Republic of Tamrash

The Republic of Tamrash (Bulgarian: Тъмръшка република, Tǎmrǎška republika), was a short-lived self-governing administrative structure of the Pomaks, living in the Tamrash region of the Rhodope Mountains. It existed from 1878 to 1886.

The territory spanned over the area locked between the Vacha River and the Chepelare River. The rebel territory initially consisted of 17 villages but its number increased up to 21 in 1880. Some of those villages were Trigrad, Mugla, Beden, Mihalkovo, Skoblevo, Churukovo and Devin.

The self-governing territory emerged as the Pomaks of the Tamrash region struggled to avoid the influence and the rule of the Christian Bulgarians and the Russians after the Russo-Turkish War.

President of the territory was Ahmed Agha Tamrashlyata. After the Russian army withdrew from the hard to supply Rhodope Mountains, the agha and his party returned to their villages to establish the self-governing territory.

The republic survived until 1886, when Eastern Rumelia was incorporated into Bulgaria.

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