Pomaks

Pomaks (Bulgarian: Помаци Pomatsi, Turkish: Pomaklar, Greek: Πομάκοι Pomáki) is a term used for a Slavic Muslim population native to some parts of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. The Pomaks speak Bulgarian as their native language, also referred to in Greece and Turkey as Pomak language. Some of them are fluent in Turkish, Albanian, and Greek as a second language. The origin of the Pomaks has been debated, but they are today usually considered descendants of native Bulgarians who converted to Islam during the Ottoman rule of the Balkans. Different members of the group today declare a variety of ethnic identities: Bulgarian, Pomak, Muslim, Turkish, Albanian and others.