2
THESTATUSOFISLAMANDMUSLIMS
IN
BULGARIA
Introduction
ThischapterdiscussesthestatusofIslamandMuslimsinBulgariawithinthreebroadhistoricalperiods;fromthemiddleofthefourteenthcenturytoBulgarianindependencefromOttomanrulein1878;from1878totheendoftheSecondWorldWar;andfromtheendoftheSecondWorldWartothepresent.AlthoughtheprimaryfocusisontheexperienceofTurkishMuslims,thefindingsareapplicabletotheexperienceofGypsyandBulgarianMuslims(Pomaks)aswell.ThepresentethnicandreligiousmosaicintheBalkansistheproductofmillenniaofmigratoryinvasions.ThecentrallocationoftheBalkansbetweenEuropeandAsiaandtheexistenceofawell-developedroadsystemforthecarryingofmilitary,ad-ministrative,commercialandculturaltrafficsinceRomantimesencouragedsuchmovements.
1
Likeotherconquerorsbeforethem,MuslimsenteredtheBalkansbyusingthesewell-establishedarteriesandbysecuringthemconsolidatedtheircontroloftheregIon.TheMarica,TundzaandIskiirrivervalleysandtheopenplainsofDobrudzahaveservedasnaturalroutesforanumberofTurkic-speakinggroupstoinvadeBulgaria,asarefugeforthosepushedout
by
theirrivalsfromtheAsiansteppes,andastransitpointsbetweenEuropeandAsia.TurkicgroupswhichhavepassedthroughorsettledinBulgariaincludetheHuns,Avars,Bul-gars,Pccenegs,Oguz,Uz,Cumans,Circassians,Tatars,and
1
Descriptionofthisroadsystemanddiscussionofitshistoricalimportanceisfoundin
Browning1975:24-5;Fine1983:3;Spiridonakis1977:59-65,andObolenski1971among
others.
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