Hemshin peoples

The Hemşinli ( Laz: Armeni, Sumexi, Armenian Համշենցի Hamshentsi, Russian Амшенцы ) are a small ethnic Armenian- Muslim minority in the north- east of Turkey. They are named after the town in the province of Rize Hemsin. They speak Homschezi, a dialect of Western Armenian. The Hemşinli were not affected by the Ottoman genocide because of their Islamic religion.

According to specialists, they represent about half of the people from their group with about 25,000 ( about 40,000 to possibly disguised lineages ) is represented in the country. Its main residential areas between Trabzon and Erzurum, where they are numerically clearly inferior to the national minority of hydrolases here.

Whether it is at the Hemşinli to Muslims who have adopted the Armenian, or to Armenians in Turkey who have accepted Islam, is disputed.