Етнонимът ахряни в съвремието
The Ethnonym Ahryani In Modern Times

Author(s): Davide Fanciullo
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Applied Linguistics, Sociolinguistics
Published by: Пловдивски университет »Паисий Хилендарски«
Keywords: Agrianes; Rhodopes; Ahryan; Pomak; Strymon
Summary/Abstract: The population of Bulgarian Rhodopes comprises of Christian and Muslim people. The particular situation in this area is the consequence of historical processes occurring particularly during the period of Ottoman rule in the territory of Bulgaria, which led to the Islamization of part of the population. There are several explanations regarding the origin of the names used to identify the Muslim population in the region. The most commonly used name appears to be Pomak. The ethnonym ahryane is also used, although it does not have a clear etymology. In Greek history, the name originates from the ancient people Agrianes or Agrianians, while Turkish scholars derive it from aren, meaning ‘man’ to indicate the masculinity of the Turks in the area. A third Turkish-Arab theory leads back to the word aharjan, meaning ‘annexed land or subdued later’ (Mitrinov 2011). In the Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary, the word ahryane is connected to the medieval name of the region of the Eastern Rhodopes Ahrid (Greek Αhridos). Previous research has explored the history and culture of the Muslim population in the region, but the origin of the name Agriani and its local significance today remains unclear. This study aims to fill the knowledge gap by investigating the origin of the name Agriani and its current cultural use for the population.

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