Kazım Koyuncu
Kazim Koyuncu (1971-2005), the Che Guevara of the Black Sea: the iconic Laz musician and activist who became the voice of modern Laz identity.The Beauty of Lazistan: Landscapes of the Eastern Black Sea
The landscapes of Lazistan: the Firtina valley, Zil Kale, the highland pastures and the tea terraces of the eastern Black Sea coast.The Laz Diaspora: Communities Around the World
Explore the global Laz diaspora, from urban migration within Turkey to communities in Germany and beyond, and its role in the modern Laz experience.The Kingdom of Lazica (Egrisi): A Forgotten Caucasian Kingdom
The Kingdom of Lazica (Egrisi), a Kartvelian state on the eastern Black Sea from the 1st to 7th century AD, a forgotten kingdom between ...Laz Traditional Dances: The Horon
The horon is the heartbeat of Laz culture: discover the fast circle dance of the Black Sea coast, its tulum music, regional styles and ...Welcome to Lazepe.com
Welcome to Lazepe, an independent platform preserving the language, music, history and culture of the Laz people of the eastern Black Sea.The Ottoman Conquest of Lazistan
How the Laz homeland entered the Ottoman Empire: Rize with the fall of Trebizond in 1461, the northern districts of Gonio and Batumi in ...The Laz Migrations: Muhacir of the Black Sea
After Russia annexed Batumi in 1878, tens of thousands of Muslim Laz left as muhacir and resettled around Duzce, the Marmara region and Istanbul.John the Laz
A 5th-century Laz monk and theologian, born in Lazica, who became a founder of Christian monasticism in Jerusalem and the lifelong companion of Peter ...The Rize Hat Revolt of 1925: The Hamidiye and the Hangings
In December 1925 Rize rose against the Hat Law; the cruiser Hamidiye shelled the area and eight local men, including imam Saban Koliva, were ...The Conversion of the Laz to Islam
Christian for more than a thousand years, the Laz gradually converted to Sunni Islam under Ottoman rule, a slow transformation that shaped their identity ...The Christianization of Lazica
From the 4th century the Kingdom of Lazica became one of the earliest Christian lands in the world, tying the Laz to the Byzantine ...The Sanjak of Lazistan: An Ottoman Province Named After the Laz
From the 16th century until 1923 the eastern Black Sea formed the Sanjak of Lazistan, the Ottoman province named after the Laz, until the ...The Lazic War (541-562): Byzantium and Persia Fight for Lazica
For twenty years (541-562) the Byzantine and Sasanian empires fought over the Kingdom of Lazica, the Laz homeland on the eastern Black Sea, in ...Ismail Avci Bucaklisi: A Voice for the Laz Language
A profile of the linguist and Laz Institute president who has led the modern effort to document and revive the Laz language, drawing on ...Traditional Tulum Music of Lazistan
The tulum, the goatskin bagpipe of Lazistan: how it is made, how it is played, and the place it holds in Laz weddings and ...The Kemence: The Fiddle of the Black Sea
The kemence, the slender three-stringed fiddle of the eastern Black Sea, is one of the two great instruments of Laz music alongside the tulum.
