Torbeši
Ethno-religious group in the Balkans / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Torbeši (Macedonian: Торбеши) are a Macedonian-speaking Muslim ethnoreligious group in North Macedonia and Albania.[4] The Torbeši are also referred to as Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian: Македонци-муслимани, romanized: Makedonci-muslimani) or Muslim Macedonians.[5][6][7][8][9] They have been culturally distinct from the Orthodox Christian Macedonian community for centuries, and are 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.[10] The regions inhabited by these Macedonian-speaking Muslims are Debarska Župa, Dolni Drimkol, Reka, and Golo Brdo (in Albania).
Total population | |
---|---|
39,555[1][2] (1981) 5,816 (2021 census)[3][note 1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Western North Macedonia, Torbešija, Eastern Albania | |
Languages | |
Macedonian | |
Religion | |
Sunni Islam | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Macedonians, Pomaks, Macedonian Turks, Albanians |