, Hugh (2000). Who are the Macedonians?. C. Hurst & Co. p. 124. ISBN 1-85065-534-0.
  6. ^ a b Dimitar Bechev (2019). Historical Dictionary of North Macedonia. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 291.
  7. ^ Skutsch, Carl (2013-11-07). Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities. ISBN 9781135193881.
  8. ^ Kowan, J. (2000). Macedonia: The Politics of Identity and Difference. London: Pluto Press. p. 111. ISBN 0-7453-1594-1.
  9. ^ Report of the International Commission to Inquire into the Causes and Conduct of the Balkan Wars, published by the Endowment Washington, D.C. 1914, p.28, 155, 288, 317, Лабаури, Дмитрий Олегович. Болгарское национальное движение в Македонии и Фракии в 1894-1908 гг: Идеология, программа, практика политической борьбы, София 2008, с. 184-186, Поп Антов, Христо. Спомени, Скопje 2006, с. 22-23, 28-29, Дедиjeр, Jевто, Нова Србија, Београд 1913, с. 229, Петров Гьорче, Материали по изучаванието на Македония, София 1896, с. 475 (Petrov, Giorche. Materials on the Study of Macedonia, Sofia, 1896, p. 475)
  10. ^ Center for Documentation and Information on Minorities in Europe - Southeast Europe (CEDIME-SE). Muslims of Macedonia. p. 2, 11
  11. ^ Лабаури, Дмитрий Олегович. Болгарское национальное движение в Македонии и Фракии в 1894-1908 гг: Идеология, программа, практика политической борьбы, София 2008, с. 184, Кънчов, Васил. Македония. Етнография и статистика, с. 39-53 (Kanchov, Vasil. Macedonia — ethnography and statistics Sofia, 1900, p. 39-53),Leonhard Schultze Jena. «Makedonien, Landschafts- und Kulturbilder», Jena, G. Fischer, 1927
  12. ^ Fikret Adanir, Die Makedonische Frage: Ihre Entstehung und Entwicklung bis 1908, Wiesbaden 1979 (in Bulgarian: Аданър, Фикрет. Македонският въпрос, София2002, с. 20)
  13. ^ Andrew Rossos, Macedonia and the Macedonians: a history, Hoover Institution Press, 2008, ISBN 0817948813, p. 52.
  14. ^ Hugh Poulton, Who are the Macedonians?, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 1995, ISBN 1850652384, pp. 29-31.
  15. ^ Banac, Ivo (1989). The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics. Cornell University Press. p. 50. ISBN 0-8014-9493-1.
  16. ^ Poulton, Hugh (1995). Who Are the Macedonians?. C. Hurst & Co. p. 124.
  17. ^ a b Duncan M. Perry, "The Republic of Macedonia: finding its way", in Politics, Power and the Struggle for Democracy in South-East Europe, ed. Karen Dawisha, Bruce Parrott, p. 256. (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
  18. ^ "Вкупно резидентно население во Република Северна Македонија според изјаснувањето за етничката припадност, по пол, Попис 2021". State Statistical office.
  19. ^ "Вкупно резидентно население во Република Северна Македонија според изјаснувањето за религиската припадност, по пол, по општини, Попис 2021". State Statistical Office.
  20. ^ "Вкупно резидентно население во Република Северна Македонија според мајчиниот јазик, по пол, по општини, Попис 2021". State Statistical Office.
  21. ^ "Вкупно резидентно население во Република Северна Македонија според изјаснувањето за етничката припадност, по пол, по општини, Попис 2021". State Statistical Office.
  22. ^ Hugh Poulton, "Changing Notions of National Identity among Muslims", in Muslim Identity and the Balkan States, ed. Hugh Poulton, Suha Taji-Farouki (C. Hurst & Co, 1997)
  23. ^ "Selmin Sakiri: Lebenslauf, Bücher und Rezensionen bei LovelyBooks". LovelyBooks. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Torbeši&oldid=1151881982"