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95-460: Asenovgrad also includes the districts of Gorni Voden and Dolni Voden, which until 1986 were separate villages. According to the census data of 2021, the population of the city is 47 815 people. Above the town are the remains of the Asen Fortress, an old fortress that was strengthened under Tsar Ivan Asen II and turned into an important military post in the defense of the southern borders of

190-686: A country that has excluded them ethnically and culturally. The very common carnivals throughout Brazil are one of the few spaces in which the Roma can still express their cultural traditions, including the so-called "carnival wedding" in which a boy is disguised as a bride and the famous "Romaní dance", picturesquely simulated with the women of the town parading in their traditional attire. Genetic findings show an Indian origin for Roma. Because Romani groups did not keep chronicles of their history or have oral accounts of it, most hypotheses about early Romani migration are based on linguistic theory. According to

285-462: A dark colour"). Likewise, the name of the Dom or Domba people of north India—with whom the Roma have genetic, cultural and linguistic links—has come to imply "dark-skinned" in some Indian languages. Hence, names such as kale and calé may have originated as an exonym or a euphemism for Roma . Other endonyms for Roma include, for example: The Romani people have a number of distinct populations,

380-648: A heavy snow cover to be preserved for a long time, is an excellent example. Temperatures as low as −15 °C (5 °F) are common in winter, and due to this the Rhodopes are the southernmost place in the Balkans where tree species such as the Norway Spruce and the Silver Birch can be found. The mountains have abundant water reserves, with a dense network of mountain springs and rivers. Nearly 80% of

475-417: A large part of the basic lexicon. Romani and Domari share some similarities: agglutination of postpositions of the second layer (or case-marking clitics) to the nominal stem, concord markers for the past tense, the neutralisation of gender marking in the plural, and the use of the oblique case as an accusative. This has prompted much discussion about the relationships between these two languages. Domari

570-602: A legend reported in the Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh , the Sasanian king Bahrām V Gōr learned towards the end of his reign (421–439) that the poor could not afford to enjoy music, and so he asked the king of India to send him ten thousand luris , lute-playing experts. When the luris arrived, Bahrām gave each one an ox, a donkey, and a donkey-load of wheat so they could live on agriculture and play music for free for

665-589: A mountain range in Southeastern Europe , and the largest by area in Bulgaria , with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in Greece . Golyam Perelik is its highest peak at 2,191 meters (7,188 ft). The mountain range gives its name to the terrestrial ecoregion Rodope montane mixed forests that belongs in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome and

760-560: A noun (with the plural Romani , the Romani , Romanies , or Romanis ) and an adjective. Both Rom and Romani have been in use in English since the 19th century as an alternative for Gypsy . Romani was sometimes spelled Rommany , but more often Romany , while today Romani is the most popular spelling. Occasionally, the double r spelling (e.g., Rroma , Rromani ) mentioned above is also encountered in English texts. The term Roma

855-399: A number of ancient isoglosses with central Indo-Aryan languages in relation to realization of some sounds of Old Indo-Aryan . This is lent further credence by its sharing exactly the same pattern of northwestern languages such as Kashmiri and Shina through the adoption of oblique enclitic pronouns as person markers. The overall morphology suggests that Romani participated in some of

950-482: A significant genetic mark on the Y-DNA of the Roma there, creating a higher frequency of Haplogroups J and E3b in Romani populations from the region. A full genome autosomal DNA study on 186 Roma samples from Europe in 2019 found that modern Romani people are characterized by a common south Asian origin and a complex admixture from Balkan , Middle East, and Caucasus -derived ancestries. The autosomal genetic data links

1045-750: A true bastion of freedom of the Thracians and last refuge of resistance against the Romans. This explains the fact that Thrace became a Roman province about 200 years after Macedonia. In 2005, German scholars from the University of Heidelberg confirmed that the two rather small fragments discovered by archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov in the Eastern Rhodopes mountains are written in the Minoan Linear A script from about 15th century BC. In

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1140-598: A variety of reasons, such as fear of discrimination. Others are descendants of intermarriage with local populations, some who no longer identify only as Romani and some who do not identify as Romani at all. Then, too, some countries do not collect data by ethnicity. Despite these challenges to getting an accurate picture of the Romani dispersal, there were an estimated 10 million in Europe (as of 2019), although some Romani organizations have given earlier estimates as high as 14 million. Significant Romani populations are found in

1235-642: Is developed mainly in the western parts where there are some of the most important forest massifs in the Balkan Peninsula. The Rhodopes are one of the main hydro-power generation regions of Bulgaria with a number of major hydroelectric power plants such as Batak, Peshtera, Aleko, Studen Kladenets, Kardzhali, Vacha and Thisavros and Platanovrysi in Greece. Tourism is an important industry with growing significance. Pamporovo and Chepelare are major winter resorts. There are many resorts, camp sites and refuges on

1330-603: Is full recovering, but the disco no longer exists. Asen's Fortress ( Bulgarian : Асеновата крепост ) is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the town proper, in Rhodope mountains . The fortress has existed since the time of the Thracians , and during the Middle Ages was a main strategic point. The fortress is named after king Ivan Asen II . The church St Bogoroditsa Petrichka ( Bulgarian : Света Богородица Петричка )

1425-689: Is increasingly encountered as a generic term for the Roma. Because not all Roma use the word Romani as an adjective, the term became a noun for the entire ethnic group. Today, the term Romani is used by some organizations, including the United Nations and the US Library of Congress. However, the Council of Europe and other organizations consider that Roma is the correct term referring to all related groups, regardless of their country of origin, and recommend that Romani be restricted to

1520-460: Is interpreted as the first name of a river, meaning "rusty/reddish river", where Rhod- has the same Indo-European root as the Bulgarian "руда" (ore, "ruda"), "ръжда" (rust, "rǎžda"), "риж" (red-haired, "riž"), Latin "rufus" (red), German "rot" (red), English "red", Greek ροδ- (rhod). In Greek mythology , Queen Rhodope of Thrace , the wife of King Haemus of Thrace, offended the gods, and

1615-489: Is now believed to have occurred beginning in about 500 CE. It has also been suggested that emigration from India may have taken place in the context of the raids by Mahmud of Ghazni . As these soldiers were defeated, they were moved west with their families into the Byzantine Empire . The author Ralph Lilley Turner theorised a central Indian origin of Romani followed by a migration to northwest India as it shares

1710-417: Is the only wholly preserved building in the complex. In 1991 after a full restoration of the church, it begin to function as an orthodox temple. The fortress is among the top 100 National tourist sights of Bulgaria and it is open during the entire year to visitors. Thousands of people and tourist walk to the top daily to take photographs, to relax and to see the beautiful view. The paleontological museum in

1805-459: Is twinned with: Romani people This is an accepted version of this page The Romani people ( / ˈ r oʊ m ə n i / ROH -mə-nee or / ˈ r ɒ m ə n i / ROM -ə-nee ), also known as the Roma ( sg. : Rom ), are an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin who traditionally lived a nomadic , itinerant lifestyle. Linguistic and genetic evidence suggests that

1900-480: Is used exclusively for an older Northern Romani -speaking population (which arrived in the 16th century) while Rom/Romanes is used to describe Vlax Romani -speaking groups that migrated since the 19th century. In the English language (according to the Oxford English Dictionary ), Rom is both a noun (with the plural Roma or Roms ) and an adjective. Similarly, Romani ( Romany ) is both

1995-534: Is used to represent the phoneme /ʀ/ (also written as ř and rh ), which in some Romani dialects has remained different from the one written with a single r . The rr spelling is common in certain institutions (such as the INALCO Institute in Paris), or used in certain countries, e.g., Romania, to distinguish from the endonym / homonym for Romanians ( sg. român, pl. români ). In Norway, Romani

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2090-464: Is well-developed. One of the largest industries in the area is mining. There are around 80 mines for lead and zinc whose reserves are among the largest in Europe. They are situated mainly in central parts of the mountain and along the border with Greece as well as to the east. Kardzhali Province is rich in non-metalliferous minerals and gold . There are also small reserves of chromite and iron ore as well as significant impurities of rare metals in

2185-532: The European Journal of Human Genetics "has revealed that over 70% of males belong to a single lineage that appears unique to the Roma". Genetic evidence supports the medieval migration from India. The Roma have been described as "a conglomerate of genetically isolated founder populations", while a number of common Mendelian disorders among Roma from all over Europe indicates "a common origin and founder effect ". A 2020 whole-genome study confirmed

2280-694: The Balkans , in some central European states, in Spain, France, Russia and Ukraine. In the European Union , there are an estimated 6 million Roma. Outside Europe there may be several million more Roma, in particular in the Middle East and the Americas. The Roma may identify as distinct ethnicities based in part on territorial, cultural and dialectal differences, and self-designation. Like

2375-573: The Greek Αιγύπτιοι ( Aigyptioi ), meaning "Egyptian", via Latin . This designation owes its existence to the belief, common in the Middle Ages, that the Roma, or some related group (such as the Indian Dom people ), were itinerant Egyptians . This belief appears to be derived from verses in the biblical Book of Ezekiel (29: 6 and 12–13) which refer to the Egyptians being scattered among

2470-602: The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization , spent his last years in Asenovgrad and died here in 1947. The city is a destination for religious and cultural tourism. Its main attractions are the monasteries St. Petka ( Bulgarian : Света Петка ) and Arapov's monastery ( Bulgarian : Араповски манастир ) and St. Kirik ( Bulgarian : Свети Кирик ). Around the city there are 5 monasteries, 15 churches and 58 chapels (for which

2565-478: The Middle Ages the mountain was part of the Bulgarian and Byzantine Empires and often changed hands between the two countries. There was a dense network of castles which guarded the trade routes and the strategic heights. The largest and most important castles include Lyutitsa , Ustra , Tsepina , Mezek , Asenova krepost and many others. Between 1371 and 1375 the Rhodopes fell under Ottoman occupation in

2660-553: The Palearctic realm . The region is particularly notable for its karst areas with their deep river gorges, large caves and specific sculptured forms, such as the Trigrad Gorge . A significant part of Bulgaria's hydropower resources are located in the western areas of the range. There are a number of hydro-cascades and dams used for electricity production, irrigation, and as tourist destinations. In Greece, there are also

2755-649: The Portuguese Empire during the Portuguese Inquisition . Since the late 19th century, Roma have also migrated to other countries in South America and Canada. The Romani language is an Indo-Aryan language with strong Balkan and Greek influence. It is divided into several dialects , which together are estimated to have over 2 million speakers. Because the language has traditionally been oral, many Roma are native speakers of

2850-656: The Slavic tribes flooded the region (until around 700 AD) and became the majority of the population. During the wars between the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire, the city became a major military stronghold for the Bulgarian rulers. Due to aggravation of the relationships with the Latin Empire , in 1230 Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II strengthened the local fortress Stanimaka and for this reason

2945-506: The dominant language in their country of residence, or else of mixed languages that combine the dominant language with a dialect of Romani in varieties sometimes called para-Romani . Rom literally means husband in the Romani language , with the plural Roma . The feminine of Rom in the Romani language is Romni/Romli/Romnije or Romlije . However, in most other languages Rom is now used for individuals regardless of gender. It has

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3040-482: The hydroelectric power plants of Thisavros and Platanovrysi. The Rhodopes have a rich cultural heritage including ancient Thracian sites such as Perperikon , Tatul and Belintash , and medieval castles, churches, monasteries , and picturesque villages with traditional Bulgarian architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries. The name of the Rhodope Mountains is of Thracian origin . Rhod-ope (Род-oпа)

3135-572: The numerals in the Romani , Domari and Lomavren languages, with the corresponding terms in Sanskrit , Hindi , Odia , and Sinhala to demonstrate the similarities. Note that the Romani numerals 7 through 9 have been borrowed from Greek . Genetic findings in 2012 suggest the Roma originated in northwestern India and migrated as a group. According to the study, the ancestors of present scheduled caste and scheduled tribe populations of northern India , traditionally referred to collectively as

3230-490: The Ḍoma , are the likely ancestral populations of modern European Roma. In December 2012, additional findings appeared to confirm that the "Roma came from a single group that left northwestern India about 1,500 years ago". They reached the Balkans about 900 years ago and then spread throughout Europe. The team also found that the Roma displayed genetic isolation, as well as "differential gene flow in time and space with non-Romani Europeans". Genetic research published in

3325-707: The 15th and 16th centuries. In February 2016, during the International Roma Conference, then Indian Minister of External Affairs , Sushma Swaraj stated that the people of the Romani community were children of India. The conference ended with a recommendation to the government of India to recognize the Romani community spread across 30 countries as a part of the Indian diaspora . Rhodope mountains The Rhodopes ( / ˈ r ɒ d ə p iː z / ; Bulgarian : Родопи , Rodopi ; Greek : Ροδόπη , Rodopi ; Turkish : Rodoplar ) are

3420-463: The 38 species of birds of prey of Europe, like the rare Eastern imperial eagle and Lesser spotted eagle . The Rhodopes have been inhabited since the Prehistoric age. There have been many archaeological finds of ancient tools in some of the caves. The first known human inhabitants in the mountains were the Thracians . They built many temples, cities and fortresses. The most famous town in

3515-582: The Americas with Columbus in 1498. Spain sent Romani slaves to their Louisiana colony between 1762 and 1800. An Afro-Romani community exists in St. Martin Parish due to intermarriage of freed African American and Romani slaves. The Romani population in the United States is estimated at more than one million. In Brazil, the Roma are mainly called ciganos by non-Romani Brazilians. Most of them belong to

3610-595: The Eastern Rhodopes is 13 °C (55 °F), the maximum precipitation is in December, the minimum in August. In the Western Rhodopes, the temperature varies from 5 to 9 °C (41 to 48 °F) and in the summer rainfalls prevail. The mild climate, combined with some other factors, works in favour of the development of recreation and tourist activities. The Pamporovo resort, where the microclimate permits

3705-511: The Eastern Rhodopes. The mountains are also one of the regions associated with the Sarakatsani , a nomadic Greek people who traditionally roamed between Northern Thrace and the Aegean coast . Aromanians , a Romance -speaking ethnic group, also live in the Rhodopes. and Agupti who are a blend of Turks, Roma and Pomaks and don’t associate themselves with other Roma groups. The economy of

3800-562: The English language, Romani people have long been known by the exonym Gypsies or Gipsies , which many Roma consider a racial slur . The attendees of the first World Romani Congress in 1971 unanimously voted to reject the use of all exonyms for the Roma, including "Gypsy". However, it is not considered a slur in the UK and Romani people in the United Kingdom commonly refer to themselves as "Gypsies". The first Roma to come to

3895-477: The Gypsy, Roma and Traveller grouping, this is the name used to describe all para-Romani groups in official contexts. In North America, the word Gypsy is most commonly used as a reference to Romani ethnicity, though lifestyle and fashion are at times also referenced by using this word. Another designation of the Roma is Cingane (alternatively Çingene, Tsinganoi, Zigar, Zigeuner, Tschingaren), likely deriving from

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3990-717: The Indian subcontinent. In addition, they theorized of a possible low- caste ( Dalit ) origin for the Proto-Roma, since they were genetically closer to the Punjabi cluster that lacks a common marker characteristic of high castes, which is West Euroasian admixing. The Roma may have emerged from what is the modern Indian state of Rajasthan , migrating to the northwest (the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent ) around 250 BCE. Their subsequent westward migration, possibly in waves,

4085-738: The Ottomans. The northern Rhodopes were ceded in 1878 to an autonomous province of Eastern Rumelia until its unification with the Principality of Bulgaria . The other part of the Rhodopes was annexed as a result of the First Balkan War (1912–1913) but after the Second Balkan War (1913) and the First World War (1914–1918) the southern slopes of the mountain was occupied by Greece and the Bulgarian population of

4180-555: The Persian word چنگانه ( chingane ), derived from the Turkic word çıgañ , meaning poor person. It is also possible that the origin of this word is Athinganoi , the name of a Christian sect with whom the Roma (or some related group) could have become associated in the past. There is no official or reliable count of the Romani populations worldwide. Many Roma refuse to register their ethnic identity in official censuses for

4275-679: The Rhodopes are part of the Rila -Rhodope massif , which is the oldest landmass on the Balkan peninsula . The Rhodopes are spread over 14,735 square kilometers (5,689 sq mi), of which 12,233 square kilometers (4,723 sq mi) are on Bulgarian territory. They have the greatest extent of any single mountain range in Bulgaria. The mountains are about 240 kilometers (149 mi) long and about 100 to 120 kilometres (62 to 75 mi) wide, with an average altitude of 785 meters (2,575 ft). To

4370-430: The Rhodopes region is dominated by services, tourism, industry and agriculture. Livestock breeding, forestry and tobacco are the most important agricultural activities. Due to the large Muslim population the number of pigs is relatively low but there are many sheep which are traditional for the Rhodopes. Tobacco is grown in the Eastern Rhodopes and forms a large part of the total national production. The industrial sector

4465-448: The Roma in general, many different ethnonyms are given to subgroups of Roma. Sometimes a subgroup uses more than one endonym , is commonly known by an exonym or erroneously by the endonym of another subgroup. The only name approaching an all-encompassing self-description is Rom . Even when subgroups do not use the name, they all acknowledge a common origin and a dichotomy between themselves and Gadjo (non-Roma). For instance, while

4560-449: The Roma originated in the Indian subcontinent , in particular the region of Rajasthan . Their first wave of westward migration is believed to have occurred sometime between the 5th and 11th centuries. They are thought to have arrived in Europe around the 13th to 14th century. Although they are widely dispersed , their most concentrated populations are believed to be in Bulgaria , Hungary , Romania , Serbia and Slovakia . In

4655-550: The Romani language shares several isoglosses with the Central branch of Indo-Aryan languages, especially in the realization of some sounds of the Old Indo-Aryan. However, it also preserves several dental clusters. In regards to verb morphology, Romani follows exactly the same pattern of northwestern languages such as Kashmiri and Shina through the adoption of oblique enclitic pronouns as person markers, lending credence to

4750-1175: The Romani population "was founded approximately 32–40 generations ago, with secondary and tertiary founder events occurring approximately 16–25 generations ago". Haplogroup H-M82 is a major lineage cluster in the Balkan Romani group, accounting for approximately 60% of the total. Haplogroup H is uncommon in Europe but present in the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka . A study of 444 people representing three ethnic groups in North Macedonia found mtDNA haplogroups M5a1 and H7a1a were dominant in Romanies (13.7% and 10.3%, respectively). Y-DNA composition of Muslim Roma from Šuto Orizari Municipality in North Macedonia , based on 57 samples: Y-DNA Haplogroup H1a occurs in Roma at frequencies 7–70%. Unlike ethnic Hungarians, among Hungarian and Slovakian Roma subpopulations Haplogroup E-M78 and I1 usually occur above 10% and sometimes over 20%, while among Slovakian and Tiszavasvari Roma,

4845-551: The Second Bulgarian Kingdom. The city is known for its many churches, monasteries and chapels and is often called Little Jerusalem. It is also known as the "City of Bridal Gowns" because of the large number of ateliers and shops for wedding dresses and accessories. The majority of Asenovgrad residents are Bulgarians, with representatives of the Turkish and Romani people ethnic groups in the city. Asenovgrad

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4940-546: The Southern Rhodopes is an area almost deserted. After World War II and the Greek Civil War most villages depopulated permanently and their inhabitants never returned. Even the Sarakatsani stockbreeders abandoned the difficult life of the Rhodopes. The depopulation of the region, that has not been grazed for more than 50 years, combined with high rainfall and its geographical location, has contributed to

5035-456: The United States arrived in Virginia , Georgia , New Jersey and Louisiana during the 1600s. Romani slaves were first shipped to the Americas with Columbus in 1498. Spain sent Romani slaves to their Louisiana colony between 1762 and 1800. An Afro-Romani community exists in St. Martin Parish due to intermarriage between freed African American and Romani slaves. The Romani population in

5130-532: The United States is estimated at more than one million. There are between 800,000 and 1   million Roma in Brazil , most of whose ancestors emigrated in the 19th century from Eastern Europe. Brazilian Roma are mostly descended from German/Italian Sinti (in the South/Southeast regions), and Roma and Calon people. Brazil also includes a notable Romani community descended from Sinti and Roma deportees from

5225-412: The area are Haskovo and Kardzhali , as well as the smaller Momchilgrad , Krumovgrad , Zlatograd and Kirkovo . The Eastern Rhodopes, being significantly lower, are also more populated than the western part. Almost every species of the European birds of prey nest in the rocks and forests of the Eastern Rhodopes including the rare black vulture and Egyptian vulture . The Southern Rhodopes are

5320-418: The area is the sacred city of Perperikon located 15 km northeast of Kardzhali . One of the most important Thracian temples was Tatul near the village of the same name. Additionally, there are archeological sites throughout the region related to the cult of Dionysus , such as the ancient Thracian city of Perperikon . The frequent mention of the Rhodope in Ancient Greek and Latin sources indicates that

5415-431: The area was forced to flee to Bulgaria. The sparsely populated area of the Rhodopes has been a place of ethnic and religious diversity for hundreds of years. Apart from the Eastern Orthodox Bulgarians and Greeks , the mountains are also home to a number of Muslim communities, including the Pomaks , that predominate in the western parts and a large concentration of Bulgarian Turks and Greek Turks , particularly in

5510-477: The area. The Eastern Rhodopes are spread over a territory of about 34% of the mountains' area in Bulgaria, constituting a much lower part. The large artificial dams Kardzhali and Studen Kladenets are located in this part of the mountains. The region is rich in thermal mineral springs. The waters around Dzhebel have national reputation for healing various diseases. Belite Brezi is an important healing centre for respiratory and other ailments. Major cities in

5605-405: The carriers might be of Romani origin. Among non-Roma-speaking Europeans, it occurs at 2% among Slovaks , 2% among Croats , 1% among Macedonians from Skopje, 3% among Macedonian Albanians , 1% among Serbs from Belgrade , 3% among Bulgarians from Sofia, 1% among Austrians and Swiss, 3% among Romanians from Ploiești , and 1% among Turks . The Ottoman occupation of the Balkans also left

5700-420: The city are noted for tourist destinations and their urban development, including Parakolovo ( Bulgarian : Параколово ) and the 40 Springs complex. In the late twentieth century the town was known for one of the first Bulgarian discos, Jumbare ( Bulgarian : Джумбаре ), with 600 seats and a round dancing floor, it was completed in 1977 and was located in the Asenovec ( Bulgarian : Асеновец ) hotel complex, which

5795-475: The city earned the nickname "The Little Jerusalem"), also there are historical, ethnographic and paleontological museums and 2 kilometers from the town is Asen's Fortress ( Bulgarian : Асеновата крепост ). Outside of the town is the 40 Springs ( Bulgarian : 40-те извора ) hunting and fishing resort. The climate is very pleasant during the winter and cool in the summer, which made the city and its surroundings very attractive for tourism. The southeast portions of

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5890-401: The city is affiliated with the National Museum of Natural History in Bulgaria . It was founded in 1990 and has one of the largest paleontological collections in the country. Among the exhibits there are saber-toothed tiger , tiger metailurus , deinotherium , bear – indarctos and others. The southern part of the town is known for its distilleries. Asenovgrad's wines are appreciated all over

5985-688: The city was named after him in 1934 (literally city of Asen ). After Bulgaria was conquered by the Ottoman Empire , Roma and Turks settled in Stanimaka, and nowadays make up 15% of the municipality of Asenovgrad's population, the rest 75% being ethnic Bulgarians and 10% – unknown and others. The town was inhabited predominantly by Greeks (52% in 1900) up to the post- World War I population exchanges between Bulgaria and Greece. Bulgarians from various regions in Greece settled in Asenovgrad, while its Greek inhabitants went to Naousa and Kilkis in Macedonia . Naousa and Kilkis are currently sister towns of Asenovgrad. Tane Nikolov , revolutionary and leader of

6080-404: The country. The town is famous for its numerous shops for wedding dresses and many Bulgarians come here in order to prepare for their wedding ceremonies. Due to its specific geographical location the residents of the town enjoy a breeze called вечерник (literally "evening wind"). The football club FC Asenovets Asenovgrad currently plays in the Third Amateur Football League . Asenovgrad

6175-464: The course of the Bulgarian–Ottoman wars . During the 16th and 17th centuries the Ottoman authorities began a process of Islamisation of the region. The towns and the villages in the Western Rhodopes took active part in the April Uprising in 1876. When the uprising was crushed the Ottomans slaughtered around 5,000 people in Batak alone . Thousands more perished in Bratsigovo, Perushtitsa and other rebel villages which were also burnt and looted by

6270-434: The creation and maintenance of a biological paradise. There grow coniferous trees, such as the Norway Spruce and the Silver Birch , that cannot be found elsewhere in Greece. In the forest of Frakto there are 300-year-old trees, more than 50 metres high, and the endangered wild goat . In the eastern part of the region there is the well known nature reserve of Dadia Forest , an ideal habitat for birds of prey , with 36 of

6365-417: The dams of Thisavros and Platanovrysi. They are used mainly for hydro-electric power generation and for irrigation. There are many mineral water springs, the most famous being in Velingrad , Narechen , Devin , Beden , Mihalkovo and others. In Greece there are mineral water springs in Thermes, 40 km. north of ( Xanthi ) and in Thermia, 60 km. north of Drama , at 620 m. The Western Rhodopes are

6460-420: The deepest river gorges in the Rhodopes are located in the western parts, as well as the rock phenomenon Wonderful Bridges . Significant bodies of water include the Chaira lakes and the Dospat , Batak , Shiroka Polyana , Golyam Beglik and Tsigov Chark dams. The town of Batak is also located in this part of the mountains, as well as the popular tourist centres Smolyan , Velingrad , Devin , Chepelare ,

6555-506: The dominant haplogroup is H1a; among Tokaj Roma it is Haplogroup J2a (23%); and among Taktaharkány Roma, it is Haplogroup I2a (21%). Five rather consistent founder lineages throughout the subpopulations were found among Roma – J-M67 and J-M92 (J2), H-M52 (H1a1), and I-P259 (I1). Haplogroup I-P259 as H is not found at frequencies of over 3% among host populations, while haplogroups E and I are absent in south Asia. The lineages E-V13, I-P37 (I2a) and R-M17 (R1a) may represent gene flow from

6650-420: The ethnic subgroup Calés (Kale) of the Iberian peninsula. Juscelino Kubitschek , Brazil's president from 1956 to 1961, was 50% Czech Romani by his mother's bloodline, and Washington Luís , the last president of the First Brazilian Republic (1926–1930), had Portuguese Kale ancestry. Persecution against the Roma has led to many of the cultural practices being extinguished, hidden or modified to survive in

6745-488: The host populations. Bulgarian, Romanian and Greek Roma are dominated by Haplogroup H-M82 (H1a1), while among Spanish Roma J2 is prevalent. In Serbia among Kosovo and Belgrade Roma Haplogroup H prevails, while among Vojvodina Roma, H drops to 7 percent and E-V13 rises to a prevailing level. Among non-Roma Europeans, Haplogroup H is extremely rare, peaking at 7% among Albanians from Tirana and 11% among Bulgarian Turks . It occurs at 5% among Hungarians , although

6840-568: The language and culture: Romani language , Romani culture . The British government uses the term "Roma" as a sub-group of " White " in its ethnic classification system. The standard assumption is that the demonyms of the Roma, Lom and Dom , share the same origin. The English exonym Gypsy (or Gipsy ) originates from the Middle English gypcian , short for Egipcien . The Spanish term Gitano and French Gitan have similar etymologies. They are ultimately derived from

6935-580: The largest coniferous woods in the Balkans, their mild relief and the lush vegetation in the western parts as well as the abundance of birds of prey in the eastern areas. The location of the Rhodopes in the southeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula largely determines the climate in the region. It is influenced both by the colder air coming from the north and by the warmer breeze from the Mediterranean . The average annual temperature in

7030-631: The largest (66% of the area of the Rhodopes in Bulgaria), higher, most infrastructurally developed, and most visited part of the mountains. The highest and best known peaks are located in the region (more than 10 are over 2,000 meters (6,562 ft) high) including the highest one, Golyam Perelik (2,191 meters (7,188 ft)). Among the other popular peaks are Shirokolashki Snezhnik (2,188 meters (7,178 ft)), Golyam Persenk (2,091 meters (6,860 ft)), Batashki Snezhnik (2,082 meters (6,831 ft)), Turla (1,800 meters (5,906 ft)). Some of

7125-456: The largest being the Roma, who reached Anatolia and the Balkans about the early 12th century from a migration out of northwestern India beginning about 600 years earlier. The Roma migrated throughout Europe and Iberian Calé or Caló. The first Roma to come to the United States arrived in Virginia, Georgia , New Jersey and Louisiana during the 1500s. Romani slaves were first shipped to

7220-591: The lead and zinc ores. There are several flotation factories which enrich the ores before it is sent to the large lead and zinc refineries in Kardzhali and Plovdiv . The machine-building industry is developed in Smolyan, Kardzhali, Devin, Bratsigovo, Ivailovgrad and others; there is a pharmaceutical plant in Pestera. Some of the centers of textile industry include Zlatograd, Smolyan, Madan, Laki. The timber industry

7315-744: The main group of Roma in German-speaking countries refer to themselves as Sinti , their name for their original language is Romanes . Subgroups have been described as, in part, a result of the castes and subcastes in India, which the founding population of Rom almost certainly experienced in their south Asian urheimat . Many groups use names derived from the Romani word kalo or calo , meaning "black" or "absorbing all light". This closely resembles words for "black" or "dark" in Indo-Aryan languages (e.g., Sanskrit काल kāla : "black", "of

7410-519: The medieval French referred to the Romanies as Égyptiens . These exonyms are sometimes written with capital letter, to show that they designate an ethnic group . However, the word is often considered derogatory because of its negative and stereotypical associations. The Council of Europe consider that "Gypsy" or equivalent terms, as well as administrative terms such as "Gens du Voyage" are not in line with European recommendations. In Britain, many Roma proudly identify as "Gypsies", and, as part of

7505-605: The mountain had played an important role in the political and religious life of the Thracian tribes that lived on it. On the tops of the mountain there was a famous oracle, which they had visited to consult Alexander the Great and later the father of Octavian Augustus . On the mountain were also sanctuaries of various other deities, as was Apollo , Zeus , the Thracian Horseman, Mithras , etc. Finally, Rhodope served as

7600-564: The mountain's territory falls within the drainage of the river Maritsa . The natural lakes are few, the most renown of these being the Smolyan lakes situated at several kilometers from the town of the same name. Some of the largest dams in the country are located in the Rhodopes including the Dospat Dam , Batak Dam , Golyam Beglik , Kardzhali Dam , Studen Kladenets , Vacha Dam , Shiroka Polyana and many others, while in Greece there are

7695-625: The nations by an angry God. According to one narrative, they were exiled from Egypt as punishment for allegedly harbouring the infant Jesus . In his book The Zincali: an account of the Gypsies of Spain , George Borrow notes that when they first appeared in Germany, it was under the character of Egyptians doing penance for their having refused hospitality to Mary and her son. As described in Victor Hugo 's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame ,

7790-631: The north the mountain slopes descend steeply towards the Upper Thracian Plain . To the west, the Rhodopes reach the Avram saddle, Yundola and the valley of the Mesta River . To the south and east they extend to the coastal plains of Greek Thrace . The Rhodopes are a complex system of ridges and deep river valleys. Fifteen reserves have been established in the region, some of which are under UNESCO protection. The mountains are famous for

7885-449: The northwest Indian origins, and also confirmed substantial Balkan and Middle Eastern ancestry. A study from 2001 by Gresham et al. suggests "a limited number of related founders, compatible with a small group of migrants splitting from a distinct caste or tribal group". The same study found that "a single lineage... found across Romani populations, accounts for almost one-third of Romani males". A 2004 study by Morar et al. concluded that

7980-568: The part of the mountain range that is located in Greece . The Rhodope regional unit in the northern part of the country is named after the region. This area includes the Rodopi Mountain Range National Park . The Southern Rhodopes are characterized by numerous peaks of relatively low altitude. Their highest peak is Delimposka (1,953m) in the mountain of Frakto, near the Greek-Bulgarian border. Nowadays

8075-512: The poor. However, the luris ate the oxen and the wheat and came back a year later with their cheeks hollowed by hunger. The king, angered with their having wasted what he had given them, ordered them to pack up their bags and go wandering around the world on their donkeys. Linguistic evidence has indisputably shown that the roots of the Romani language lie in India: the language has grammatical characteristics of Indian languages and shares with them

8170-439: The proto-Roma to groups in northwest India (specifically Punjabi and Gujarati samples), as well as, Dravidian-speaking groups in southeastern India (specifically Irula ). The paternal lineages of Roma are most common in southern and central India among Dravidian-speaking populations. The authors argue that this may point to a founder effect among the early Roma during their ethnogenesis or shortly after they migrated out of

8265-541: The shores of the dams or in the green valleys, which can be visited in the summer. The caves along the Greek border such as Yagodinska , Uhlovitsa , Devil's Throat Cave , Snezhanka (near Peshtera) and others are popular among speleologists with their spectacular forms and underground lakes and rivers. The ruins of castles, Thracian sites such as Perperikon and Tatul , the villages in National Revival style and

8360-400: The significant developments leading toward the emergence of New Indo-Aryan languages , thus indicating that the proto-Roma did not leave the Indian subcontinent until late in the second half of the first millennium. The first Romani people are believed to have arrived in Europe via the Balkans in the 13th or 14th century. Romani people began migrating to other parts of the continent during

8455-417: The theory of their Central Indian origin and a subsequent migration to northwestern India. Though the retention of dental clusters suggests a break from central languages during the transition from Old to Middle Indo-Aryan, the overall morphology suggests that the language participated in some of the significant developments leading toward the emergence of New Indo-Aryan languages . The following table presents

8550-415: The variants dom and lom , which may be related to the Sanskrit words dam-pati (lord of the house, husband), dama (to subdue), lom (hair), lomaka (hairy), loman , roman (hairy), romaça (man with beard and long hair). Another possible origin is from Sanskrit डोम doma (member of a low caste of travelling musicians and dancers). Despite their presence in the country and neighboring nations,

8645-613: The winter resort Pamporovo , the Eastern Orthodox Bachkovo Monastery , the ruins of the Asen dynasty 's fortress, and the Devil's Throat, Yagodinska, and Uhlovitsa caves. The highest village in Bulgaria, Manastir (over 1,500 meters (4,921 ft)), is crouched in the northern foot of Prespa Peak. A number of architectural reserves, such as Shiroka Laka, Kovachevitsa, Momchilovtsi, Kosovo , are also located in

8740-536: The word is not related in any way to the name of Romania. Romani is the feminine adjective, while Romano is the masculine adjective. Some Romanies use Rom or Roma as an ethnic name, while others (such as the Sinti, or the Romanichal) do not use this term as a self-description for the entire ethnic group. Sometimes, rom and romani are spelled with a double r , i.e., rrom and rromani . In this case rr

8835-612: Was changed into a mountain by Zeus and Hera as a punishment along with her husband. The mountains are also associated with the mythic figure of Orpheus . In the Middle Ages , the mountains were known as the Slavey Mountains (Slaveyev Mountains), and under Ottoman rule were known as the Dospatsky Mountains, after the Dospat Municipality and Dospat River . In geomorphological terms,

8930-703: Was founded by the Thracians as Stenímachos ( Greek : Στενήμαχος ) around 300–400 BC. In 72 BC the city was captured by the troops of the Roman Empire as part of the Roman expansion towards the Black Sea . After a long period of peace, the town was destroyed by the Goths in 251, but rebuilt later. In 395 the Roman Empire was divided into two parts and the city fell under Byzantine Empire control. Afterwards,

9025-503: Was once thought to be a "sister language" of Romani, the two languages having split after the departure from the Indian subcontinent—but later research suggests that the differences between them are significant enough to treat them as two separate languages within the central zone ( Hindustani ) group of languages. The Dom and the Rom, therefore, likely descend from two migration waves from India separated by several centuries. In phonology ,

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