Laz people ლაზეფე
Total population
250,000-500,000 (est.)
Regions with significant populations
Turkey, Georgia, Germany
Language(s)
Laz, Turkish, Georgian
Religion(s)
Predominantly Sunni Islam. Some Georgian Orthodox Christianity, and Georgian Catholic Christianity [1]
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. They speak a language, related to Mingrelian and to Georgian (South Caucasian languages). ^[2] In Georgia, they are frequently designated as a "territorial-cultural group" of the Georgian people. Some Laz living in Turkey do not accept the umbrella term "Kartvelian" and consider themselves as a part of a greater (Lazo-Mingrelian) Zan ethnos of Colchis that excludes Georgians (Iberians). However, most scholars who link Laz people linguistically, traditionally, and historically to Mingrelians consider the latter as an ethnographic group of the Georgian people.^{[3][4][5] [6]} The Laz language (lazuri, ლაზური or lazuri nena, ლაზური ნენა in Laz; ლაზური, lazuri, or ჭანური, chanuri, in Georgian) is spoken by the Laz people on the Southeast shore of the Black Sea. ... Sunni Muslims are the largest denomination of Islam. ... The Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church (Saqartvelos Samotsiqulo Avtokepaluri Martlmadidebeli Eklesia in Georgian language) is one of the worlds most ancient Christian Churches, founded in the 1st century by the Apostle Andrew. ... The Georgian Catholic Church refers to the church of Georgian Catholics reunited to Rome and following the Byzantine Rite. ... The Mingrelians (Megrelians, Mingrels, Megrels; Megrelebi or მეგრელები in Georgian) are an ethnographic group of Georgians that mostly live in Samegrelo (Mingrelia) region of Georgia. ... The Laz language (lazuri, ლაზური or lazuri nena, ლაზური ნენა in Laz; ლაზური, lazuri, or ჭანური, chanuri, in Georgian) is spoken by the Laz people on the Southeast shore of the Black Sea. ... For other uses, see Black Sea (disambiguation). ... The Megrelian language (Megruli ena in Georgian, Margaluri nina in Megrelian), sometimes called Mingrelian, is a language spoken in northwest Georgia. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Georgians (ქართველი ერი (Kartveli Eri) or ქართველები (Kartvelebi) in the Georgian language) are a nation or an ethnic group, originating in the Caucasus. ... The Mingrelians (Megrelians, Mingrels, Megrels; Megrelebi or მეგრელები in Georgian) are an ethnographic group of Georgians that mostly live in Samegrelo (Mingrelia) region of Georgia. ... The Zan language or Zanuri is a conventional term used by some linguists to describe the unity of Mingrelian and Laz, which are the only two mutually intelligible South Caucasian or Kartvelian languages sometimes considered as the two distinct dialects of Zan. ... An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of a boundary that distinguishes them from other groups. ... In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolchis (Georgian/Laz: კოლხეთი, kolkheti; Greek: , Kolchís) was an ancient Georgian [1][2][3], state[4] [5]kingdom and region[6] in the Western Georgia (Caucasus region), which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation and its subgroups. ... Ancient countries of Caucasus: Armenia, Iberia, Colchis and Albania Iberia was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli (4th century BC-5th century AD) corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia. ...

Laz were converted to Christianity while living under the Byzantine Empire and Georgian kingdom. With Ottoman rule, the vast majority of Laz became Sunni Muslims of Hanafi madh'hab. 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. Under the Ottoman Empire, they lived in the Lazistan sanjak. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... Byzantine redirects here. ... Sunni Muslims are the largest denomination of Islam. ... The Hanafi (Arabic حنفي) school is the oldest of the four schools of thought (Madhhabs) or jurisprudence (Fiqh) within Sunni Islam. ... Madhhab or Mazhab (Arabic مذهب pl. ... The Laz language (lazuri, ლაზური or lazuri nena, ლაზური ნენა in Laz; ლაზური, lazuri, or ჭანური, chanuri, in Georgian) is spoken by the Laz people on the Southeast shore of the Black Sea. ... For other uses, see Tea (disambiguation). ... This article is about the maize plant. ... Genera Amazonsprattus Anchoa Anchovia Anchoviella Cetengraulis Coilia Encrasicholina Engraulis Jurengraulis Lycengraulis Lycothrissa Papuengraulis Pterengraulis Setipinna Stolephorus Thryssa The anchovies are a family (Engraulidae) of small, common salt-water fish. ... Motto دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1683, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299–1326) Bursa (1326–1365) Edirne (1365–1453) Constantinople (1453–1922) Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 (first) Osman I  - 1918–22 (last) Mehmed VI Grand Viziers  - 1320... Lazistan (Lazona - ლაზონა in Laz, ლაზეთი - Lazeti or ჭანეთი - Chaneti in Georgian) was the Ottoman administrative name for the sanjak (under vilayet of Trabzon) comprising the Laz or Lazuri-speaking population on the southeastern shore of the Black Sea. ... Sanjak and Sandjak (other variants: sinjaq, sanjaq) are the most common English transliterations of the Turkish word Sancak, which literally means banner. In Arabic the sanjaks were also called liwas. ...

History of Lazona

Main articles: Egrisi and Lazistan

The Laz people live in a geographic area which they refer to as Lazona (ლაზონა). Today, the entire area is part of the Republic of Turkey. 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. 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. 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. Egrisi (Georgian: ) known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as Lazica and to Persians as Lazistan was an early western Georgian [1]kingdom in South Caucasus, which flourished between the 6th century BC and the 7th century AD. It covered the territory of the former kingdom Kolkha (Colchis) and the... Lazistan (Lazona - ლაზონა in Laz, ლაზეთი - Lazeti or ჭანეთი - Chaneti in Georgian) was the Ottoman administrative name for the sanjak (under vilayet of Trabzon) comprising the Laz or Lazuri-speaking population on the southeastern shore of the Black Sea. ... In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolchis (Georgian/Laz: კოლხეთი, kolkheti; Greek: , Kolchís) was an ancient Georgian [1][2][3], state[4] [5]kingdom and region[6] in the Western Georgia (Caucasus region), which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation and its subgroups. ... Trabzon, formerly known as Trebizond (Greek: ), is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. ... Rize is the capital of Rize Province, in north-east Turkey, on the Black Sea coast. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Kingdom of Armenia at its greatest extent under the Artaxiad Dynasty after the conquests of Tigranes the Great, 80 BC. Capital Tigranakert Language(s) Armenian Political structure Empire History  - Established 190 BC  - Disestablished 66 BC The Kingdom of Armenia (or Greater Armenia) was an independent kingdom from 190 BC to... Traditional rural Pontic house A man in traditional clothes from Trabzon, illustration Pontus is the name which was applied, in ancient times, to extensive tracts of country in the northeast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) bordering on the Euxine (Black Sea), which was often called simply Pontos (the main), by... For other meanings see Pompey (disambiguation). ... Lucius Licinius Lucullus (c. ...

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. 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. 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). According to Moses of Chorene, the enemies of Christianity cut him in two halves with a saw. The Rioni River is the principal river of western Georgia. ... Poti (Georgian: ფოთი, Poti) is a city in the Samegrelo province in the west of Republic of Georgia. ... Look up autonomy, autonomous in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Egrisi (or Kolkheti) was a kingdom in the western part of Georgia, which flourished between the 6th century BC and the 7th century AD. It was covered the territory of the former kingdom Kolkha (Colchis) and the territory of modern Abkhazia). ... Mingrelia (Samegrelo in Georgian) is a historic province in the western part of the republic of Georgia, formerly also known as Odishi. ... Official language Georgian Capital Batumi ISO code GE.AJ Head of the Council of MInisters of Adjara Levan Varshalomidze Area  - Total  - % water 2,900 km² n/a Population  - Total ( 1989)  - Density 392,432 135. ... Guria is a region in Georgia (Caucasus), in the western part of the country, bordered by the eastern end of the Black Sea. ... Abkhazia (pronounced or , Apsny, Georgian: Apkhazeti or Abkhazeti, Russian: Abhazia) is an autonomous region of Georgia in the Caucasus. ... // The Svans (Georgian: ) are an ethnographic group of Georgians that mostly live in Svanetia region of Georgia. ... Byzantine redirects here. ... The apostle Simon, called Simon the Zealot in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13; and Simon Kananaios (Simon signifying שמעון hearkening; listening, Standard Hebrew Å imÊ¿on, Tiberian Hebrew Å imʿôn), was one of the most obscure among the apostles of Jesus; little is recorded of him aside from his name. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

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. Languages Arabic other minority languages Religions Predominantly Sunni Islam, as well as Shia Islam, Greek Orthodoxy, Greek Catholicism, Roman Catholicism, Alawite Islam, Druzism, Ibadi Islam, and Judaism Footnotes a Mainly in Antakya. ...

Geographical distribution

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. Colchis was the setting for the famous Greek legend of Jason and the Argonauts. Arhavi is a district of Artvin Province of Turkey. ... In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolchis (Georgian/Laz: კოლხეთი, kolkheti; Greek: , Kolchís) was an ancient Georgian [1][2][3], state[4] [5]kingdom and region[6] in the Western Georgia (Caucasus region), which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation and its subgroups. ... Egrisi (or Kolkheti) was a kingdom in the western part of Georgia, which flourished between the 6th century BC and the 7th century AD. It was covered the territory of the former kingdom Kolkha (Colchis) and the territory of modern Abkhazia). ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) 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 of their own cult and ritual practices. ... Jason and the Argonauts may refer to: the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts Jason and the Argonauts (film), a 1963 film with animation by Ray Harryhausen Jason and the Argonauts (TV movie), a TV movie made in 2000 This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated...

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. They live as minorities in the neighbouring Çamlıhemşin (Vijadibi) and Borçka districts. 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. 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. Pazar is a district of Rize Province, Turkey. ... ArdeÅŸen (Laz: ArtaÅŸen) is a town and a district of Rize Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 48km along the coast road from the city of Rize. ... Fındıklı is a district of Rize Province of Turkey. ... Rize is the capital of Rize Province, in north-east Turkey, on the Black Sea coast. ... Arhavi is a district of Artvin Province of Turkey. ... Hopa is a district of Artvin Province of Turkey. ... Artvin is a city in north-eastern Turkey. ... ÇamlıhemÅŸin is a village and administrative district of Rize Province, Turkey. ... Borçka is a district of Artvin Province of Turkey. ... This article is about two nested areas of Turkey, a plateau region within a peninsula. ... Karamürsel is a town located in northwestern Turkey, in the province of Kocaeli. ... Izmit (also known as Ismid and Kocaeli) is a city in the northwestern part of Anatolia, Turkey. ... Akçakoca is a town in Düzce Province, Turkey. ... shows the Location of the Province Düzce Düzce is a province in northwestern Turkey. ... Sakarya is a province of Turkey and is located in the Marmara region. ... Zonguldak is a city and the capital of Zonguldak Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. ... shows the Location of the Province Bartin Bartin is a small province in northern Turkey on the Black Sea, surrounding the city of Bartin. ... It has been suggested that Romanian War of Independence be merged into this article or section. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the countrys second largest city after Ä°stanbul. ... Official language Georgian Capital Batumi ISO code GE.AJ Head of the Government Levan Varshalomidze Area  - Total  - % water 2,900 km² n/a Population  - Total (1989)  - Density 392,432 135. ... Sarpi (ge: სარფი, tr: Sarp) is a small border village on the coast of the Black Sea, on the border between Turkey and Georgia. ... 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. 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. 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 ("from the Black Sea"). Shows the Location of the Province Samsun Samsun is a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast with a population of 1,209,137 (2000). ... Trabzon, formerly known as Trebizond (Greek: ), is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. ...

Notes

See also

• Chveneburi
• Hamshenis

Cheveneburi means ours in Georgian, an ethnic identity for Georgian people who live in the territory of the Republic of Turkey. ... The Hamshenis (also known as Hemshinlis or Khemshils; Համշինի in Armenian; Hemşinli in Turkish; Амшенцы in Russian) are an ethnic group of Armenian origin that inhabit the Black Sea coastal areas of Turkey, Russia, and Georgia (Abkhazia). ...

References

• Andrews, Peter (ed.). 1989. Ethnic Groups in the Republic of Turkey. Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag. pp. 497-501.
• Benninghaus, Rüdiger. 1989. "The Laz: an example of multiple identification". In: Ethnic Groups in the Republic of Turkey, edited by P. Andrews.
• Bryer, Anthony. 1969. The last Laz risings and the downfall of the Pontic Derebeys, 1812-1840, Bedi Kartlisa 26. pp. 191-210.
• Hewsen, Robert H. Laz. World Culture Encyclopedia. Accessed on September 1, 2007.
• [http://www.rferl.org/features/1998/06/f.ru.980625124850.asp Negele, Jolyon. 25 June 1998 Turkey: Laz Minority Passive In Face Of Assimilation. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

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Links

First documentary film about history of the Laz people