Echinos
Encyclopedia
Echinos is a settlement in the municipality Myki in the Xanthi peripheral unit of Greece
(Longitude: 24° 58'16" E, Latitude: 41° 16'19" N). It is 761 kilometers northeast of Athens
, 254 kilometers northeast of Thessalonica, and 27 kilometers north northeast of Xanthi
. In 1981, the population of Echinos was around 3123 inhabitants. In 1991, the population declined to around 2357 inhabitants. In 2001, the population declined slightly further to around 2221 inhabitants of which majority are Pomaks
.
, hence its old name - Shahin.
The village is first mentioned in an Ottoman
document from the middle of the 16th century. The document enlists those who voluntarily took part in Ottoman military operations. According to that document 23 Muslim
families and 18 single Muslims from Shahin were involved in those operations. Their incomes are also included in the document for proper taxation.
In the end of the 19th century the renowned explorer of the Rhodope Mountains
St. Shishkov traveled through Shahin and wrote about the village that the people were very passionate Muslims and when one meets a woman, she turns her face aside. If you try to talk with her or ask her something, she would call her husband. He also wrote that the village was very rich and even the children used to dress in expensive clothes. The houses were two or three stories all painted in white. Shishkov describes the village more like a little town with some 200 houses.
According to Lyubomir Miletich
as of 1912 Shahin was a Pomak village in the Darıdere
kaza of the Ottoman Empire
. According to Patriarch Cyril
as of 1943 there were 417 households and 1975 inhabitants in Shahin - all Pomaks
.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(Longitude: 24° 58'16" E, Latitude: 41° 16'19" N). It is 761 kilometers northeast of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, 254 kilometers northeast of Thessalonica, and 27 kilometers north northeast of Xanthi
Xanthi
Xanthi ; is a city in Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi peripheral unit of the periphery of East Macedonia and Thrace.-History:...
. In 1981, the population of Echinos was around 3123 inhabitants. In 1991, the population declined to around 2357 inhabitants. In 2001, the population declined slightly further to around 2221 inhabitants of which majority are Pomaks
Pomaks
Pomaks is a term used for a Slavic Muslim population native to some parts of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. The Pomaks speak Bulgarian as their native language, also referred to in Greece and Turkey as Pomak language, and some are fluent in Turkish,...
.
History
According to the legend Echinos was founded during the 1360s by Lala Shahin PashaLala Shahin Pasha
Lala Shahin Pasha was the first Beylerbey of Rumelia. He was one of commanders in Battle of Maritsa and the leader of the Battle of Bileća ....
, hence its old name - Shahin.
The village is first mentioned in an Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
document from the middle of the 16th century. The document enlists those who voluntarily took part in Ottoman military operations. According to that document 23 Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
families and 18 single Muslims from Shahin were involved in those operations. Their incomes are also included in the document for proper taxation.
In the end of the 19th century the renowned explorer of the Rhodope Mountains
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece. Its highest peak, Golyam Perelik , is the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain...
St. Shishkov traveled through Shahin and wrote about the village that the people were very passionate Muslims and when one meets a woman, she turns her face aside. If you try to talk with her or ask her something, she would call her husband. He also wrote that the village was very rich and even the children used to dress in expensive clothes. The houses were two or three stories all painted in white. Shishkov describes the village more like a little town with some 200 houses.
According to Lyubomir Miletich
Lyubomir Miletich
Lyubomir Miletich was a leading Bulgarian linguist, ethnographer, dialectologist and historian, as well as the chairman of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences from 1926 to his death....
as of 1912 Shahin was a Pomak village in the Darıdere
Zlatograd
Zlatograd is a town in Smolyan Province, Southern-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Zlatograd Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 7,110 inhabitants....
kaza of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. According to Patriarch Cyril
Patriarch Cyril of Bulgaria
Patriarch Cyril , born Konstantin Markov , was the first Patriarch of the restored Bulgarian Patriarchate....
as of 1943 there were 417 households and 1975 inhabitants in Shahin - all Pomaks
Pomaks
Pomaks is a term used for a Slavic Muslim population native to some parts of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. The Pomaks speak Bulgarian as their native language, also referred to in Greece and Turkey as Pomak language, and some are fluent in Turkish,...
.
Notable people
- Chafiz Sofologiotatos Tzemali (born 1937-03-10) - a graduate of the Islamic University of MadinahIslamic University of MadinahThe Islamic University of al-Madinah al-Munawarah was founded by the government of Saudi Arabia by a royal decree in the year 1961 AD in the Islamic holy city of Medina.-History:...
and muftiMuftiA mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
of KomotiniKomotiniKomotini is a city in Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace and of the Rhodope regional unit. It is also the administrative center of the Rhodope-Evros super-prefecture. The city is home to the Democritus University of Thrace, founded in 1973...
.