Hemshin people
The Hemshin people (Armenian: Համշէնցիներ, Hamshentsiner; Turkish: Hemşinliler), also known as Hemshinli or Hamshenis or Homshetsi, are a bilingual small group of Armenians who practice Sunni Islam after they had been converted from Christianity in the beginning of the 18th century and are affiliated with the Hemşin and Çamlıhemşin districts in the province of Rize, Turkey. They are Armenian in origin, and were originally Christian members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, but over the centuries evolved into a distinct community and converted to Sunni Islam after the conquest of the region by the Ottomans during the second half of the 15th century.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 150,000–200,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Turkey: Rize (majority: Hemşin, Çamlıhemşin; minority: Çayeli, İkizdere) Artvin (almost half: Kemalpaşa; minority: Hopa) Trabzon (minority: Araklı) Erzurum (minority: Tortum, İspir) Diaspora communities in Sakarya and Düzce | |
| Turkey | 150,000 |
| Russia | 1,047 |
| Languages | |
| Armenian (Homshetsi dialect) Turkish | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam in Turkey Armenian Apostolic in Georgia and Russia | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Armenians, Pontic Greeks, Laz people | |
| Part of a series on |
| Armenians |
|---|
| Armenian culture |
| By country or region |
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Armenian diaspora Russia |
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| Religion |
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| Persecution |
For centuries, the ongoing migration from the geographically isolated highlands to lowlands made Hemshin people settle in the areas near Trabzon, Artvin and in the Western part of the Black Sea coast. Thus, is a significant Hamsheni population were formed in Trabzon, Artvin and Western part of the Black Sea coast.