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The Pomaks (помаци pomaci) or Bulgarian Muslims (българи мюсюлмани bălgari mjusjulmani), also known locally as Ahryani, are an Islamized Slavic speaking people of the Rhodope region. Their origins are obscure,[1] but they are generally believed to be Bulgarians who converted to Islam during the period of Ottoman rule in the Balkans.[2] The term can also be occasionally used to refer to the Torbesh. They are settled mainly in Bulgaria, but relevant presences exist also in Greece, Turkey and the Republic of Macedonia.