Kochan
Encyclopedia
Kochan is a village in Southwestern Bulgaria
. It is located in the municipality of Satovcha
, Blagoevgrad Province
.
The village of Kochan is located in mountainous region in Southwestern Bulgaria some 10 km away from the border with Greece
in the Chech region. The village is surrounded by high peaks, the tallest of which is the Marashova Chuka with 1414 meters in elevation. A small river passes through the village, taking its source from a karst
spring several kilometers north of the village.
There are coniferous, deciduous and mixed type forests in the vicinity of Kochan. Birch
forests dominate the lowest terrains. The largest birch massif on the Balkans
is situated in the vicinity of Kochan. Scots Pine
and Spruce
is characteristic of the most northern parts of the territory of the village.
In the second half of the 20th century a large portion of the birch forest was cut and the freed land replanted with pine
trees. A century old birch forest once reached to the northeastern outskirts of the village but extinguished some 1.5-2 centuries ago due to a extensive wildfire
. In our days remnants of that forest cover the extreme northeastern environs of Kochan.
tribe of Diobesi
or Chaleti and possibly by the Sapaei.
The modern village was founded between 7th and 8th century AD when the local Thracian villages united in the valley of the Kochanska River. The two Roman graves in the outskirts of the village testify for the Roman presence in the village and just three kilometers north of the village are to be found the remains of a Roman settlement. But archeological surveys of the region show that the local inhabitants weren't romanized and their Thracian culture and language persisted well through the 6th - 7th century.
Thracian settlements in the vicinity of Kochan existed in the places called Kravek, Dalboki dol, Kvachevo, Lukovitsa, Chindzhovo, Iztok, Baleva niva, Shiroka polyana, Livadeto, Visoka maglitsa, Zaimova chuka, Padiboga, Selishte, Kirmikya, Kalyovishte, Redovna niva and Rata. The settlement in Zaimova chuka existed between the 3rd millennium BC and 10th - 11th century AD. In 2001 an iron sword was excavated from a tomb near Kochan. The weapon is of the type Rhomphaia
. It is dated back to the second half of the 4th century to the middle of the 3rd century BC. The total length of the sword is 128 cm - the handle is 52 cm long while the length of the blade is 76 cm.
Kochan was acceded to the First Bulgarian Empire
during the reign of Presian
(836–852). Later it fell again under the rule of Byzantium
. Eventually, during the 12th or 13th century Kochan was within the borders of Despot Alexius Slav
's realm. During the 14th century Kochan was acceded to the Ottoman Empire
.
As of 1873 Kochan (Kotchen) had male population of 280 Pomaks
and 100 houses. According to Stephan Verkovic at the end of the 19th century the village had male population of 312 Pomaks
and 100 houses. In his statistic Vasil Kanchov
mentions that in 1900 Kochan (Кочен) is a Pomak village with 773 inhabitants (Bulgarian Muslims
) in total.
In 1912 during the First Balkan War
, Kochan was acceded to Bulgaria
and shortly after its population was forced to convert from Islam
to Christianity
. But soon Bulgaria was drawn into the Second Balkan War
and the local inhabitants formed guerrilla corps together with the inhabitants of the villages of Vaklinovo
, Lyubcha
, Valkosel
and Dospat
. Detachments of 30, 50 and 60 insurgents were formed to counter the Bulgarian haidouks and eventually the Bulgarian military. On the eve of the 27th of September 1913 they attacked a Bulgarian frontier post adjacent to the village of Chavdar
. Finally the appointed priest in the village was expelled and Islam
restored. Due to the fear of revenge or second baptism in 1914 15 families emigrated to the village of Kocapınar, Balıkesir Province
, Turkey
. After the Treaty of Lausanne
in 1923 all Muslims from Drama Prefecture
were expelled from Greece
. Some Pomaks
found temporary shelter in Kochan where they prepared for emigration to Turkey. After two years, in 1925, they left dragging along some inhabitants of Kochan with them and settled in the villages of Edirne Province
, but after all some of the refugees remained in Kochan.
Due to the isolation of the Pomaks and the poverty the emigration continued in the following years. In a message from the minister of war to the Ministry of Internal Affairs is reported that on the 11th of May 1934 16 inhabitants of Kochan and Zhizhevo
illegally crossed the border with Greece
and emigrated after they had been told by a Greek merchant that Greece and Turkey provide land and financial support for Pomak refugees.
During 1964 the Communist regime made an attempt to change the Muslim names of the Pomaks in Kochan with Slavic ones but the attempt failed and only those loyal to the regime had their names changed. On 23 April 1972 in the town of Sarnitsa
an appointed Bulgarian policeman was killed by five native Pomaks because of a confiscated driving license. One of the ravishers surrendered immediately while the rest made an attempt to escape to Greece but were arrested in Kochan where they had received temporary shelter. That was a good moment for the regime to make a second attempt for a forced name change since the inhabitants of the village were shocked by the incident and the authorities charged them with complicity in the murder. Thus the name change went relatively smooth.
The population of the village is almost exclusively Muslim. There is a small minority of Gypsys most of which converted to Evangelism
in the beginning of the 21st century. In historic times the population confessed the Thracian
Polytheistic
religion. In the Middle Ages
it supposedly converted to Orthodox Christianity
though some researches maintain that the population may have confessed Paulicianism
or Bogomilism
. In the 15th century, after the Ottoman Empire
established its rule in the region, a steady process of conversion to Islam
begun. An Ottoman registry about the falcon
breeders and trainers from 1482 enlists 21 Muslim falcon breeders from Kochan. Further documents from 1444, 1464, 1478, 1519, 1530 and 1569 show a steady increase of the Muslim population of Kochan and the neighboring villages. The first mosque was constructed in 1545.
In 1912 the Bulgarian army
acceded Kochan to the present Bulgarian state
. Unlike the inhabitants of most neighboring villages, the inhabitants of Kochan chose to convert to Christianity when they were posed an ultimatum by the Bulgarian army and they avoided the genocide which took place in many villages in Rhodope
. The mayor and the imam
of the village gathered the people and explained to them that according to the Koran it is permissible to convert to other religion when threaten by death, on the condition to remain a true Muslim
in the heart. When the army arrived, it destroyed the mosque and built a church. Eventually the church was dismissed and the mosque
and Islam
restored by the end of 1913 with the beginning of the Second Balkan War
and the establishment of the Provisional Government of Western Thrace.
During the socialist regime in Bulgaria, in Kochan, as everywhere in state, the confession of any religion was limited and the access to the mosque banned. Eventually in 1989 the minaret
of the mosque was ruined in such a manner that it damaged the whole building. Immediately after the rise of democracy in the late 1989, an effort to repair the mosque began. It was finished to its present state in 1991.
.
The different relief forms of the mountain combined with the different types of forests, the fields and the meadows comprise to fantastic scenes and landscapes. The surrounding of the village is very picturesque. One can see regions in Greece
from the highlands and notably mount Falakro
. Other fantastic scenes are the mountains Slavyanka, Pirin
and Rhodope
. The remains of several Thracian
settlements lie around the villages. Notably in the regions Ushite, Kravek, Livadeto and Redovna niva. There are also two ancient larger settlements - one in Iztok and the second in Visoka Magiltsa. The most fascinating view is the remains of a monastery near Izora. Other larger ancient settlements are discovered in the territory of the neighboring villages and specifically the ones in Visoka magiltsa and Orfeevoto.
It is less than 10 km from Kochan to the Konski dol natural reserve, 19 km to the Tymnata gora natural reserve and 25 km to Dospat Dam.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. It is located in the municipality of Satovcha
Satovcha municipality
The Satovcha Municipality is a municipality in Southwestern Bulgaria and is one of the municipalities in the Blagoevgrad Province.- Geography :...
, Blagoevgrad Province
Blagoevgrad Province
Blagoevgrad Province , also known as Pirin Macedonia , is a province of southwestern Bulgaria. It borders four other Bulgarian provinces to the north and east, Greece to the south, and the Republic of Macedonia to the west. The province has 14 municipalities with 12 towns...
.
Geography
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in the Chech region. The village is surrounded by high peaks, the tallest of which is the Marashova Chuka with 1414 meters in elevation. A small river passes through the village, taking its source from a karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
spring several kilometers north of the village.
There are coniferous, deciduous and mixed type forests in the vicinity of Kochan. Birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
forests dominate the lowest terrains. The largest birch massif on the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
is situated in the vicinity of Kochan. Scots Pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
and Spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
is characteristic of the most northern parts of the territory of the village.
In the second half of the 20th century a large portion of the birch forest was cut and the freed land replanted with pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
trees. A century old birch forest once reached to the northeastern outskirts of the village but extinguished some 1.5-2 centuries ago due to a extensive wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
. In our days remnants of that forest cover the extreme northeastern environs of Kochan.
History
The village of Kochan has a rich history. The remains of the villages around are dated to 3000 BC. In historical times they were populated by the ThracianThracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
tribe of Diobesi
Diobesi
Diobesi is the name of a Thracian tribe. They are mentioned by Pliny the Elder....
or Chaleti and possibly by the Sapaei.
The modern village was founded between 7th and 8th century AD when the local Thracian villages united in the valley of the Kochanska River. The two Roman graves in the outskirts of the village testify for the Roman presence in the village and just three kilometers north of the village are to be found the remains of a Roman settlement. But archeological surveys of the region show that the local inhabitants weren't romanized and their Thracian culture and language persisted well through the 6th - 7th century.
Thracian settlements in the vicinity of Kochan existed in the places called Kravek, Dalboki dol, Kvachevo, Lukovitsa, Chindzhovo, Iztok, Baleva niva, Shiroka polyana, Livadeto, Visoka maglitsa, Zaimova chuka, Padiboga, Selishte, Kirmikya, Kalyovishte, Redovna niva and Rata. The settlement in Zaimova chuka existed between the 3rd millennium BC and 10th - 11th century AD. In 2001 an iron sword was excavated from a tomb near Kochan. The weapon is of the type Rhomphaia
Rhomphaia
The Rhomphaia was a close combat bladed weapon used by the Thracians as early as 400 BC. Most rhomphaias were polearms, featuring a straight or slightly curved single-edged blade attached to a pole that was considerably shorter than the blade. Some rhomphaias had short handles that extended to...
. It is dated back to the second half of the 4th century to the middle of the 3rd century BC. The total length of the sword is 128 cm - the handle is 52 cm long while the length of the blade is 76 cm.
Kochan was acceded to the First Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
during the reign of Presian
Presian I of Bulgaria
Presian was the Khan of Bulgaria from 836–852. He ruled during an extensive expansion in Macedonia.-Origin:The composite picture of the Byzantine sources indicates that Presian I was the son of Zvinica , who was a son of Omurtag...
(836–852). Later it fell again under the rule of Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
. Eventually, during the 12th or 13th century Kochan was within the borders of Despot Alexius Slav
Despot Alexius Slav
Alexius Slav was a Bulgarian noble of the 12th and 13th century and a descendant of the Asen dynasty, a nephew of the first three Asen brothers...
's realm. During the 14th century Kochan was acceded to 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...
.
As of 1873 Kochan (Kotchen) had male population of 280 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,...
and 100 houses. According to Stephan Verkovic at the end of the 19th century the village had male population of 312 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,...
and 100 houses. In his statistic Vasil Kanchov
Vasil Kanchov
Vasil Kanchov was a Bulgarian geographer, ethnographer and politician.- Biography :Vasil Kanchov was born in Vratsa. Upon graduating from High school in Lom, Bulgaria, he entered the University of Harkov, then in Russia. During the Serbo-Bulgarian War 1885 he suspended his education and took part...
mentions that in 1900 Kochan (Кочен) is a Pomak village with 773 inhabitants (Bulgarian Muslims
Bulgarian Muslims
The Bulgarian Muslims or Muslim Bulgarians are Bulgarians of the Islamic faith. They are generally thought to be the descendents of Slavs who converted to Islam during Ottoman rule...
) in total.
In 1912 during the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
, Kochan was acceded to Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and shortly after its population was forced to convert from Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. But soon Bulgaria was drawn into the Second Balkan War
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 29 June 1913. Bulgaria had a prewar agreement about the division of region of Macedonia...
and the local inhabitants formed guerrilla corps together with the inhabitants of the villages of Vaklinovo
Vaklinovo
Vaklinovo is a village in Southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in the Satovcha Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province.- Geography :The village of Vaklinovo is located in the Western Rhodope Mountains. It belongs to the Chech region.- History :...
, Lyubcha
Lyubcha
Lyubcha is a village in southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in the municipality of Dospat, Smolyan Province.- Geography :The village of Lyubcha is located in the Western Rhodope Mountains. It is situated in the Chech region.- History :...
, Valkosel
Valkosel
Valkosel is a village in Southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in the Satovcha Municipality, Blagoevgrad District.- Geography :The village of Valkosel is located in the Western Rhodope Mountains. It belongs to the Chech region.- History :...
and Dospat
Dospat
Dospat is a town in the very south of Bulgaria, part of Smolyan Province, situated in the Rhodope Mountains, close to Dospat Dam. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Dospat Municipality...
. Detachments of 30, 50 and 60 insurgents were formed to counter the Bulgarian haidouks and eventually the Bulgarian military. On the eve of the 27th of September 1913 they attacked a Bulgarian frontier post adjacent to the village of Chavdar
Chavdar
Chavdar was a 16th-century semi-legendary Bulgarian hajduk voivode, a leader of a band of outlaws and a protector of the people against Ottoman injustice. Hajduks would usually take to the woods and wage guerrilla warfare on the ruling Turks. One of the greatest hajduk figures in Bulgarian...
. Finally the appointed priest in the village was expelled and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
restored. Due to the fear of revenge or second baptism in 1914 15 families emigrated to the village of Kocapınar, Balıkesir Province
Balikesir Province
Balıkesir Province is a province in midwestern Turkey, having coastlines on both the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean. Its adjacent provinces are Çanakkale to the west, İzmir to the southwest, Manisa to the south, Kütahya to the southeast, and Bursa to the east. The provincial capital is Balıkesir City...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. After the Treaty of Lausanne
Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923, that settled the Anatolian and East Thracian parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty of Lausanne was ratified by the Greek government on 11 February 1924, by the Turkish government on 31...
in 1923 all Muslims from Drama Prefecture
Drama Prefecture
Drama is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its capital is the town of Drama. The regional unit is the northernmost within the geographical region of Macedonia and the westernmost in the administrative region of East Macedonia and Thrace...
were expelled from Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Some 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,...
found temporary shelter in Kochan where they prepared for emigration to Turkey. After two years, in 1925, they left dragging along some inhabitants of Kochan with them and settled in the villages of Edirne Province
Edirne Province
Edirne Province is the westernmost province of Turkey, located in Eastern Thrace along the Greek and Bulgarian border. The city's wealth, population and importance increased after it was declared as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire...
, but after all some of the refugees remained in Kochan.
Due to the isolation of the Pomaks and the poverty the emigration continued in the following years. In a message from the minister of war to the Ministry of Internal Affairs is reported that on the 11th of May 1934 16 inhabitants of Kochan and Zhizhevo
Zhizhevo
Zhizhevo is a village in Southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in the Satovcha Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province.- Geography :The village of Zhizhevo is located in the Western Rhodope Mountains. It belongs to the Chech region.- History :...
illegally crossed the border with Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and emigrated after they had been told by a Greek merchant that Greece and Turkey provide land and financial support for Pomak refugees.
During 1964 the Communist regime made an attempt to change the Muslim names of the Pomaks in Kochan with Slavic ones but the attempt failed and only those loyal to the regime had their names changed. On 23 April 1972 in the town of Sarnitsa
Sarnitsa
Sarnitsa is a small town in the Pazardzhik Province, southern Bulgaria. it has 3 607 inhabitants. It gained its town status in 16 September 2003 and is part of the Velingrad municipality, located deep in the Rhodope mountains among remote virgin forests...
an appointed Bulgarian policeman was killed by five native Pomaks because of a confiscated driving license. One of the ravishers surrendered immediately while the rest made an attempt to escape to Greece but were arrested in Kochan where they had received temporary shelter. That was a good moment for the regime to make a second attempt for a forced name change since the inhabitants of the village were shocked by the incident and the authorities charged them with complicity in the murder. Thus the name change went relatively smooth.
Religion
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
in the beginning of the 21st century. In historic times the population confessed the Thracian
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
Polytheistic
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
religion. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
it supposedly converted to Orthodox Christianity
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
though some researches maintain that the population may have confessed Paulicianism
Paulicianism
Paulicians were a Christian Adoptionist sect and militarized revolt movement, also accused by medieval sources as Gnostic and quasi Manichaean Christian. They flourished between 650 and 872 in Armenia and the Eastern Themes of the Byzantine Empire...
or Bogomilism
Bogomilism
Bogomilism was a Gnostic religiopolitical sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar Petar I in the 10th century...
. In the 15th century, after 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...
established its rule in the region, a steady process of conversion to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
begun. An Ottoman registry about the falcon
Falcon
A falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
breeders and trainers from 1482 enlists 21 Muslim falcon breeders from Kochan. Further documents from 1444, 1464, 1478, 1519, 1530 and 1569 show a steady increase of the Muslim population of Kochan and the neighboring villages. The first mosque was constructed in 1545.
In 1912 the Bulgarian army
Military of Bulgaria
The Military of Bulgaria, officially the Bulgarian Army represents the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria. The Commander-in-Chief is the President of Bulgaria . The Ministry of Defence is in charge of political leadership while military command remains in the hands of the General Staff,...
acceded Kochan to the present Bulgarian state
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. Unlike the inhabitants of most neighboring villages, the inhabitants of Kochan chose to convert to Christianity when they were posed an ultimatum by the Bulgarian army and they avoided the genocide which took place in many villages in Rhodope
Rhodope
Rhodope may mean:* Queen Rhodope, a figure of Greek mythology* Rhodope Mountains, in Bulgaria and Greece* Rhodope Prefecture, of Greece* Rhodope * 166 Rhodope, an asteroid...
. The mayor and the imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
of the village gathered the people and explained to them that according to the Koran it is permissible to convert to other religion when threaten by death, on the condition to remain a true 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...
in the heart. When the army arrived, it destroyed the mosque and built a church. Eventually the church was dismissed and the mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
restored by the end of 1913 with the beginning of the Second Balkan War
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 29 June 1913. Bulgaria had a prewar agreement about the division of region of Macedonia...
and the establishment of the Provisional Government of Western Thrace.
During the socialist regime in Bulgaria, in Kochan, as everywhere in state, the confession of any religion was limited and the access to the mosque banned. Eventually in 1989 the minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
of the mosque was ruined in such a manner that it damaged the whole building. Immediately after the rise of democracy in the late 1989, an effort to repair the mosque began. It was finished to its present state in 1991.
Public institutions
The following public institutions are established in the village of Kochan: local government office, hospital, primary and secondary schools, two kindergartens, post office, mosque and chitalishteChitalishte
A chitalishte is a typical Bulgarian public institution and building which fulfils several functions at once, such as a community centre, library and a theatre. It is also used as an educational institution, where people of all ages can enroll in foreign language, dance, music and other courses....
.
Culture and nature
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
from the highlands and notably mount Falakro
Falakro
Falakro Oros is a mountain in northern Greece, in the prefecture of Drama, Greece. A ski resort is available...
. Other fantastic scenes are the mountains Slavyanka, Pirin
Pirin
The Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren the highest peak, situated at . The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide. Most of the range is protected in the Pirin National Park...
and Rhodope
Rhodope
Rhodope may mean:* Queen Rhodope, a figure of Greek mythology* Rhodope Mountains, in Bulgaria and Greece* Rhodope Prefecture, of Greece* Rhodope * 166 Rhodope, an asteroid...
. The remains of several Thracian
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
settlements lie around the villages. Notably in the regions Ushite, Kravek, Livadeto and Redovna niva. There are also two ancient larger settlements - one in Iztok and the second in Visoka Magiltsa. The most fascinating view is the remains of a monastery near Izora. Other larger ancient settlements are discovered in the territory of the neighboring villages and specifically the ones in Visoka magiltsa and Orfeevoto.
It is less than 10 km from Kochan to the Konski dol natural reserve, 19 km to the Tymnata gora natural reserve and 25 km to Dospat Dam.
Regular events
- The weekly market is held every Thursday in the center of the village.
- In 2004 the tradition of holding a fair was reintroduced. It takes place every year on the Vaklinovski livadi meadows.
- In 1995 the tradition of holding a school festival was reintroduced. Students from different ages present theatrical scenes, sing songs or dance traditional or modern dances.
Notable people
- Alben Kumbarov - wrestlerWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
. European champion (Ankara '89), world championship bronze medal winner (Budapest '85), winner of the Dan KolovDan KolovDan Koloff , born Doncho Kolеv Danev , was a famous Bulgarian wrestler and a national hero of Bulgaria.-Early years:A very brave man...
Belt (1987); - Atanas ZehirovAtanas ZehirovAtanas Zehirov is a Bulgarian footballer, currently playing for Pirin Blagoevgrad, as a second striker....
- football player of CSKA SofiaPFC CSKA SofiaPFC CSKA Sofia , commonly known as CSKA or CSKA Sofia is a professional football club based in Sofia, Bulgaria. The club was officially founded on May 5, 1948. CSKA's abbreviation stands for Central Sports Club of the Army...
, Bulgaria national under-21 football teamBulgaria national under-21 football teamThe Bulgaria national under-21 football team represents the under-21 football team of Bulgaria and is controlled by the Bulgarian Football Union. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years....
and of the Bulgaria national under-19 football teamBulgaria national under-19 football teamThe Bulgaria national under-19 football team is the national under-19 football team of Bulgaria and is controlled by the Bulgarian Football Union...
; - Hyusein Imamov-Manov - memberMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
of the 26th Ordinary and of the 6th Grand National Assembly of BulgariaNational Assembly of BulgariaThe National Assembly of Bulgaria is the unicameral parliament and body of the legislative of the Republic of Bulgaria.The National Assembly of Bulgaria was established in 1879 with the Constitution of Bulgaria.-Ordinary National Assembly:...
; - Lyubomir Kumbarov - four-time gold medal winner in various wrestling tournaments in BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, coach at the Marathon Wrestling Club in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
; - Malin OrachevMalin OrachevMalin Orachev is a former Bulgarian footballer.He currently works as a youth coach in the Chernomorets Burgas's youth academy.-Career:...
- football player of Pirin Blagoevgrad, Naftex BurgasPFC Naftex BurgasPFC Naftex Burgas is a former football club from Burgas, Bulgaria.-History:The club was created in 1962 by a group of workers, laying the foundations of the future Petroleum Refinery Neftochim, which had not yet been named. The team startеd in A regional group under the name of Stroitel. The...
, Lokomotiv SofiaPFC Lokomotiv SofiaPFC Lokomotiv Sofia is a Bulgarian football club from the capital city of Sofia, which currently competes in Bulgaria's top football league, the A PFG. It was founded on September 2, 1929 by a group of railway workers under the name Railway Sports Club . The club's home ground is the Lokomotiv...
and of the Bulgaria national football teamBulgaria national football teamThe FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
; - Shakir Poyukov - memberMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
of the 7th Grand National Assembly of BulgariaNational Assembly of BulgariaThe National Assembly of Bulgaria is the unicameral parliament and body of the legislative of the Republic of Bulgaria.The National Assembly of Bulgaria was established in 1879 with the Constitution of Bulgaria.-Ordinary National Assembly:...
; - Veselin Davidov - memberMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
of the 41st National Assembly of BulgariaNational Assembly of BulgariaThe National Assembly of Bulgaria is the unicameral parliament and body of the legislative of the Republic of Bulgaria.The National Assembly of Bulgaria was established in 1879 with the Constitution of Bulgaria.-Ordinary National Assembly:...
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