5TH INTERNATIONAL BALKAN ANNUAL CONFERENCE
(IBAC - SOFIA)
THE BALKANS-PAST AND PRESENT:
MUTUAL INFLUENCES AND INTERACTIONS
ABSTRACTS
SOFIA (26-28 NOVEMBER 2015)
“The Sublime Porte and the Bulgarian Church Question”


Ilia Todev
Institute of Historical Studies, BAS
“The Rise Of Sliven (Islimye) From A Balkan Village To A Province Center In The Ottoman
Empire”

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Hacısalihoğlu
Sliven (İslimye) was a village at the southern foot of the Balkan Mountains. Political and economic
developments beginning in the 17. Century led to growth of this village on the way from Istanbul to Danubean
principalities first to a town and then to a center of a liva (province) in the 19th century. In the middle of the
19th century Sliven was a province center with eight districts (kaza). The first textile fabric in this region was
constructed in Sliven. The city supplied the center of the Empire with textile products and riffle barrels. During
the Russo-Ottoman wars Sliven was an important base for the Ottoman military movements. During the
Russo-Ottoman War of 1828-1829 the city was captured by the Russian army. The governor (voyvoda) of
Sliven fought in this war against the Russians and was killed in 1829. With the introduction of Tanzimat
reforms the province administration was reorganized. The governors were appointed directly from the Center.
They were called first muhassıl, then kaymakam and then mutasarrıf. The importance of Sliven during the 19th
century increased and in the second half of the century only high-ranking Ottoman officials were appointed as
governors of the Islimye Province. After the Russo-Ottoman War of 1877/1878 the province remained within
the borders of the Province of Eastern Rumelia and after 1885 within the Bulgarian Principality. The change of
political rule brought important changes in the demographic and toponymical structure of the province.
This presentation aims to explain the process of this growth of Sliven to an important Ottoman
province center and the specific factors playing role in this development. It bases on a research project
sponsored by German Research Society (DFG) and on my already in Turkish published book “Doğu Rumeli’de
Kayıp Köyler: İslimye Sancağı’nda 1878’den Günümüze Göçler, İsim Değişiklikleri ve Harabeler” (İstanbul:
Bağlam, 2008).

Yıldız Technical University Department of Political Science and International Relations Director of Center
for Balkan and Black Sea Studies (BALKAR) ([email protected])
“The Dynamics Of The Impact Of Ottoman Turkish Language And Culture On Bulgarian
Language And Culture During The Last Two Centuries”

Maxim STAMENOV
Bulgaria was under the Ottoman rule for almost 5 centuries and the impact of Turkish language and
culture on Bulgarian language and culture during this extended historical period was widely ranging and deep.
While it was minimal or negligible in terms of grammar, the loan words proliferated. The historical dictionary
of Turkisms in Bulgarian of Grannes at al. (2002) includes some 7427 different words. Before them Slaveykov
(1883) claimed that he has collected as many as 10000 words and expressions from Ottoman Turkish in
preparing a dictionary of Turkish loans in Bulgarian that was never finished and published. After Bulgaria
attained independence from the Ottoman empire (1878) the opposite trend – of getting rid of the Ottoman
Turkish loan words – took place and was the dominant one during the XX-th century with several special
features that will be discussed during the presentation. This trend went on while there were no Turkish loan
words newly taken onboard after 1878 till present day. The important consequence to remember is that the
impact of Turkish on Bulgarian was due to the shared Ottoman past not only after 1878, but also after 1923 and
even after 1989! In conclusion, the cultural significance of the sketched dynamics will be briefly summarized.

Institute for Bulgarian Language, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
“A Handbook for Travellers in European Turkey in the Middle of the 19 th Century: The Case of
John Murray’s Account on Bulgaria in 1850’s”

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Alaaddin Yalcinkaya
In the 19th century many European travellers came to Ottoman Balkans and wrote their accounts on
this area. In the same way there are many traveller books and other accounts dealing with Ottoman Bulgaria
and the Bulgarians with their manners since Tanzimat period (1839). One of these accounts was the account of
British publisher John Murray. Murray was fond of travelling and he arrived few times to Ottoman Turkey in
Tanzimat Era. He published his impressions of the country in “A Handbook for Travellers in Turkey:
Describing Constantinople, European Turkey, Asia Minor, Armenia, and Mesopotamia”, London 1854. This
paper only concentrates Bulgaria and Bulgarian route for the travellers in European Turkey. In his book,
Murray describes some important physical conditions of Bulgaria, cultural specialities and domestic buildings
and he also gives some information on the administration of the places including with peoples and their
manners.
According to the description of John Murray, there are 5 main routes in Bulgaria such as firstly Istanbul
to Belgrade, secondly Istanbul to Bucharest, thirdly Belgrade to Istanbul by the Danube, fourthly Vidin to
Varna and lastly the passes of the Balkan: Ruschuk to Kırklareli and Varna to Istanbul.
In this paper, I try to examine the role of the European travellers in Ottoman Bulgaria in the middle of
the 19th century. This paper tries to demonstrate the importance of the traveller accounts on Ottoman daily life
and their guidance to enlighten one of Ottoman route system for the travellers in the middle of the 19th
century. This paper also aims to show functions and roles of the Ottoman route system with the capital city
Istanbul and European Turkey through Bulgaria.
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Karadeniz Technical University Faculty of Arts, History Department ([email protected] )
Crafting the Biographies of Eighteenth Century Ottoman Statesmen through Waqfiyyas: The
Case of Şerif Halil Paşa of Şumnu (d. 1752)

Ahmet Bilaloğlu
Treating the waqfiyya of Şerif Halil Paşa as a quasi-ego document, this paper aims to (1) reconstruct and present Şerif Halil Paşa’s career as a success story of a bureaucrat who came into being in
the entourage of Damad İbrahim Paşa (1718-1730) and maintained his strong profile even after the fall of
the grand vizier; (2) shed light on expectations, ambitions and interests of an 18th -century bureaucrat and
locate him in an elite circle; and (3) specify the difficulties of writing biographical accounts of little researched Ottoman elites. In the light of the witnesses of the waqfiyya, it is clear that Şerif Halil was a
member of an elite circle whose ambitions, targets and interests were very similar. Furthermore, Şerif
Halil and his associates’ story proves to be an intersection of various other stories that offer new insights
into our understanding of this era coined with loaded appellations such as “The Tulip Age,” “Ottoman
Baroque”, “westernization” and “modernization”. When it is considered that all of Şerif Halil and the
witnesses in his waqfiyya, being Pirizâde Sahib Mehmed Efendi, Mustafa Efendi and Abdî Efendi,
managed to rise to prominent ranks in the reign of the ensuing sultan, Mahmud I, it is possible to trace a
team of collaborators, who continued to invest in and advance the intellectual assets that they gained or
sharpened under the patronage of Damad İbrahim Paşa. Due to the patterns of their rise in administrative
layers and the similarities observed in their patronage activities and intellectual interests, they provide
invaluable information not only about the capital but also about their local ties. This elite circle als o
enables us to observe a continuity of practice and ideology between the reigns of Ahmed III and Mahmud
I, thus downplaying the taboos established in conventional historiography.

Central European University ([email protected])
Külliye Of Şemseddin Ahmed Beg In Gıannıtsa Accordıng To Late Xvth Century Waqfiye

Ayşegül Kılıç
Şemseddin Ahmed Bey was the grandson of Evrenos Beg, the famous Ottoman raider. His father who
was the eldest son of Evrenos Beg was Ali Beg who probably was born from a Greek concubine called Kiria
Anna (Κύρια Άννα). In Giannitsa (Γιάννιτσα/Yenice-i Vardar), today in Greece was called the center of
Evrenos family, there were three generations’ waqfs from Evrenos dynasty. In addition to Evrenos Beg’s waqf
in Giannitsa, from second generation of family, Ali and Barak Begs and also the subject of our paper from third
generation Şemseddin Ahmed Beg established his waqf. The city improved by the foundations of Evrenos
family and in a short time had a Turkish-Islamic character. Most of the development of city of Giannitsa was
happened due to the period of Şemseddin Ahmed Beg. His contribution to the structural and cultural life of the
city was important. While until the middle of XVth century the military character was dominant at the city life,
from this date especially at the period of Şemseddin Ahmed Beg, cultural identity of the city had shown great
improvement.
In this paper the life of Şemseddin Ahmed Beg with whom we have very limited information about will
be evaluated according to Ottoman sources. Then according to tax registers, foundation records and especially
under the light of his waqfiye which is dated 1498 (H. 904) his külliye in Gianntisa will be examined and as a
result the historical process and current situation of his külliye will be informed in this paper.

Pamukkale University Faculty of Science and Letters History Department
An Evaluation Of The Ottoman Pious Endowments Founded In Bulgaria Between The Fifteenth
And Seventeenth Centuries

H. Ahmet Arslantürk
During the course of their earlier expansion in the Balkans, the urban centers in Bulgaria were the first
ones coming under the Ottoman domination. These settlements went under important changes under the
Ottoman rule. On the one hand, there were demographic changes brought by the conquerors, on the other
hand, the change in government resulted in a shift in urban fabric in terms of architecture and social life. One
of the most important developments brought by Ottoman domination was Islamic pious endowments.
Through the endowment system, the Ottomans not only conducted public spending and investments but also
provided a form of social welfare.
This presentation aims to give a general overview of the Ottomans endowments established in the areas which
now correspond to modern day Bulgaria. Our analysis will be based on the foundation deeds of pious
endowments. A chosen group of pious endowments (30 to 40) will be examined to provide data on
urbanization, private and public investments, and architectural developments in Bulgaria between the fifteenth
and seventeenth centuries. This study will mainly focus on the functions of the pious endowments, their
economic capacity, the services they provided as well as their geographical distribution in Bulgaria. The
presentation will finish with a general evaluation of the historical development of the Ottoman pious
endowments in Bulgaria during the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Istanbul Medeniyet University, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Department of History
([email protected])
The Waqf of Selimiyye in the First Half of the 17th Century; Rental Income, Agricultural
Production and Budget Surplus
Kayhan Orbay
This paper reviews the economic development of the waqf of Selimiyye through its account books in the first
half of the 17th century. The waqf had an oversized budget compared to the size of its expenditures. Since the
charitable services provided by the waqf were narrow the waqf was obtaining considerable budget surplus at
the end of each year. However, the waqf was not allowed to keep its budget surplus which was delivered to the
treasury of Chief Black Eunuch. The waqf used the double-renting method in operating its urban properties
and was able to increase its rental income contrary to the widely held argument in the waqf literature. As
opposed to the argument of agricultural crisis in the Balkans due to demographic catastrophe and climate
change, the preliminary results of this study show no sign of long-lasting or deep crisis in agricultural
economy. There were short-term difficulties which the waqf finance and agricultural production recovered
quickly from.
“The Falconers In The Central Balkans And The Bashtinas Of Falconers Christians In Xvi
Century According To The Information Of An Ottoman Register From 1560”

Krystio Iordanov
Data about the falconers in Roumelia in XVI century are presented in the report. The main source of
information – an unpublished register of falconers from 1560 – allows me to examine the numerical strength
and the geographical distribution of the falconers in the Bulgarian lands as well as the structure and size of the
agricultural parcels in the bashtinas (inheritable piece of arable land) of the falconers Christians.

Institute of Historical Studies, BAS
Rise of Privatization on the Timar Lands in Vidin

Muhsin Soyudoğan
The change in the timar system went hand in hand with the transformation of the rural administrative
organization so as the actors controlling agricultural economy. Parallel with that change the ability of state to
exert its influence over rural domain fluctuated. While the state created a monopoly over the timar lands
throughout the sixteenth century, its control gradually eroded in the seventeenth century. Balkans, which
articulated to timar system from an early period, offer best cases to see all that process. Having a plentitude of
timar records from mid-fifteenth century onward Vidin is one of the best cases to see all that transformation.
Attempting to utilize these records in series this presentation offers an insight into the state centralization and
decentralization related to the transformation of the timar system. Especially it will focus on the seventeenth
century when the timar system underwent a serious degeneration and gave way to the relations of production
developed around private ownership.

University of Gaziantep ([email protected])
The city of Sofia In the Sixteenth Century According To Ottoman Archival Documents

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Akif Erdogru
My paper is mainly based on Ottoman archival documents, mainly Ottoman detailed registers
(mufassal tahrir defteri) of sixteenth century from Preme Ministry Archives in Istanbul. The city of Sofia
was one of the important cities of Balkan (Rumeli) province of Ottoman Empire, expecially one of the
military centers of Ottomans. Majority of its population was Musulman Turks, some of them was
transferred from Ottoman Anatolia. In my paper, new information extracted from Ottoman documents
will be submitted on Sofia, now capital of Bulgaria.

Ege University ([email protected])
A Contribution To Agricultural Life Of Bulgaria Under Ottoman Rule: Ubeydî’s And Rizâ’s
Fruit Odes

Fatıh Tığlı-Ömer Aslan
Balkan geography had hosted to Ottoman state for a long period. It had taken some significant roles
in social and official life through its fertile soil, vibrant economic life, administrators brought to the state
positions. Stara Zagora [Eski Zağara/Стара Загора] and Kazanlak [Kazanlık/Казанлък] both of which
within the borders of Republic of Bulgaria today were two important administrative districts from Rumeli
province in the Ottoman period. They were located in an important area that met the agricultural needs of
the state by means of its lush and vivid agricultural life.
Two odes which includes some elements demonstrating agricultural diversity of Stara Zagora and
Kazanlak constitute the main issue of this paper. The first ode was written up by one of the XVIth century
poets Ubeydî. Ubeydî, in his ode, mentioned the pear species which has been cultivated in that area. The
second ode was drawn up for Kazanlak and apple species which has been cultivated in there by Rıza w hich
is one of the poets of XVIIth century.
These two odes can be considered as precious documents for our cultural and agricultural history
by giving information about properties and denominations of these fruit species. On the other hand these
texts are important to be an example in that praising an extraordinary object.
This paper analyzes the two texts about fruit species which are written a century apart from each other
with same style, verse form and content, by two poets who was appointed same duty in two neighboring
cities. Thus, this work will help to show contributions of these odes to the literary and the agricultural life
of Bulgaria under Ottoman rule.

Department Of Turkish Language And Literature, Faculty Of Letters, Istanbul University
([email protected]) – ([email protected])
Bulgarian-Turkish Relations At The Preparation And After The Beginning Of The First World
War

Nadezhda Vasileva
Since 1878, when it was resumed the Bulgarian state until 1914, when the First World War began, the
relations between Bulgaria and Turkey is evolving quite unstable.
Just one year before the military conflict that will outbreak apart in Europe and will be extended to the
other continents around the world, on the Balkan Peninsula, there had been completed two consecutive wars the First and the Second Balkan Wars. The first one lead to the Balkan Union created by Bulgaria, Serbia,
Greece and Montenegro against the Ottoman Empire, and the second one broke out among the allies in an
attempt to fairly redistribute the occupied territories in the European provinces of the Ottoman Empire. As a
result of this, Bulgaria was forced to fight with Serbia, Greece, Romania and Turkey. After the end of the wars
Ottoman Empire lost a significant part of its territory in the European provinces, Bulgaria faced with failure to
complete its national unity.
However, none of the two countries- Bulgaria and Ottoman Empire- did not suspect that soon there will
be not only normalization of relations between them, but also that they will become allies. This was really
carried out after the outbreak of World War First listed first when the two states took the side of Triple Allies
at the military conflict.
The purpose of this article is to examine the bilateral relations of the two countries since the beginning of
military conflict and to trace out the path that they walked during joining the Central Powers and thereby
becoming actually allies. In preparing the article documents and materials are used from the Bulgarian
National Archives, correspondence between Bulgarian representatives in Istanbul and Bulgarian government.

Sakarya Üniversite, Fen-Edebiyat Fakultesi, Tarih Bölüm, PhD student ([email protected])
“Bulgaria and Turkey 1920-1923 – a Painful Collaboration”


Dimityr Mitev
Institute of Historical Studies, BAS
The Reformatory as a Project of the Midhat Pasha to Train together the Turks and the
Bulgarians

Ercan UYANIK
A successful example of the type of the Pan-Ottomanist bureaucrat Midhat Pasha, in 1864 has been appointed
head of the Danube province which was the pilot region of the Provincial Regulation. Midhat Pasha, has been
successful in the field of public, local administration, security education and culture by leading implementation
of the Provincial Regulation which re-determining the Ottoman administrative order. Midhat Pasha
established the reformatory school in the Niche, Ruse and Sofia by mobilizing the charitable feelings of the
Muslims and the Christians. Midhat Pasha, educated Muslim and nonmuslim orphaned children in the
reformatory by raised them as a specialist in one art form. Midhat Pasha, in line with education policy in the
Tanzimat period, used co-education as a measure to prevent the Bulgarians go to the school in Russia and
rising nationalism among them. He has managed to train together the Turks and the Bulgarians in the
reformatory which an instance of the Ottomanist education. The success of Midhat Pasha in the co-education
which enabling widespread use of modern school in the Danube province has been a model for the
development of state schools in other provinces. This study will focus on the applications of Midhat Pasha in
the Danube province which can be seen as a laboratory of the Ottomanism after 1856 and the reformatory that
had a profound impact on the Ottoman’s central policy in terms of the ideology of education and financing of
schools.

Ege University ([email protected])
“Bulgarian Turks and Contemporary Bulgarian-Turkish Relations”

Mila Maeva
This article aims to trace the Bulgarian-Turkish relations at the beginning of 21st century through the eyes of
two Turkish groups - those in Bulgaria and the emigrants who left Bulgaria during the communist regime and
settled in Turkey. The target groups were selected as an object of the study because they are related in one or
another way with both countries. The research is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Kardzhali and
Sofia in 2014 and 2015. On one hand, the interlocutors pay attention to the political relations between the two
countries. Primarily the focus of the paper is put on the perception of the political situation in both countries
according communities` view. On the other hand the study draws attention to the cultural and social contacts
made by Turkish groups on the border between Bulgaria and Turkey and the mutual influences.

IEFSEM-BAS
Vidin’s Bureacratic Burden

Prof. Dr. Mahir AYDIN
In 1697, Vidin was a sanjak that was comprised of six districts, namely Vidin, Polmiye, Fethülislam,
İsferlik, Bane, and Timok. Yet, the Vidin Castle at this period had only played minimal roles, with fewer
soldiers and therefore lower costs. Therefore, the jizyah that was collected in the Sanjak of Vidin and amounted
to 53.500 kuruş was instead used to pay the salaries of the Janissaries garrisoned in the Tameşvar Castle. Since
the empire’s frontier was guarded by the Castles of Tameşvar and Belgrad, that of Vidin was located in the
interior but with the loss of the Belgrad Castle in 1718, the empire’s defense line was drawn back to Vidin,
turning it into a frontier castle.
Since the Ottoman’s ethos of conquest did not really necessiate a mentality of defense, no notion of
clear-cut boundaries existed in the empire and the losses in 1699 did not lead to the formation of such
consciousness, either. The transformation into such a new mentality that can be traced back to 1718 resulted in
the overhaul of all frontier castles where the Vidin castle came to emerge as the largest one in the empire. Such
an enlargement in size and significance also led to an increase in Vidin’s bureaucratic weight. The aghas in the
Castle increased to 81 in kind (not in number) and 34 in the Sanjak. Such an increase also led to the swelling of
the Castle’s costs which the locals were expected to cover in addition to the jizyah. By 1769, with a clumsier
bureaucratcy, there were around 75 different types of expenditure, which included but not limited to
expenditure on those responsible for the manure work in the barns to warehouse clerks, from aghas to qadis,
hay costs to various rents. But the income of the local populations was limited, often derived from agriculture.
As a result, the costs of the castles were only covered partially and the rest were passed on to the upcoming
years when interests incurred became yet another item of expenditure. The table below illustrates the arrears
incurred over the years.

Istanbul University ( [email protected])
Making a Socio-spatial Analysis in a Balkan City: Edirne in the 1700s

Yunus Uğur
In this presentation, I focus on a single city and study it in a detailed manner with a methodology
through which I will be able to, in the future, compare its socio-economic and topographic structures and
historical development with those of other cities. I try to interpret the attribut es derived from the archival
sources (avarız records and surety surveys), such as titles, occupations, ethno -religious identities, gender,
and properties of the people in relation to the city spaces and to describe the ecological position of the city
by focusing on the spatial neighborliness/conjunctions or distinctiveness of these attributes. In other
words, I was able to reveal how these attributes concentrate at the mahalle level and how mahalles differ
in terms of these attributes. Accordingly, mahalles got multi-definitions constituting certain zones or
sectors with other mahalles on the basis of qualitative resemblance to each other different than the
conventional districts (semt) defined by on the basis of topographical neighborhood. Besides, I was al so
able to visualize the change undergone by the city of Edirne in two different periods –1686 and 1703 – via
different attribute profiles in two successive phases. This was an opportunity both to see what changed in
the city and what did not and to interpret the interaction of the inner changes with the general historical
context of the period under study. In this way, important developments were actualized in the relational
methodology regarding the problem of following continuity, discontinuity and the change routes of
different time series (sequences), which is among the most important methodological problems of
historical studies.

Istanbul Sehir University, hıstory department ([email protected])
“Urbanization Policy Of The Ottoman Authorities In The Danube Vilayet In The 60s And 70s Of
The 19th Century”

Ventsislav Muchinov- Maria Levkova-Muchinova
The paper attempts at outlining the main directions of the Ottoman urbanization policy in the Danube Vilayet
in the 60s and 70s of the 19th century. It researches the large-scale programme undertaken under the
governance of Midhat Pasha for the modernization and development of cities in the Danube Vilayet and the
improvement of the road infrastructure. The paper pays special attention on the reasons behind the formation
of new urban centres in the Vilayet, such as Adliye and Orhaniye. The paper presents analysis of the
successfulness of this urbanization policy and its influence on the activation of the urbanization of the other
ottoman provinces on the Balkan peninsula.

Institute for Population and Human Studies at the BAS Institute for Historical Studies at the BAS
“Dealing with the ottoman past: Sofia's post-1878 urban development and the "Roman
wall"myth”

Ivailo Nachev
After becoming the capital of the newly-liberated Bulgarian state, Sofia underwent profound urban
transformations, aimed to address both its new position as a capital city and the subsequent massive urban
growth. Sofia was a former ottoman administrative centre that lost much of its glory throughout the 19th
century, and part of the efforts of city's administrations included a major reshuffle of the street networks and
demolition of a number of structures. In the field of onomastics many changes took place as well, but a number
of toponymies continued to be in use for many years. So, it could be argued that the urban development
reflected the overall desires and trends for “de-Ottomanization”and “Europeanization”. The proposed paper
will focus on the specific case of an old ottoman structure that was erroneously named the “Roman wall”, a
name that is still in circulation nowadays along with the “Old wall”, despite the fact that various specialists
have shown its historical inaccuracy and that its aim and functions during the ottoman times have been fairly
clarified. The paper will explore the process of forging this name (it is not even approximately known when it
emerged), identify the agents of creation and analyse the underlying motives in the process. It will trace its
subsequent evolution during a number of decades and shed light on the channels for sustaining the myth. The
“Roman wall” had a long life-cycle, which makes this erroneous designation a real urban myth that may reveal
many political and cultural attitudes within the society.

Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Thracology
Language as an Interaction Tool: Slavic-Bulgarian Terms in the Ottoman Tax and Cadi
Registers


Prof. Dr. Ayşe Kayapinar
İzmir Katip Çelebi University Faculty of Social and Humanity Sciences Department of History
([email protected])
"Some phonetic and spelling characteristics in Turkish words found in the Peter Kovachev’s
manuscripts written at the end of XVIII century"


Magdalena Abadzhieva
Institute for Bulgarian Language, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
"Examining the patterns of identical cultural code and some behavioral models according to
Mincho Kanchev's "Vidritsa".

Dora Radeva
This paper have to examine the models of brotherhood, competition and other kinds of interrelations in XIX
century seen through the eyes of Bulgarian priest Mincho Kanchev around the regions of Stara Zagora (Eski
Zaara) and Haskovo (Haskoy)

CMRC, BAS
A Key Figure in Rūmeli: The Deliberate Ambiguity Of The Apocryphal Adventures Of Ṣarī Ṣaltūq

Sara Kuehn
Ṣarī Ṣaltūq (or Ṣaltīq) Dede, the “one who struggles on the path of God,” is the most prominent charismatic
“warrior-saint” (ghāzī) associated with the partial Islamisation and Turkification of Ottomān Rūmeli (Rūm ili;
literally, the “Land of Rūm”) that was made up of the growing conquests in what is today the Balkans. The
Rūmis embodied the history of the Ottomān territorial expansion, cultural diversity, interfaith relations and
the gradual process of cultural, religious and societal transformation under the umbrella of Islam.
The ongoing cult of Ṣarī Ṣaltūq and his potent ubiquity is reflected in the persistence of elaborate popular
hagiographies over a prolonged period of time and in different stages. The accounts highlight his missionary
activity, disguises, metamorphoses and marvels, for instance the ability to “wear” and adopt the identities of
others. At the same time, they give an insight into the multifaceted “religious landscape” in the Balkans that
allowed for the promulgation of cross-cultural convergence of saintly cults, a religious borderland, in which
Islamic, Christian and elements of other, including autochthonous, religious beliefs met, co-existed,
overlapped and sometimes (partially) merged. Concomitantly, they offered a platform for intense inter-faith
polemics. The paper will discuss the “syncretic” strategies and conceptual links forged between Christian and
Muslim religious sites and the phenomena associated with this “Friend of God” in the context of the “language
of transformation” that was adopted in the process. A particular focus will be the saint’s activity in the Dobruja
and its one-time capital, Kaliakra (Qilghra), north of Varna on the Black Sea.

([email protected])
Representation of the Reconstruction and Awareness of Brotherhood between the Cultures
via Cinema: Limonata

Gizem Parlayandemir- Yildiz Derya Birincioğlu
Turkey's relation with the Balkans go long way back to Ottoman times, there is cultural partnerships
between the nations, on the other hand these relations are being rebuilt after 1990. The contents of cinema
and television are significant in terms of building these relation in different senses. In this study,
Limonata (Dir. Ali Atay, 2015), the movie which will be examined with the text analysis technique, was
chosen because of numerous reasons. First of them is, the leading actor Ertan Saban has become fa mous
with the TV series Elvada Rumeli-Goodbye Rumelia(Dir. Serdar Akar & Özer Kızıltan, 2007-2009)which
was shot in Macedonia and tells the story of the Balkans in 1890s. Moreover, secondly, Limonata is about
a journey which takes in Balkans, and it tells the story of two brothers that had never known each other
and grew apart from each other, one in Turkey and the other in Macedonia. Also the origin of the name of
the movie comes from the phrase that was shown as street writing that goes as "Blood is not l emonade."
even creates a discussion area about ethnic nationalism. On the other hand, the two different bond which
the brothers established with their father presents an alternative reading for the movie. Hence the movie
provides another way for analyzing the codes of identity, nationality and ethnicity that are reproduced in
the popular culture.

Istanbul University ([email protected]) - Istanbul Gelisim University
([email protected])
The Formal And Contextual Comparision Of 20th And 21st Century Balkan Brass Bands
Album Covers As Visual Images Of Sound

Cinla Şeker
The aim of this paper is to compare 20th and 21st century Balkan brass bands' album covers as formally
and contextually. The album covers of six Balkan brass bands were analyzed according to the six main
graphic design principles, which are Boban Markovic, Goran Bregovic, Kocani Orkestar, Fanfare Ciocarlia,
Zeljko Bebek, Fejat Sejdic, and unity / harmony, balance, hierarchy, scale / proportion, dominance /
emphasis, similarity / contrast. Balkan brass is a style of music originated in 19th century Serbia which is
popular throughout the Balkans, especially Serbia, Macedonia and Bulgaria. The beats are usually fast and
often accompanied by a dance called kolo. The performers each have their instrument of the orchestra and
named trubaci. Album covers are faces of music consisting visual images of sound. As a graphic design
product, album covers are pre – print design solutions of two dimensional surfaces. Graphic design as a
design field has its own elements and principles. Both album covers of Balkan brass bands in 20th and
21st century designed consistently as form and context.

Dokuz Eylul University
Images of Greeks and Albanians in the 19th Century European Painting

Sibel Almelek İşman
Many European artists of the 19th century were interested in the Middle East, North Africa and the
Balkans. Some of these Orientalist artists traveled extensively to the East. Images of the Greeks and
Albanians can be encountered frequently in the pictures of French and English painters.
Romantic painter Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863) created several paintings of the contemporary political
situation in the Balkans and expressed sympathy for the Greek cause in their war of independence against
Turks. Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi (1826) and Massacre at Chios (1824) are important works that
are related to this subject.
French Romantic artist Alexandre Gabriel Decamps (1803-1860), produced daily life scenes during
his travels. Albanian Duel (1828), Albanian Dancers (1835) are interesting examples he created after his
experience in the Balkans.
French Academic artist Jean Leon Gerome (1824-1904) was one of the members of Neo-Grec circle
which was formed in 1847 by a group of young artists passionate about ancient Greece. Young Greeks
Attending a Cock Fight (1846), Greek Interior, The Women’s Apartments (1850) and Pyrrhic Da nce (1885)
are works that he created with the inspiration of his travels and admiration for Greek culture.
English painter, illustrator, author and poet Edward Lear (1818-1888), made journeys throughout his life.
He depicted Albanian landscapes in many of his works. His journals about his trip to Albania and
Macedonia
in
1848
offer
a
unique
sight
into
the
Balkans
in
this
period.
English portrait artist Thomas Phillips (1770-1845), depicted the English poet and leading member of the
romantic movement Lord Byron who went on the Grand Tour in an Albanian costume in 1813.

Dokuz Eylül University ([email protected])
“Spaces and Soul of the city: visual and fictional reflections”

Yordanka Bibina - Evdokia Borisova
Spaces, colors, perspectives: Istanbul as seen through the visions of two artists from different époques
– foreigner Melling, but the most accepted painter of Ottoman Istanbul from one hand, and abstract artists
Devrim Erbil, born in Istanbul. To their visions the black&white photos of famous photographer Ara Guler will
be added in reflection on images of the city that is an eternal place of inspirations. The cross points between
them and Nobel winner novelist Orhan Pamuk will be sought and pointed out. The synesthesia thinking of him
while narrating the history and studying the places and soul of the city will be exposed. Devrim Erbil’s views on
the “blue”, “green”, “golden” or “red” Istanbul and especially his historical triangle will be revealed in the
current of those specific synesthetic perceptions of Istanbul.

Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Thracology
The Donations Of Slavic Benevolent Committee To Balkan Slavs in The Fields Of Education
(1858-1876)

Hasan Demiroğlu
Russia which had not seen the supports of Orthodox and Slavs in the Crimean War approved to establish
a community so as to get close its political lines to these nations after the war. The Slavic intellectuals like M. P.
Gogodin, Yu. F. Samarin, K. S. Aksakov, A. S. Khomyakov, A. I. Koshelev and social scientist as S. M. Solovev,
F. I. Buslayev, P. M. Leontev, A. N. Drashusov under the leadership of rich aristocrat A. Bahmetev and with the
aids of Alexandre the Second established Slavic Benevolent Committee in January 1858.
The community tried to support the Slav nations in the fields of military, economic, religious and
education with all aids by means of official or unofficial ways. The community endeavored to increase Russia’s
influence in this region by training younger students chosen from the Balkans in Russia. Moreover, it tried to
spread the Russian hegemony to Balkan geography with pretext of assimilation activities of Jesuits towards
Ortodoxes in Ottoman Europe.
In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the Orthodox Unity, Russian’s goal of unity of Slav under one roof, the aids
of Slavic Benevolent Committee to Balkan Slavs in the education area in the light of Russian archive
documents and Russian sources related to that period.

Trakya University, Faculty of Literature, History Department ([email protected])
“Remarks on the Islahhane of Ruse and of Sofia (1865-1878)”

Margarita Dobreva
Throughout the 15th – 18th centuries the Jews, the Christians and the Muslims of the Ottoman Empire
paid significant attention to the orphans’ and poor children’s relief. However, none of the Sultan’s subjects set
up an orphanage. The children in need were raised as fosterlings. Many extramarital infants were abandoned.
If the abandoned children survived until 4 years of age, they entered the gangs. From 1839 onwards the
Ottoman officials considered the socialization of the orphans, pauper children and delinquents as an essential
state affair. As early as 1860s they endeavored to set up industrial or reform schools (sanayi mektepleri or
islahhanes). The islahhanes or the industrial schools embodied the Ottoman attempt effectively to manage the
periodically increasing number of the children in need. The initiative combined the “domestic” model of the
catholic boarding schools, this one of the reform schools run by the Belgian government and the religious
imperative for the socialization of the orphans and pauper children. Carrying out, the actual state attempts,
Midhat Pasha, the first governor of Danube Vilayet, founded an islahhane in Ruse and Sofia. My paper surveys
the documents about the islahhanes available at the Oriental Department of the National Library “St. st. Cyril
and Methodius”. They cast light on the construction and regular renovation of the school buildings, the
incomes, expenditures and donations, the school officials, teachers and students, the curriculum, technical
supplies and the products manufactured at the islahhanes.

Institute of Balkan Studies with the Centre of Thracology
Measuring the profit rate and efficiency of different economic activities in the Balkans and
other parts of the Ottoman Empire – why did industrialization fail in the 19th century

Gábor Demeter
The increasing demand of food in western Europe parallel with the increasing purchase power of
western nations resulted in increasing grain prices and made exports of grains (either legal or illegal)
rewarding for the eastern basin of the Mediterranean. The end of the janissaries, propagators of protectionism
and defenders of small-scale industry in 1826, the Balta Liman agreement in 1838, that deprived the Ottoman
state of monopolizing the trade, putting an end to the provisionist economic policy and the abolition of Corn
Law in 1846 created a new economic order in the region. The almost free influx of industrial goods and the
welcome of eastern crops adverted the Empire towards the sector of agriculture, resulting in the so-called deindustrialization of the ’first globalization’ during the 1840s -1870s.
While this theory of international division of labour is generally accepted as an interregional
phenomenon, its evidence is based on regional observations or economic theories (see Pamuk–Williamson).
The reflections of this tendencies in local society and local economics either can verify or challenge this
statement. Our goal is to test this thesis at local scale, by investigating the profitability of different forms of
agricultural, industrial and business activities throughout the 19th century using a (1) regional comparative
analyis, (2) analyzing the change of profitability over time, and (3) using either case studies and regional data.
Going into details we try to investigate the profits of chiftlik (and their constraints), small holding,
animal husbandry, Verlag-system, textile manufacturing, banking, silk-reeling etc. using examples from
Bulgaria comparing them to other regions of the Empire, Lebanon, Palestine, etc. using material collected by
Todorov, Issawi, etc. This enables us to give trends of textile manufacturing, even including the workers’wages
and purchasing power.

Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of History ([email protected])
Establishment of Ziraat Bankası (Agricultural Bank) in Bulgaria

Aziz Tekdemir
Agricultural Bank in Bulgaria came into existence via re-organization of ancient waqfs, which were
called agricultural cases and benefit cases in Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire respectively. The mentioned
cases were established for the first time by Midhat Pasha in order to save public from agricultural speculators
in Danubian provinces.
In regions whose capital reached 200 liras two Muslim and two Christian deputies were chosen and
cases were opened once a week by them and farmers were given loans. People of Bulgaria benefited from those
cases until Turco-Russian War of 1877-78 during which the cases were sacked. The cases which were destroyed
during the war was re-established after the war under the name “Agricultural Cases”. The management of the
cases were entrusted to a case holder and a secretary elected by farmers. This continued until 1894 law of
agricultural cases. By this law a branch was established for the cases under Ministry of Trade and Agriculture
and a controller was appointed besides case holder. An administrative Board of 9 members was given the duty
to check loaning processes in each case, as well. In 1897 some parts of the law were revised. The method of
being chosen by people was abolished and instead a manager appointed by “acgicultural cases headquarter”
was entrusted the case. . The cases existed in that way until 1904 and at that date they were transformed into
Ziraat Bankası by a 45 article Law.
In this paper the regulation prepared for the Agricultural Bank to be established in Bulgaria and
correspondence on this issue will be handled and efforts for the development of agriculture will be dwelled on.

Trakya University, Faculty of Literature, History Department ([email protected])
From 15th Century Untıl The End Of 17th Century Development Of Judgeshıps İn Rumelıa And
Theır Organizational Structure

Ercan ALAN
The town which is the basic organization of Ottoman provincial organization and situation of the kadi
who is the manager of the town has shown a steady improvement since 15th century. This development is seen
clearly both the numerical increase of towns and status of towns and form of charge of kadis. Here, first of all
according to ruznâmçe (daybook) registers of kadiasker of Rumelia (chief judge of Rumelia) and in the light of
the other sources of the era which from 15th century until the 17th century the development and change of s in
Rumelia will examine. As a result of this study it will be understood system of administration which Ottoman
Empire put in Rumelia and evolution of this system of administration.

Marmara University ([email protected])
“The ayans (local Muslim notables) in Rumeli (17-th-18-th centuries) – between communal
leaders and wielders of power”

Mariya Shusharova
During the period of 17-th-18-th centuries considerable transformations could be observed in the
administrative and fiscal politics of the Ottoman Empire. The methods of communication between the
government and its subjects were completely modified. The figures of the intermediaries in that
communication exceedingly became prominent. The process affected on the social microstructure and
accelerated the development of local self-government institutions. The most important of the latter was the
ayanship. This paper aims at analyzing the role of the ayans (local Muslim leaders) in the system of social
management of the Ottoman province and their interactions with the community they represent, as well as
their influence on the local non-Muslim self-government institutional evolution, resulting even in practicing of
common life-style models for both Muslim and non-Muslim local elites.

Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Thracology (BAS)
The Âyâns of Northern Bulgaria and the Danubian Principalities: The Viewpoint of the
‘Eastern Question’

Akitsu Mayuzumi
In the history of the Balkans, the 1790s through the 1800s could be called the ‘Age of Âyâns’. The
notable âyâns of Northern Bulgaria include Pazvandoğlu Osman, Tirsiniklioğlu İsmail, Alemdar Mustafa
Paşa and so on. Various historians, such as Uzunçarşılı, Özkaya, Miller, Mutafchieva, Gradeva, and Zens
have completed studies on âyâns of Northern Bulgaria mainly from the perspective of the centre-periphery
power relations of the Ottoman Empire, the socio-economic history of the Balkans, or Bulgarian national
history. However, little attention has been paid to their influence of these notable âyâns on the Danubian
Principalities. In this period, the activities of the âyâns on the south of the Danube had a major influence
on the Danubian Principalities, mostly Wallachia. At the same time, we should keep in mind that by the
end of the eighteenth century, the Danubian Principalities had become one of the foci where Russia, the
Habsburg Empire, and France attempted to advance their influence.
This paper aims to show the importance of these âyâns’ activities in the Danubian Principalities for
the ‘Eastern Questions’. Firstly, it examines the âyâns’ concrete actions, such as their demand for money
and necessities for the princes (voyvodas), their plunder of Oltenia and Muntenia, the struggle between
the forces of Pazvandoğlu Osman and Tirsiniklioğlu İsmail on the Wallachian side, the activities of the
Ottoman punitive forces for Pazvandoğlu in the territory of Wallachia, and so forth. Secondly, the
response of the Porte and the European Powers to these issues based on the French, Austrian, Russian,
and Ottoman diplomatic documents is studied. Considering the results of these examinations, the paper
tries to place this issue in the framework of international relations in the Balkans.

The University of Tokyo ([email protected])
Slavic Benevolent Committee as a Russian Political Tool in the Balkans

Aslı Yigit
This paper attempts to analyze the development of Russian political Panslavism in the Balkan
Peninsula during the second half of the Nineteenth Century and its reflections in Russian diplomatic
missions based on the original documents from the Russian archives.
After Ottoman conquest in the Balkans, the Peninsula for centuries became a scene of competition
among European powers. Prior to the Crimean War, Russian Empire was eager to strengthen its
protectorship over Orthodox Christian and Slav subjects of the Porte. Russian political Panslavism, which
developed during the period after the Congress of Vienna (1815), served the objectives of Russia’s
ambitions in Southeast Europe.
Nevertheless, after the Crimean War, Russia had begun to lose its influence and position in the
region. In the aftermath of the Paris Conference (1856), Russia’s diplomatic priorities in the Europe’s
southeast shifted: To turn the situation on Russia’s advantage and to catch up with Europe’s industrialized
powers Russia accelerated its internal, economic and military reforms. During this period, despite some
disagreements, Russia intensified its interference in the Balkan affairs. Moscow Slavic Benevolent
Committee (Moskovskii Slavianskii Blagotvaritel’nii Komitet) became an important i nstrument in the
hands of Russian diplomats. The aim of Russian political establishment was to prepare the Balkan
Christians, especially Bulgarians, for an anti-Ottoman uprising, which would open the doors for a future
war against the Empire. Yet, the Committee and the Russian politicians proved themselves unsuccessful
during the Russo-Ottoman War (1877-1878). Even during the post war period, because of the Russian
failure in the war, the Bulgarian society split into two political wings (Russophiles and Rus sophobes) for a
long period of time that characterized the internal political development of the Bulgarian state.

Bilkent University ([email protected])
Russo-Turkish dialogue in Bulgaria after the Berlin Treaty

Oleg Airapetov
- He sent the full paper

Moscow State Univercity ([email protected])
“The Principality of Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire during the Reign of Prince Alexander I –
diplomatic relationship (1879-1886)


Aleka Strezova
Institute of Historical Studies, BAS
Seeking the Balkan Equilibrium in the Early 20-th Century: the Influence of Anglo-Russian
Interactions on the Ottoman-Bulgarian Rivalry

Olga Aganson
European order based on the Vienna settlement of 1815 lasted, though with some drastic modifications,
until the outbreak of the First World War. Anglo-Russian struggle for the predominant position in the Near
and Middle East set direction for the development of the 19-th century international system. The great powers
accumulated, through military and diplomatic clashes, great experience in compromising their controversies in
the Near East. It was widely consented that existence and integrity of the Ottoman Empire prevented
emergence of the geopolitical vacuum in the Near Eastern region. This consensus among the great powers
provided relative stability of the international system. However, the rise of national movements in the Balkans,
especially the Bulgarian one, posed new challenges before St. Petersburg and London. Crucial events of the
mid 1870-th and 1880-th (the Great Eastern crisis of 1875-78, the Bulgarian crisis of 1885-86) made England
and Russia revise their approaches to the Balkan politics. Though the existing international system had coopted newly fledged Balkan states (Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, and the autonomous Principality of
Bulgaria), a fragile power equilibrium in Southeastern Europe was shattered. In the wake of Balkan subsystem
formation Turkey stopped being the only regional player, with whom the great powers mainly interacted. In
reverse, the Ottoman Empire had to maintain its core position within the Balkan regional order, i.e. it had to
repulse attempts of the smaller states to annex its European territories inhabited by their Christian kinsmen.
Though being a state of limited sovereignty (prior to 1908), Bulgarian Principality, striving for its San Stefano
borders, became the principal antagonist of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans. By the beginning of the 20-th
century, the Macedonian question had been the major source of conflict between two states, putting them on
the verge of war. Meanwhile, both Turkey and Bulgaria, due to their strategic situation, benefitted a lot from
Anglo-Russian hostility. However, the rapprochement between the former rivals, caused by the deformation of
the international system in the turn of the 19-th and early 20-th century, made Sofia and Istanbul search for
new diplomatic ways to realize their goals in the region.

Faculty of History, Lomonosov Moscow State University ([email protected])
My aim is threefold. First, I’m going to outline the hierarchy of factors, both regional and European, which
shaped Russia’s and Britain’s policy towards the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. This would help to explain
flexibility of British and Russian approaches to the Balkans. Second, it’s important to analyze how Russian and
British diplomats assessed the essence of the Ottoman-Bulgarian conflict in the Balkans. The third task is to
define Turkey’s and Bulgaria’s perception of the Anglo-Russian rapprochement and their reaction to it.
Chronologically and thematically, I’ll concentrate my analysis on the Macedonian issue and the problem of
proclamation of Bulgaria’s independence.
A Migration Tale in Bulgaria during 1860’s–In View of Travellers, British Consuls and Midhat
Pasha’s Bureaucrats

Erkan TURAL
Under what conditions and reasons Circassians’ migration to Bulgarian geography in the Tanzimat Era
is quite well known. In this paper I want to especially point reflections out of immigration in the official
newspaper of Tuna Vilayeti, travelers’ memoirs and reports of British Consuls in Balkans.
Before the foundation of Tuna Vilayeti, Circassian immigrants were located along the north of Bulgaria,
especially in Dobruja. Between 1854-62 about 100.000 Tatar were emigrated to this state. Immigrations waves
continued at varying rates through 1860’s. But after new vilayet system/bureaucracy began to run, the
immigration recruitment process took on a more corporate look. Likened to the past, settlement of immigrants
in the regions were being coordinated in a manner that is more reasonable. From Vidin to Burgas, all the areas
were combined with basic infrastructure works such as roads, bridges and telegraph lines. As a consequence of
this, distribution and placement of immigrants began to be more quickly and systematically. In this way,
Immigrant’s sufferings which mentioned almost every memoires witnessed to the drama, alleviated to an
extent according to the Vilayet’s official paper.
Before and during the governorship of Midhat Pasha, migration waves continued to the Bulgarian lands. All
those processes observed by travelers and consuls too, but was recorded quite different interpretations. In
those records, we just don’t read sufferings of immigrants in their “the new world”, at the same time
Bulgarians’ suspicions, anxieties from the Ottoman administration can be followed. And finally, many
information about local officials like their qualifications, opinions on immigrants, local peoples and programs
to come were written down as well.

TODAİE ([email protected] )
Mustafa Asim’s, Ambassador Of Sofia, Estate Inherited By Leyla Turgut Biography With
Photographs And Attempt Of Reading The Interior Of Embassy Of Sofia

Esma İgüs
There are 1435 pieces of photographs on various matters, belonging to Mustafa Asım’s Family, a
statesman and the first ambassador of Ottoman Empire in Sofia, in the Estate of Leyla Turgut, kept in the
archive of Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum. The mentioned estate has been passed to the museum
by decease of Leyla Turgut, the daughter of Mustafa Asım. The photographs, characterize a prolific field
for the researchers on history of Ottoman family, social history and history of architecture.
There are the dates and some private notes written down on the backsides of the portrait of Mustafa
Asım and most of the photographs relating to the group and the days of ambassadorship in Sofia, existing
in the estate, which enable to elucidate the story of Mustafa Asım’s private life. Those photographs, being a
sort of diary in character, which remained ambiguous in the recent written sources on biography of
Mustafa Asım and to fictionalize his biography.
Moreover, there are some photographs, in the estate, of the interior of Ottoman Embassy in Sofia.
Those images contain crucial signs about the period’s preferences of furniture and the decoration of
Ottoman embassies, and, thus, about the interior arrangement of Ottoman Embassy of Sofia, and
preferences of furniture of the Ottoman elite class and they help to visualize the perception of luxury of
Ottoman bureaucracy.
The relevance of our subject of paper with the history of Balkans stems from the attempt of
fictionalization through the photographs of the biography of Mustafa Asım, the first Ottoman ambassador
in city of Sofia. Furthermore, reading the interior of our embassy existing in the Balkan geography,
through the photographs of Embassy of Sofia, is of vital importance in terms of our existence in th e
Balkans.

Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar University
“The Role Of Turkish Diplomacy For The Establishment Of Balkan Pact .(1929 –1934)”

Kalina Peeva
As a result of the changes in the political climate in Europe, which occurred at the end of the 20s and
the beginning of the 30s, the foreign policy of the Balkan countries activated immensely. In this respect
especially lively was the Turkish diplomacy, which started to work for the formation of a block of countries to
lead policy maximally independent from the foreign political strategies of the great countries. According to
Ankara’s tactics the mutual commitment of Ankara, Sofia and Athens to a triple guarantee pact in the
southeast was the first step for the implementation of the this priority. The long-term objective of the Turkish
government was for the three bound countries bound by the pact to start negotiations for attracting Yugoslavia
and Romania or the Small Antanta as a whole. After it became obvious that a number of unsettled issues in the
relations between Bulgaria and Turkey hinder the realization of the Turkish proposal, the Ankara diplomacy
oriented towards the formation of mutual Balkan agreement guarantee peace on the Balkans. This priority of
the Turkish government was achieved at the beginning of 1934.

Institute for Balkan Studies
Financial Sources For Small And Medium Size Enterprises During Economic Crisis

Margaritta Trikka- Electra Pitoska
Financing is one of the most important issues that influences critically the viability and
development of a small- medium enterprise. The present paper, aims, through a literature review and a
research to present the current financing methods of small – medium enterprises in Greece. In particular,
it focuses on bank financing, financing programs for enterprises’ development (ESPA, ETE etc), own
funds,
factoring,
leasing,
venture
capital,
business
incubators
and
business
angels.
A quantitative research was also performed in April, 2015, in Athens. 30 small and medium enterprises
participated that are located in the commercial center of Athens. The results of the research indicate that
almost half of the participants were operating less than five years. Although the participants were familiar
with all the available financing methods, they preferred banking financing, own funds and private
financing.
The basic obstacles that were pinpointed in the present research regarding financing were the
difficulty in accessing financing and the lack of knowledge. The participants had been asking for financing
in order to cover their expenses, due to lack of cash and in order to invest. The capital that they have
received was not enough to cover all their needs.
The smooth financing of enterprises is essential. The financing of small and medium enterprises,
has become very difficult during the last four-year period, because of the economic crisis. In order to get
out of the economic crisis it is important to encourage new entepreneurship and offer support to the
existing enterprises. So financing is a matter of vital importance.

School of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Education, Aristotle University Of ThessalonikiTechnological Educational Institute of Western Macedonia, Greece ([email protected])
Present and Evolving Threats to Balkan Religious Heritage and New Initiatives to Safeguard
their Survival as Markers of Historic Cross-Cultural and Cross-Religious Interactions

Yuri Stonayov
The paper will provide an analysis of the new types of threats to religious heritage in the Balkans as a
historical preserve of cross-cultural and cross-religious processes of inter-change and cross-fertilization,
threats which have been evolving and diversifying since the end of the Cold War and wars of Yugoslav
succession. These threats range from war and conflict (including the deliberate and systematic destruction of
sacral architecture and manuscript collections), looting and natural disasters, development pressures and
encouraging mass and uncontrolled tourism as well as the increasing application of destructive pseudorestoration practices periodically funded by international agencies. The paper will discuss the various new
initiatives (national and international) aimed to counter and minimize these growing threats to Balkan
religious heritage, from the Second Protocol to the Hague convention of 1954 (whose adoption in 1999 was to
a great extent triggered by the destruction of cultural heritage during the Yugoslav wars) to the most recent
European Commission (EC)-coordinated project for the formulation of legal guidelines for the protection of
the sacred sites of the Mediterranean (2007-2013) which was partially based on test cases studies of religious
sites and complexes in the Balkans. Drawing on my personal participation in the progress and
implementations of some of these initiatives (like the EC-coordinated one), the paper will highlight the various
religious, political and legal challenges and dilemmas related from their planned or attempted realization in
the Balkans (with a special focus on Bulgaria and Turkey), especially at sites which are testimony to past (and
characteristic for the Balkans) long-term processes of religious and cultural mutual influences and exchange
but which have become targets of exclusivist socio-religious claims and strategies.

School of Oriental and African Studies University of London ([email protected])
Restoration of Historical Monuments in the Balkans

Nuri Özer ERBAY
Upon leave of the Ottoman Empire –world master for centuries- from the Balkans, the monuments
within the territory were abandoned. Until 2000s, no adequate works were made for identifying Ottoman
historical monuments in the Balkans. Evliya Çelebi’s Itinerary and Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi’s book “Ottoman
Architecture in Europe” have been the most important source until 1980s for the Turkish monuments in
the Balkans. Unfortunately, appr. 98% of the architectural monuments built by the Ottomans in the
Balkans are destroyed. The Ottoman monuments were left to devastation until the recent years; however,
in 1989, Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Directorate General of Culture performed a study on entire
monuments spread on three continents and “Samples of Turkish Architectural Monuments in the Balkans”
have been surveyed. In 2000, under the leadership of State Planning Organization (DPT), Turkish
Historical Society (TTK), Prime Ministry, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
Parliament, General Directorate of Foundations, Turkish Religious Foundation, certain universities and
municipalities, a joint study has been carried out which covers Middle East, Central Asia, Balkans and
Anatolia territories; however, such projects must be multiplied.We have to prevent insensible restoration
activities, destroy of monuments for ideological reasons, and evanish of such historical monuments.

Istanbul University Faculty of Literature, Museology Department ([email protected])
"St. Kliment Ohridski": “Performing Affection, Constructing Heritage? Civil and Political
Mobilizations around the Ottoman Legacy in Bulgaria”
1Ivo
Strahilov and Slavka Karakusheva
Although the lands of contemporary Bulgaria have been part of the Ottoman Empire for almost five
centuries, the remains from that period are perceived with reluctance as part of the national cultural heritage.
In our text we examine the case of ancient mosques being currently subject of different revendications and the
claims of Bulgarian Grand Mufti on property most of which is in possession of state or municipal authorities.
In this context a massive civil mobilization and protests against these “foreign” demands appeared in many
towns. Our observations have shown a paradoxical use of the cultural heritage argument: local communities in
general dis-identify themselves from the Ottoman past and ruins, and yet they insist on the fact that the
mosques are part of the national heritage. Actually, these performative practices showing affection, fictitious
acceptance, and apparent heritization in public are the only possible narrative which could restrain the
revendications. At the same time, it reaffirms the authorized heritage discourse (Smith 2006) where the
Ottoman legacy is excluded form the national heritage concept.
One should not forget that most of the demonstrations were supported and organized by political, often
nationalist parties. We believe that what is exploited within the frame of this activism is the emotionality of the
majority of Bulgarians towards the Ottoman past. On the other hand, the anxiety of the eventual islamisation
of the country is widespread and Bulgarians (in ethnic terms) lose control over mosques, that will mean they
lose control over their state, including the power of past interpretations and history writing. Going further, the
paper attempts to analyze the social, cultural and political context which allows the above mentioned use of
memory and past. We are particularly interested in how/if emotions “from below” could influence the
understanding of the official dominant national heritage discourse.
1
Sofia University
Contested Discourses: Neoliberalism, the Enterprising Self and the Imagined State in PostSocialist Macedonia

Simona Domazetoska
The ultimate purpose of this paper is to show how the “neoliberal moment” in present -day
Macedonia that has largely been linked to its state building, privatization process after its dissolution from
ex-Yugoslavia is why analysing the discursive construction of the state has become more relevant than
ever. In particular, I propose that the concept of neoliberalism and anthropological theories of the state
can be fruitfully combined, a theoretical linkage which, to my knowledge, has not yet explicitly been made
in this area of anthropological scholarship, which ultimately helps us to understand more introspectively
how everyday lives are being narrativized in severely neoliberalized contexts. By employing the works of
Ferguson and Gupta (2002) on state spatialization theory as well as Rose and Miller’s (1992, 1996a,
1996b) concept neoliberal governmentality, I focus on entrepreneurship as a unit of analysis to explore the
way in which the state, citizens and other organizations come to be imagined. The findings reveal that
representations of the state are contested, negotiated and transformed by different actors, and certain
hegemonic discourses are produced according to the background and positioning of dif ferent actors. In
addition, a series of other discourses inevitably emerge and overlap such as the discourse of corruption,
the discourse of morality and ideas about the West-Balkan divide, all of which are important phenomena
that intertwine in these present socio-political junctures in Macedonia. The findings drawn from this
research were based on 32 semi-structured and informal interviews conducted in the city of Bitola during
the months of August and December 2014, which involved small-scale entrepreneurs from various sectors,
business consultants, NGO representatives, representatives from international organizations and the
government. Narrative analysis as well as grounded theory were also employed as the primary means
through which the data from the interviews was interpreted.

University of Vienna ([email protected])
Greek Defense Spending in The Austerity Period

Outkou KIRLI NTOKME
Greece has been struggling with financial woes since 2008 and been receiving financial support
from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
to cope with its financial difficulties and economic challenges since May 2010. The peek point of the Greek
debt crisis took place last June after the failure of talks with her various creditors and though the
referendum of July 5 strengthened the position of the Greek government towards the international
creditors of the country, yet Greece once again had to accept an economic adjustment program, the third
one. The paradox is that despite Greece’s staggering economic problems, the country still claims one of
Europe’s largest militaries, which now faces the challenge of maintaining and even supplying gas for her
vast units of tanks, ships and warplanes. Furthermore she remains one of only a handful of NATO
members together with the U.S., the U.K., Estonia, Turkey and Poland, to spend the Alliance’s
recommended 2 percent of GDP on defense, which is welcomed by NATO’s Secretary -General Jens
Stoltenberg.
Therefore the aim of this paper is to analyze Greece’s current defense spending despite of her economic
reality by presenting Greece’s defense and foreign policy perceptions and practices which are still shaped
by the “the threat from Turkey” and the need “to counterbalance Turkey”.

Trakya University Balkan Research Institute ([email protected])
The Organization of Thessaloniki and Its Activities in 1906-1907

Ferhan Kırlıdökme Mollaoğlu- Şahin Kılıç
The Organization of Thessaloniki was created by Athanasios Souliotis-Nikolaidis during 1906. It led a
very systematic and relentless economic and propagandistic war against the Exarchists and the pro-Bulgarians,
applying the play suggested by Ion Dragoumis and other diplomatic employees of the Greek state very
effectively. The hiring of cheaper Exarhist worker was averted, while Greek emterprises were supported with
loans and benefits and Bulgarian companies were boycotted.
An intelligence service was responsible for gathering all information relevant to Bulgarian activities and
for collecting contributions for the Greek cause. An executive body was formed to conduct armed activities and
to terrorise those who did not comply with Greek interests. Thanks to the activities of Souliotis-Nikolaidis the
most respectable and wealthy members of the Greek community in Thessaloniki became members of the
Organization. These members were divided into six groups. The main purposes of the Organization besides
collecting information, was propaganda. The propaganda conducted through the distribution of leaflets
throughout Macedonia presenting Greece as the only power in the Balkans that could deliberate Macedonia.
The aim of this paper is to present the activities of the Organization of Thessaloniki through the
memories of its establisher Souliotis-Nikolaidis which were written in Greek. The activities of this Organization
though are little known, have played an important role in Thessaloniki as secret Greek organization of
espionage in a very critical period of Balkan history.

Trakya Üniversitesi, Balkan Dilleri ve Edebiyatları Bölümü, Çağdaş Yunan Dili ve Edebiyatı anabilim Dalı Uludağ Üniversitesi, Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi, Tarih Bölümü
The Comprehension of Balkan States in Turkish Text Books; Bulgaria Exemplification
Hayrünisa ALP 
In Ottoman historiography; with the effect of westernization in 19 cc.; the scienticif norms of
historiography and education started to progress with the studies of historiographers; Şanizade Mehmet
Ataullah Efendi, Şeyhizade Mehmet Esat Efendi, Ahmet Cevdet Paşa, Ahmet Lütfi Efendi, Abdurrahman
Şeref Efendi. Historiography gained more importance with the historiography of textbooks from the
begining of Tanzimat Era; in history education lessons such as; “Short Ottoman History”, “History of
Society and Ottoman History”, “ Short History and Geography”took place from the primary education to
high education; With the collapse period of Ottoman Empire; with the results of Balkan Wars and also
with the effects of ıntellectuals coming from Russia; thoughts such as Ottomanism, Islamism, Turkism,
Westernism caused the change of mentalities in Ottoman Historiography. That effect continued in Turkish
Republic Period. Particually; the political conditions; defined by 1911-1912 Balkan Wars, gave rise to
Turkism in textbooks. With the establisment of Turkish Republic, Historiography studies have been
improving
according
to
nationalism
and
idea
of
nation
state.
The fundamental of history mentality of Turkish Republic is providing a steady foundation for the future
and system of government; in other words, explaing the reason of the existence of Turkish Republic.
In this declaration; articles about Balkan States and Bulgaria in textbooks; used in primary, secondary,
high schools in Second Constitutional Monarchy term and until 1930s would be examined by taking
consideration the expression, context, ideology and symbolism.

İstanbul University ([email protected])
Surgical Instruments on 19th and 20th Century Icons and Frescoes of Doctor Saints and
Healers in The Balkan Area

Enrico Marani
During the post-iconoclast era icons of the doctor-saints Panteleimon, Tryphon and Cosmas and Damian,
and other Anargyroi (literally “without silver money”: practice without payment) are characterized by the
saint’s typical dress, by a surgical instrument in the right hand and by a medical box in the left hand. The
standing together with hand and arm posture of the doctor-saint refers to the Roman honorific statues
indicating an eminent personage. The instrument and box imply the doctor’s rank and the typic al robe
garment specifies the saint’s status. One recognizes the depicted classical instruments still on 19th and
20th century icons due to their fixed framework that induces copying. The instrument presumably also
pointed out the trauma or disease involved. Frequently ancient (neuro)surgical instruments are depicted:
the phakatos (lenticular knife), modioli (hand trephines), the abaptist (hand skull drill), elevator or bone
lifter and the irrigator stab needle. Skull traumas (by trephine, drill and elevato r) and hydrocephalus (by
the irrigator stab needle) are clearly indicated by these instruments. Icons of the Anargyroi also show a
spoon or cochlear. Its use is explained by Celsus (25 BC-AD 50): to check the density of the blood during
blood-letting. The change of Saint Tryphon from healer into the patron saint of orchards and vineyards is
mirrored by the depicted instrument modification. It altered from surgical knife into an agricultural scythe
or sickle, supporting the strong correlation between the instrument and the saint’s function. Hand posture
on icons and frescoes contains sign language. The position of the hand holding the instrument is divided
up into hand grip, fist grip, “cross my heart” hand position and the formularized posture. The pagan
significance of the thumb is suppressed in early Christianity.

Biomedical Signals and Systems group, MIRA Institute, University of Twente, Enschede, The
Netherlands ([email protected])
“Turkish Author's Publications in "Bulgarian Historical Review"


Vania Stoyanova
Institute of Historical Studies, BAS
The Balkans Through The Eyes Of The Turkish Think-Tanks

Hidayet Alparslan ÖZMEN
International relations, which in the past was dominated mostly by civilian and military
bureaucracy, at present time is open to civil society's participation. The primary instrument that provides
civil society's participation in states' foreign policy decision-making processes is the 'Think-Tanks'. The
developments, networks established locally or globally and studies carried by Think -Tanks in a country,
can provide important contributions towards the effort to explain or forecast that country's foreign policy
outputs.
In international literature generally there are North American and West European based studies
that take Think-Tanks contribution on states' foreign policy decision-making processes as subject matter.
However in Turkey, it has been seen that Think-Tanks have not been taken into consideration sufficiently
as an important parameter of foreign policy making process and in addition, at the small number of
academic publications, the focus is generally given on Turkey - EU relations and Balkan politics have not
been examined exclusively.
Thus the aim of this study is to reach on a broad perception of the Turkish Think -Tanks approach
to the Balkans. By presenting a short conceptual and theoretical definition of the term 'Think -Tank', the
development process and present status of the Turkish Think-Tanks in brief will be analyzed. After
determining those Think Tanks related with the Balkans, what will be aimed is to reflect how the region is
seen through the eyes of these institutions. Though Think-Tanks based analysis exceeds this text's subject,
the goal will be to introduce the very first outcomes of a more comprehensive study which has already
been proceeding.

Trakya University Social Sciences Institution Department of International Relations
([email protected])
Towards a Corpus of Ottoman Inscriptions in Bulgaria

Mehmet Tütüncü
One of the less researched field neglected fıelds of the Ottoman Balkan Studies is the Ottoman
Inscriptions. There is no corpus of these important witnesses of history, which can tell some hidden stories of
building activities in the Balkans. I am some years involved with producing a corpus of Ottoman Inscriptions
in the Balkans. Such a corpus can contribute to the history of Ottoman and Turkish language in the Balkans. In
this contribution, I would like to give a survey Ottoman Inscriptions in Bulgaria and make a balance of
Ottoman Inscriptions. My main source will be the inscriptions that I have collected in my field research during
last years in Bulgarıa where I have recorded still existent inscriptions. Another source will be the written
sources like the Seyahatname of Evliya Celebi. The oldest inscription in Bulgaria is from the times of Yıldırım
Bayezid from the year 797/1394 . We will introduce in this communication 62 Inscriptions from the beginning
of Ottoman rule until 1700 from Bulgaria.

SOTA Research Centre for Turkish and Arabic World Haarlem/Netherlands([email protected])
Socio-Economic Integration of Immigrants in Trans - Border Areas

Electra Pitoska
The paper includes a literature review and data collection concerning migration and especially its
positive and negative effects, data on legal immigrants in Greece, immigrants profile, migration from and
to Western Macedonia after 1990, records on number and origin of immigrants, as well as immigrants’
profile in Western Macedonia focusing especially in Kozani’s Prefecture. An empirical research was
conducted by interviews with 100 immigrants from Albania who are currently living and working in
Kozani, using specially developed questionnaires.
The statistical analysis showed that economic immigrants activated in the borders of Western
Macedonia arrived in Greece in 1990. During the early stages of their stay they were straggling for job
security, working mainly in manual jobs. The main difficulties they encountered then were the ones
related to language and public services. After 20 years of residence in the region, they have reached the
fourth stage during which they are straggling to ensure the best possible conditions and prospects for their
children and future retirement. Their professional quality and employment situation have been
significantly improved. A considerable percentage of them have acquired higher education.
The vast majority participates in the social security system and enjoys public goods (education). The
extent of their social integration is reflected by the fact that they have gained a social position, they are
familiarized with all local customs, they have adopted the local cultural identity and they have become
friends with local people. Their relations with the motherland country are maintained, however their
desire and expectation of return have been minimized.
Summarized economic migrants with Albania origin settled in Western Macedonia for more than
twenty years have been integrated to the local economy and society at a sufficient degree.

School of Management & Economics Technological Educational Institute of Western Macedonia,
Greece ([email protected])
Migration and Propaganda: Invisible side of Migration from Bosnia- Herzegovina to Turkey

Prof. Dr. Tufan Gündüz
The migrations from the Balkans to the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the XIX century posed
the following questions: What is homeland? Is homeland where you live and where your ancestors remain
buried? Or is homeland the place where you believe you can follow all the rules of Islam?
These questions led to many multi-faceted answers. Unlike what is often assumed, the administration
of the Ottoman Empire had often resisted these migrations, particularly because they still thought that the
reconquest of these regions was still a possibility. Therefore resettling these migrants back would be a costly
undertaking. For these purposes, the Empire carried out propaganda that the reconquest of the lost territories
was imminent, and began placing the refugees in the immediate borderlands, calling them "evlad-ı fatihan"
i.e., the sons of the conquerors, and framing the Muslim and Turkish refugees as a buffer against possible
enemy incursions. Publications in the Ottoman Empire on the refugees also tried to discourage migration. The
Empire also published a newspaper called “Muhacir” (migrant) which contained all the news about migrants
and immigration. These propaganda tools were particularly useful for the areas affected by migration. All news
about emigration alarm was on people who were planning to emigrate. In particular it was crucial to define
what a homeland was. The bloody massacres that took place as the Ottomans lost these territories certainly
shaped the refugee mindset. In this sense, defining the homeland as where your ancestors remained buried did
not suffice, requiring further religious explanations. Most of these refugees were afraid that the new
administration will force them to convert to Christianity, a fear the later developments proved right. Right after
the introduction of Austrian rule, the Catholic priests began to engage in converting the Muslim populations.
The theme of religion also dominates the Arabic and Turkish booklet prepared by the Mufti of Tuzla who
argued that even though migrating is to follow the example of the Prophet at the time of difficulty BosniaHerzegovina still presented many opportunities

Hacettepe University ([email protected])
The positions of Austria and Serbia was the same when it came to migration, rejecting the migration
of Bosniaks. While the Serbs needed the Bosniaks in their struggle against the Austrian domination over the
region, Austria also did not want to look inefficient in protecting the native populations.
Propaganda has become the most important step in the migrations from Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Balkans
to the Ottoman lands, with important dynamics and effects.
“The Bulgarian Gypsies and the emigration of the Bulgarian ethnic Turks /1948 – 1989/”

Plamena Stoyanova
“The Gypsies are our own, domestic problem” is a phrase attributed to the long-term former head of the
old communist Bulgarian government, Todor Zhivkow. The government policy towards the Gypsy minority in
communist Bulgaria is one of inclusion to the Bulgarian way of life, and its implementation is carefully tailored
to the specificities of Bulgaria as a country. It is a little known fact that towards the end of the 40's, the
Bulgarian Gypsies suddenly turn from a 'domestic problem' to something much larger and thus become part of
the great confrontation between the two world political camps divided by the Iron Curtain. This takes place
during the emigration of the ethic Bulgarian Turks which starts in 1948, and during which, applications for
emigration are filed by both Bulgarian Turks and Muslim Bulgarian Gypsies. It is this latter ethnic minority
that becomes the cause for a serious conflict between 'communist Bulgaria' and 'capitalist Turkey'. This paper
aims at following the events of the end of the 40's and the beginning of the '50s of the previous century as well
as analyzing the consequences of the confrontation between the two neighbouring Balkan countries.

IEFSEM-BAS
Discussions on Balkan Immigrants at Social Networking Sites in Turkey

Haldun Narmanlıoğlu
The integration of immigrants still one of the big issue in Turkey, where an important amount of
population of Balkan immigrants live. Social networking sites are useful sources for understanding mutual
perception between immigrants and natives. In this study two of most popular social networking sites in
Turkey, “eksisozluk” and “uludagsozluk” has examined according to the discussion topics related to Balkan
immigrants. The entries both from natives about immigrants and the exact opposites in the sites has
examined with qualitative content analysis. According to the research has seen that there is a wide gap at
the perception level. Immigrants generally complaining about the natives’ aproach to their cultural roots.
And they repine for to be known not as Turk or not as their origins like Albanian, Bosnian, Pomak but as
the other ethnic identities collected heading of “immigrants.” Conversely the natives consider the
immigrants as not originally Turk, not close to national culture, and semi- foreigner. It is understood from
the research that sense of belonging any ethnic or national origin, which caused great pains, wars and
migratory movements in the past, still living in minds of both immigrants and natives.

Marmara University Communication Faculty ([email protected])
“Cultural and educational associations of the Black Sea Greeks and Greek ethnicity in postsocialist Bulgaria”

Zhenva Pimpireva
Since its creation associations of the Black Sea Greeks occupy an important place in the life of
communities and become one of the major factors for the construction of Greek ethnicity. Associations not
only provide communities but also actively participate in their modelling, alongside the family, but on another
level, are involved in ethnic socialization. The developing of ethnic identity behaves differently among the
managers of associations, their regular members and among people who are not included in them. After a long
period of hiding (or omission) of Greek identity under socialism namely cultural and educational associations
make visible the Greeks as an ethnic community and activity them legitimize both in Bulgarian and in the
Greek space, highlighting their traditions link their Greek antiquity and the opportunity to play the role of a
living bridge for cooperation between the two neighboring countries.

Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with National Ethnographic Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
“Living (Near) The Border. Politics, Discourses, Everyday Life And Memory About The Border
Between Bulgaria And Turkey”.

Ana Luleva
The aim of my paper is to describe the changing meaning of the border between Bulgaria and Turkey in
the periods of socialism and post-socialism and to explore how the border is perceived and experienced in
different political regimes by different social actors – public authorities, local communities, professional
groups associated with its maintenance, security etc. The analysis is based on an ethnographic field research
done in 2013 in the border region and on archive materials and texts in the popular media from the period of
socialism and post-socialism.

Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum
“Religion and Ethnic Boundaries in the Republic of Macedonia. Historical Premises and
Contemporary Dimensions”

Ivaylo Markov
In historical context the territory of the contemporary Republic of Macedonia were inhabited by
population with different ethnic and/or religious belonging. Furthermore, there is not sharp division between
the different groups and the boundaries (according to Barth) are not impervious. The picture in ethnic and
religious terms in this part of the Balkans is extremely variegated and dynamic both in the past and today. The
population have lived in a contact zone, where cultural adoptions were hardly an exception; an area where the
processes of differentiation, consolidation and identification are not done even in the XX century, and
continuing today. During the last several decades the clashes with salient religious dimensions have become
more and more frequent. The aim of this paper is to analyse the religious tension’s escalation and dynamics of
religion-ethnicity ratio – with a stress on it contemporary issues, but tracing the historical premises of this
escalation. It is author’s profound conviction that it should be placed in the context of continuous for decades
ethnic conflict between Albanians and Macedonians. The religion and religious symbols are used in this
collision which reflects both in the political discourse and in the everyday social life and relationships,
influencing perceptions and collective notions of peoples about religion and ethnicity.

Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum-BAS
“Traditional ritual responses to contemporary misfortunes – 'youth kurban' and the social life
in the post-socialist Bulgarian village”

Petko Hristov
The paper will present a study on the so called 'youth kurbans' conducted by the author in the spring of
2006 in the villages of Kralev dol and Yardzhilovtsi, the region of Pernik, Midwestern Bulgaria, inhabited
exclusively by Orthodox Christians. The aim of the study was to trace out the 'use' of traditional ritual practices
from the past for reviving and enriching the entire social life in the village in the post-socialist period. The
analysis focuses on the contemporary forms of the village sacrifice (the so called kurban) – a feast which has
pronounced social functions in the Balkan context – performed in times of natural and personal misfortunes.
The emphasis is on cases of collective ritual sacrifice related to young people's misfortunes, newly-emerged in
the first decade of the new Millennium in the village. The observations in the following years on the social life
and festival cycle of numerous villages in post-socialist Bulgaria confirmed the conclusion that traditional
ritual patterns are widely used as responses to social adversities and natural disasters in the present. The study
of the kurbans as an important part of the festival cycle is particularly topical under the conditions of postsocialist revival of some and reducing of other aspects of the religious life in the village in the last two decades.
My observations suggested that at the beginning of the new Millennium the collective kurban and the joint
meal are becoming an integral part of everyday local religious practice as well as an important element of the
rituals described as 'marking the boundaries' (in social and cultural aspect) of the different groups in the postsocialist Bulgarian village.

Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum