Chech (region)

Chech (Bulgarian: Чеч) or Chechko (Bulgarian: Чечко) is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe in modern-day Bulgaria and Greece. It consists of about 60 settlements and was traditionally mostly Pomak, with an Orthodox Bulgarian minority.

The Chech region is situated on the border of the much larger regions of Macedonia and Thrace. It covers the western Rhodope Mountains and the northern slopes of Falakro (Bulgarian: Боздаг, Bozdag). It is divided in two: Drama Chech and Nevrokopi Chech. The first one and partially the second one is in Greece.

According to Vasil Kanchov the eastern border of Chech is the Dospat River and the western one is the river of Dabnitsa. Thus the Chech comprises the municipalities: Satovcha, Dospat and the villages in the valleys of the Dospat River and Bistritsa river. The villages in the Greek Chech are part of Kato Nevrokopi municipality and Sidironero community. The Pomak population of the Greek part of Chech was exchanged with Turkey during the Greek-Turkish population exchange in 1923 and replaced with Orthodox Christians from Turkey.Many of the Chech villages in Greece are now abandoned.

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