Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Laz people
Lazepe
ლაზეფე
Total population

500,000 [1]
Regions with significant populations
Turkey, Georgia, Germany
Languages
Laz, Turkish, Georgian
Religions
Predominantly Sunni Islam, with a minority professing Georgian Orthodox Christianity, and Georgian Catholic Christianity [2]
Related ethnic groups
Mingrelians, and other Georgians

The Laz (Lazi (ლაზი) or Lazepe (ლაზეფე) in Laz, Lazlar in Turkish, Lazi (ლაზი) or Č’ani (ჭანი) in Georgian) are an ethnic group who live primarily on the Black Sea coastal regions of Turkey and Georgia. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Laz language (ლაზური ნენა lazuri nena; ლაზური lazuri, or ჭანური chanuri) is spoken by the Laz people Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Georgian (ka ქართული ენა kartuli ena) is the Official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic Christianity in ancient and feudal Georgia According to tradition when the Apostles were sent out to preach the Gospel to the nations of the world the Apostle On Georgian Catholics of Byzantine Rite see Georgian Byzantine-Rite Catholics The Georgian Catholic Church (or Catholic Church in Georgia The Mingrelians ( Mingrelian: მარგალი margali; მეგრელები megrelebi) are a subethnic group of Georgians that The Georgians (ქართველები kartvelebi) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus, the oldest group of the The Laz language (ლაზური ნენა lazuri nena; ლაზური lazuri, or ჭანური chanuri) is spoken by the Laz people Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Georgian (ka ქართული ენა kartuli ena) is the Official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between They speak the Laz language, related to Mingrelian, Georgian and Svan (South Caucasian languages). The Laz language (ლაზური ნენა lazuri nena; ლაზური lazuri, or ჭანური chanuri) is spoken by the Laz people Mingrelian, or Megrelian (მარგალურ ნინა margalur nina; მეგრული ენა megruli ena) is a Language The Svan language (ლუშნუ ნინ/შკა̈ნ lušnu nin/šḳän; სვანური ენა svanuri ena) is a language spoken in Northwest The South Caucasian languages (also known as Ibero-Caucasian or Kartvelian) are spoken primarily in Georgia, with smaller groups of speakers in Turkey [3] Many Laz living in Turkey do not accept the umbrella term "Kartvelian", used in modern scholarly literature as synonymous to a South Caucasian linguistic family. The idea of a shared cultural Colchian heritage with Mingrelians has been popularized and some Laz even consider themselves as a part of a greater Zan (Laz-Mingerelian) ethnos that excludes the Georgians proper. In ancient Geography, Colchis or Kolchis ( Georgian and Laz: კოლხეთი k'olxeti; Greek:, Kolchís The Mingrelians ( Mingrelian: მარგალი margali; მეგრელები megrelebi) are a subethnic group of Georgians that The Zan language, or Zanuri, is a conventional term used by some linguists to describe the unity of Mingrelian and Laz, which are the closest The Georgians (ქართველები kartvelebi) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus, the oldest group of the On the other hand, Laz identity in Georgia has largely merged with a Georgian identity and the meaning of 'Laz' is seen as merely a regional category. [4]

Laz were converted to Christianity while living under the Byzantine Empire and Georgian kingdom. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between With Ottoman rule, the vast majority of Laz became Sunni Muslims of Hanafi madh'hab, and were ruled as part of the Lazistan sanjak. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic The Hanafi ( Arabic حنفي school is the oldest of the four schools of thought ( Madhhabs Madhhab or Mazhab ( Arabic مذهب mæðhæb pl مذاهب mæðæːhıb) is an Islamic school of thought, or Lazistan ( Lazona - ლაზონა in Laz, ლაზეთი - lazeti or ჭანეთი - č’aneti in Georgian) was the Sanjak and Sandjak (other variants sinjaq sanjaq) are the most common English transcriptions of the Turkish word sancak There is also a very limited number of Christian Laz in Georgia. The majority of Laz speak the Laz language. The Laz are primarily designated as fisherfolk by the Turkish public (in fact, they are mostly farmers of tea and maize) because anchovies constitute an important part of their diet. Tea refers to the cured agricultural product of the leaves leaf buds and internodes of Camellia sinensis, which have been prepared and cured for the market Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica The anchovies are a family ( Engraulidae) of small common salt-water fish

Contents

History

Main articles: Egrisi and Lazistan

The Laz people live in a geographic area which they refer to as Lazona (ლაზონა). Egrisi (ეგრისი is a medieval Georgian name for the region and kingdom in the western part of modern-day Georgia, known to the Byzantine Lazistan ( Lazona - ლაზონა in Laz, ლაზეთი - lazeti or ჭანეთი - č’aneti in Georgian) was the Today, the entire area is part of the Republic of Turkey. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Its history dates back to at least the 6th century B. C. when the first Georgian state in the west was the Kingdom of Colchis which covered modern western Georgia and modern Turkish provinces of Trabzon and Rize. In ancient Geography, Colchis or Kolchis ( Georgian and Laz: კოლხეთი k'olxeti; Greek:, Kolchís Trabzon ( Greek: Τραπεζούντα, Trapezounta) is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Rize ( Greek: Riza, რიზე Ռիզե is the capital of Rize Province, in northeast Turkey, on the Black Sea Between the early 2nd century, B. C. and the late 2nd century A. D. , the Kingdom of Colchis together with the neighbor countries, become an arena of long and devastating conflicts between major local powers Rome, Kingdom of Armenia and the short-lived Kingdom of Pontus. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The Kingdom of Armenia (or Greater Armenia) was an independent kingdom from 190 BC to AD 387 and a client state of the Roman and Persian empires until Geography The Black Sea region loosely called Pontus by various scholars has a steep rocky coast with rivers that cascade through the gorges of the coastal ranges As a result of the brilliant Roman campaigns of generals Pompey and Lucullus, the Kingdom of Pontus was completely destroyed by the Romans and all its territory including Colchis, were incorporated into Roman Empire as her provinces. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'pɑmpi/ Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir ( Classical Latin abbreviation For his grandfather and namesake see Lucius Licinius Lucullus.

The former Kingdom of Colchis was re-organized by the Romans into the province of Lazicum ruled by Roman legati. The Roman period was marked by further Hellenization of the region in terms of language, economy and culture. For example, since the early 3rd century, Greco-Latin Philosophical Academy of Phasis (present-day Poti) was quite famous all over the Roman Empire. Phasis (Φάσις was an ancient and early medieval city on the eastern Black Sea coast founded in the 7th/6th century BC as a colony of the Milesian Greeks Poti (ფოთი is a Port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti In the early 3rd century, newly established Roman Lazicum was given certain degree of autonomy which by the end of the century developed into full the independence and formation of a new Kingdom of Lazica (covering the modern day regions of Mingrelia, Adjaria, Guria and Abkhazia) on the basis of smaller principalities of Zans, Svans, Apsyls and Sanyghs. Autonomy ( Greek: Auto- Nomos - nomos meaning "law" one who gives oneself his/her own Law) is the right to Self-government Egrisi (ეგრისი is a medieval Georgian name for the region and kingdom in the western part of modern-day Georgia, known to the Byzantine Megrelia, Mingrelia or Samegrelo / Samargalo (სამეგრელო Samegrelo; Mingrelian: სამარგალო Samargalo For the village in Bangladesh see Guria Bangladesh. Guria (გურია is a region ( Mkhare) in Georgia Abkhazia (Аҧсны Apsny აფხაზეთი Apkhazeti or Abkhazeti Абха́зия Abhazia) is a De facto The Svans (სვანები Svanebi) are an ethnographic group of Georgians that mostly live in Svanetia region of Georgia. Kingdom of Lazica survived more than 250 years until in 562 AD it was absorbed by the Byzantine Empire. In the middle of the 4th century, Lazica adopted Christianity as her official religion. That event was preceded by the arrival of St. Simon the Canaanite (or Kananaios in Greek) who was preaching all over Lazica and met his death in Suaniri (Western Lazica). St Simon redirects here See also Saint-Simon. The apostle called Simon Zelotes, Simon the Zealot, in Luke According to Moses of Chorene, the enemies of Christianity cut him in two halves with a saw.

The re-incorporation of Lazica with the Kingdom of Aphkhazeti into Byzantine Empire in 562 AD was followed by 150 years of relative stability that ceased in the early 7th century when the Arabs appeared in the area as a new regional power. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding

Geographical distribution

Statue of a Laz man and woman. Arhavi, Turkey
Statue of a Laz man and woman. Arhavi, Turkey

The ancient kingdom of Colchis and its successor Lazica (locally known as Egrisi) was located in the same region the Laz speakers are found in today, and its inhabitants probably spoke an ancestral version of the language. Arhavi is a town and district of Artvin Province in the mountains above the Black Sea coast in the east of Turkey. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches In ancient Geography, Colchis or Kolchis ( Georgian and Laz: კოლხეთი k'olxeti; Greek:, Kolchís Egrisi (ეგრისი is a medieval Georgian name for the region and kingdom in the western part of modern-day Georgia, known to the Byzantine Colchis was the setting for the famous Greek legend of Jason and the Argonauts. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance

Today most Laz speakers live in Northeast Turkey, in a strip of land along the shore of the Black Sea. They form the majority in the Pazar (Atina), Ardeşen (Artaşen) and Fındıklı (Viče) districts of Rize, and in the Arhavi (Arkabi), Hopa (Xopa) and districts of Artvin. Pazar is a town and district of Rize Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 37 km east of the city of Rize. Ardeşen ( Laz: Artaşen) is a town and district of Rize Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 48km along the coast road Fındıklı is a town and district of Rize Province on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, east of the city of Rize. Rize ( Greek: Riza, რიზე Ռիզե is the capital of Rize Province, in northeast Turkey, on the Black Sea Arhavi is a town and district of Artvin Province in the mountains above the Black Sea coast in the east of Turkey. Hopa ( Laz: Xopa Georgian: ხოფა Armenian: Հոպա Russian: Хопа also known as Khupati, Khopta, or Artvin is a city in northeastern Turkey on the Çoruh River near the Georgian border They live as minorities in the neighbouring Çamlıhemşin (Vijadibi) and Borçka districts. Çamlıhemşin is a small town and district of Rize Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Borçka is a town and district of Artvin Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, on the border with Georgia. There are also communities in northwestern Anatolia (Karamürsel in Kocaeli, Akçakoca in Düzce, Sakarya, Zonguldak, Bartın), where many immigrants settled since the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) and now also in Istanbul and Ankara. Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Karamürsel is a town located in northwestern Turkey, in the province of Kocaeli. Kocaeli is a province of Turkey. Its capital is İzmit, which is sometimes referred to as Kocaeli itself Akçakoca is a town and a district of Düzce Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Düzce is a province in northwestern Turkey. It is on the coastline of the Black Sea and is traversed by the main Highway between İstanbul Sakarya is a city and province of the same name in Turkey, located on the coast of Black Sea. Zonguldak (Sandraka is a city and the capital of Zonguldak Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Bartın is a small province in northern Turkey on the Black Sea, surrounding the city of Bartın The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 had its origins in a rise in nationalism in the Balkans as well as in the Russian goal of recovering territorial losses it had suffered Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after İstanbul. Only a few Laz live in Georgia, chiefly in Adjara (est. 30,000 speakers of the Laz language, about 2,000 of them in Sarpi). Laz are also present in Germany where they have migrated from Turkey since the 1960s. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969

Terminology

The general Turkish public use the name "Laz" for all inhabitants of Black Sea provinces to the east of Samsun. Samsun is a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast with a population of 1209137 (2000 The name Lazca (Laz language) usually indicates the Trabzon dialect of Turkish to the non-Laz, although it actually is a South Caucasian language, unrelated to Turkish. Trabzon ( Greek: Τραπεζούντα, Trapezounta) is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of On the other hand, Laz are keen to differentiate themselves from other inhabitants of the region. Also non-Laz refuse the naming, preferring to call themselves as Karadenizli [5] ("from the Black Sea").

Notes

  1. ^ Encyclopedia of the Orient
  2. ^ Roger Rosen, Jeffrey Jay Foxx, The Georgian Republic, Passport Books (September 1991)
  3. ^ BRAUND, D. , Georgia in antiquity: a history of Colchis and Transcaucasian Iberia 550 BC – AD 562, Oxford University Press, p. 93
  4. ^ Jason and the New Argonauts, p. 174. University of Amsterdam. The University of Amsterdam ( Universiteit van Amsterdam in Dutch) is a comprehensive research University located in the heart of the city of Amsterdam
  5. ^ People of Black Sea Region

See also

References

External links

Events 524 - Battle of Vézeronce, the Franks defeat the Burgundians Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar)
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic