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Coordinates: 43°09′47″N 19°46′30″E / 43.16306°N 19.77500°E / 43.16306; 19.77500
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''This page is about a region in [[Serbia and Montenegro]]; for districts of the [[Ottoman Empire]], see [[Sanjak]].''
{{Short description|Geopolitical region in Serbia and Montenegro}}
{{About|a geopolitical region in Serbia and Montenegro|districts of the Ottoman Empire|Sanjak}}
----
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Sandžak
| official_name =
| native_name = {{native name|sr-Cyrl|Санџак|italics=off}}<br>{{native name|bs|Sandžak|italics=off}}
| other_name =
| settlement_type = Geopolitical region
| image_skyline =
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| image_flag =
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| image_seal =
| seal_alt =
| image_shield =
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| nickname =
| motto =
| mottoeng =
| image_map = Sandzak region map.png
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Map of Sandžak
| pushpin_map =
| pushpin_label_position =
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| coordinates =
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| subdivision_type = Countries
| subdivision_name = {{SRB}} <br> {{MNE}}
| subdivision_type1 =
| subdivision_name1 =
| subdivision_type2 =
| subdivision_name2 =
| subdivision_type3 =
| subdivision_name3 =
| established_title =
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| founder =
| seat_type = Largest city
| seat = [[Novi Pazar]]
| government_footnotes =
| leader_body =
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| leader_title1 =
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| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 8,686
| area_land_km2 =
| area_water_km2 =
| area_water_percent =
| area_note =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| population_footnotes =
| population_total = 372,159 <br> Serbian Sandžak (233,091) <br> Monten. Sandžak (139,068)
| population_as_of = 2022
| population_est =
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| pop_est_footnotes =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
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| area_code_type =
| area_code =
| iso_code = SRB <br> MNE
| footnotes =
| population_blank1 =
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| registration_plate = NP, TT, SJ, PP, PB, NV in {{SRB}}<br> PV, BP, BA, AN, RO, GS, PT in {{MNE}}
}}


'''Sandžak''' ([[Serbian Cyrillic alphabet|Serbian Cyrillic]]: {{lang|sh-Cyrl|Санџак|italics=no}}) is a historical<ref name="Stjepanovic194">{{cite book|last=Stjepanović|first=Dejan|chapter=Regions and Territorial Autonomy in Southeastern Europe|editor1-last=Gagnon|editor1-first=Alain-G.|editor2-last=Keating|editor2-first=Michael|title=Political autonomy and divided societies: Imagining democratic alternatives in complex settings|year=2012|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=9780230364257|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jtkcg0BZYMYC&q=Sand%C5%BEak+historical+region&pg=PA194|pages=194}}</ref><ref name="Roth268">{{cite book|last=Roth|first=Clémentine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ULGBDwAAQBAJ&q=Sand%C5%BEak+historical+region&pg=PA268|title=Why Narratives of History Matter: Serbian and Croatian Political Discourses on European Integration|publisher=[[Nomos publishing house]]|year=2018|isbn=9783845291000|pages=268}}</ref><ref name="Duda327">{{cite book|last=Duda|first=Jacek|chapter=Islamic community in Serbia - the Sandžak case|editor1-last=Górak-Sosnowska|editor1-first=Katarzyna |title=Muslims in Poland and Eastern Europe: Widening the European Discourse on Islam|year=2011|publisher=University of Warsaw: Faculty of Oriental Studies|isbn=9788390322957|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dCAU6Bz5QIEC&q=Sand%C5%BEak+historical+region&pg=PA327|pages=327}}</ref> and geo-political region in the [[Balkans]], located in the southwestern part of [[Serbia]] and the eastern part of [[Montenegro]].<ref name="DawishaParrott1997">{{cite book|author1=Karen Dawisha|author2=Bruce Parrott|title=Politics, Power and the Struggle for Democracy in South-East Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bNvbHCUs3tUC&pg=PA175|date=13 June 1997|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-59733-3|pages=175–}}</ref> The [[Serbo-Croatian]] term ''Sandžak'' derives from the [[Sanjak of Novi Pazar]], a former Ottoman administrative district founded in 1865.
'''Sand&#382;ak''' is used to refer to the former [[Sanjak]] of [[Novi Pazar]], a former [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] administrative district that is now part of [[Serbia and Montenegro]]. It comprises an area of 8,686 square kilometers in the border region where [[Serbia]] and [[Montenegro]] meet, between [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] on the northwest and [[Metohia]] on the southeast.
Six Sandzak towns are in Serbia ([[Novi Pazar]], Tutin, Sjenica, Nova Varos, Prijepolje and [[Priboj]]) and five are in Montenegro (Bijelo Polje, Rozhaje, Plav, Pljevlja and Berane).


Various empires and kingdoms have ruled over the region. In the 12th century, Sandžak was part of the region of [[Raška (region)|Raška]] under the [[Kingdom of Serbia (1217–1346)|medieval Serbian Kingdom]]. During the [[Territorial evolution of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman territorial expansion into the western Balkans]] in a [[Ottoman wars in Europe|series of wars]], the region became an important administrative district, with [[Novi Pazar]] as its administrative center.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hozic |first1=Aida |title=The Balkan Merchants: Changing Borders and Informal Transnationalization |journal=Ethnopolitics |date=2006 |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=243-248 |doi=10.1080/17449050600911059}}</ref> Sandžak was under [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian occupation]] between 1878 and 1909 as a garrison, until an agreement between Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire resulted in the withdrawal of Austro-Hungarian troops from Sandžak in exchange for full control over Bosnia.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cviic |first1=Christopher |title=Remaking the Balkans |date=1995 |publisher=Pinter |isbn=9781855672949 |page=75}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Malcolm |first1=Noel |title=Bosnia: A Short History |date=1996 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=9780814755617 |page=151 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cvk6oMf9R7AC&pg=PA151}}</ref> In 1912, it was divided between the [[Kingdom of Montenegro]] and the [[Kingdom of Serbia]].
The Sand&#382;ak has the largest population of [[Muslim Slavs]], many of whom now call themselves [[Bosniaks]], outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 1991 census, it is inhabited by 440,000 people of whom 253,000 (53%) are [[Muslims by nationality|Muslims]] and 187,000 (45%) [[Serbs]] or [[Montenegrins]].


[[Novi Pazar]] serves as Sandžak's economic and cultural center and is the region's most populous city. Sandžak has a diverse and complex ethnic and religious composition, with significant [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity|Eastern Orthodox]], [[Roman Catholicism|Roman Catholic]], and [[Sunni Islam|Sunni Muslim]] populations. [[Bosniaks]] comprise ethnic majority in this region.{{Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=September 2024}}
Until [[1912]] and the [[First Balkan War]], the Sand&#382;ak was a part of the [[Ottoman Empire]]. During the centuries of [[Turks|Turkish]] rule the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, then larger than it is today, was a part of the [[Province of Bosnia]] before becoming its own administrative unit. In October 1912, the Sand&#382;ak was overrun by Serbian and Montenegrin troops and subsequently absorbed into the independent kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro, with its territory divided between the two states. After [[World War I]], the Sand&#382;ak was incorporated into the newly created [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]].


==Etymology==
Many Muslim inhabitants of the Sand&#382;ak emigrated to [[Turkey]] under a series of agreements signed between the Turkish and Yugoslav governments, the last of which was in [[1954]]. It has been estimated that over a million Turks have Sand&#382;ak origins or ancestry.
The [[Serbo-Croatian]] term ''Sandžak'' ([[Serbian Cyrillic alphabet|Serbian Cyrillic]]: {{lang|sh-Cyrl|Санџак|italics=no}}) is the transcription of [[Ottoman Turkish]] ''sancak'' ([[sanjak]], "province");<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sanjak|title=Dictionary.com - Sanjak entry}}</ref> the [[Sanjak of Novi Pazar]], known in Serbo-Croatian as ''Novopazarski sandžak''. Historically, it is known as ''[[Raška (region)|Raška]]'' by the [[Serbs]]. The region is known as ''Sanxhak'' in [[Albanian language|Albanian]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kuptimi i fjalës Sanxhak ‹ FJALË |url=https://fjale.al/sanxhak |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=fjale.al |language=sq}}</ref>


==Geography==
The [[Yugoslav wars]] of the [[1990s]] left the Sand&#382;ak largely unscathed, although the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo led to ethnic tensions and (in the latter case) bombing by [[NATO]] forces. According to Sand&#382;ak Bosniak political parties, some 60,000-80,000 Bosniaks emigrated from the region during this period, although census data speaks otherwise.
Sandžak stretches from the southeastern border of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.priboj.rs/o-priboju/geografski-polozaj|title=Position of the Municipality of Priboj|website=priboj.rs|publisher=Municipality of Priboj}}</ref> to the borders with [[Kosovo]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tutin.rs/upoznajte-tutin/osnovni-geografski-i-istorijski-podaci/|title=Geographic position of Municipality of Tutin|date=19 March 2016|website=tutin.rs|publisher=Municipality of Tutin}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rozaje.me/geografski-polozaj/|title=Geographic position of Municipality of Rožaje|website=rozaje.me|publisher=Municipality of Rozaje}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.plav.me/uploads/PROFIL_OPSTINE%20_PLAV-PDF.pdf|title=Profile of Municipality of Plav|website=plav.me|publisher=Municipality of Plav}}</ref> and [[Albania]]<ref name=":1" /> at an area of around 8,500 square kilometers. Six municipalities of Sandžak are in Serbia ([[Novi Pazar]], [[Sjenica]], [[Tutin, Serbia|Tutin]], [[Prijepolje]], [[Nova Varoš]], and [[Priboj]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.paragraf.rs/propisi/zakon_o_teritorijalnoj_organizaciji_republike_srbije.html|title=Territorial organisation of Republic of Serbia|website=paragraf.rs}}</ref>), and seven in Montenegro ([[Pljevlja]], [[Bijelo Polje]], [[Berane]], [[Petnjica]], [[Rožaje]], [[Gusinje]], and [[Plav, Montenegro|Plav]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mup.gov.me/ResourceManager/FileDownload.aspx?rid=189720&rType=2&file=Zakon%20o%20teritorijalnoj%20organizaciji%20Crne%20Gore-pre%C4%8Di%C5%A1%C4%87eni%20tekst.pdf|title=Territorial organization of Montenegro|website=mup.gov.me}}</ref> Sometimes the Montenegrin municipality of [[Andrijevica]] is also regarded as part of Sandžak.


The most populated municipality in the region is [[Novi Pazar]] (100,410),<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://pod2.stat.gov.rs/ObjavljenePublikacije/Popis2011/Knjiga20.pdf|title=2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia|website=stat.gov.rs}}</ref> while other large municipalities are: Pljevlja (31,060),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.monstat.org/userfiles/file/popis2011/saopstenje/knjiga_prvi%20rezultati(1).pdf|title=2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in Montenegro|website=monstat.org}}</ref> and Priboj (27,133).<ref name=":2" /> In Serbia, the municipalities of Novi Pazar and Tutin are part of the [[Raška District]],<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.uzzpro.gov.rs/latinica/upravni-okruzi.html|title=Government of Republic of Serbia - Administrative Okrugs Regions|website=uzzpro.gov.rs)}}</ref> while the municipalities of Sjenica, Prijepolje, Nova Varoš, and Priboj, are part of the [[Zlatibor District]].<ref name=":3" />
Sand&#382;ak is a member of the [[UNPO]].


==History==
==Links and references==


===Ottoman rule===
* [http://lgi.osi.hu/publications/2000/26/26.PDF "Bosniaks in Sandzak and Interethnic Tolerance in Novi Pazar"], ''Managing Multiethnic Local Communities in the Countries of the Former Yugoslavia'', Local Government & Public Service Reform Initiative, 2000
{{main|Sanjak of Novi Pazar}}


The [[Serbian Despotate]] was invaded by the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1455. Apart from the effect of a lengthy period under Ottoman domination, many of the subject populations [[Forced conversion#Islam|were periodically and forcefully converted to Islam]]<ref name="Ágoston-Masters 2009b">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Ágoston |first=Gábor |year=2009 |editor1-last=Ágoston |editor1-first=Gábor |editor2-first=Bruce |editor2-last=Masters |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire |chapter=Devşirme (Devshirme) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QjzYdCxumFcC&pg=PA183 |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Facts On File]] |pages=183–185 |isbn=978-0-8160-6259-1 |lccn=2008020716 |access-date=16 September 2024}}</ref><ref name="Wittek 1955">{{cite journal |last=Wittek |first=Paul |date=1955 |title=Devs̱ẖirme and s̱ẖarī'a |journal=[[Bulletin of the School of Oriental & African Studies]] |location=[[Cambridge]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] on behalf of the [[School of Oriental and African Studies]], [[University of London]] |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=271–278 |doi=10.1017/S0041977X00111735 |jstor=610423 |s2cid=153615285 |oclc=427969669}}</ref> as a result of a deliberate move by the Ottoman Turks as part of a policy of ensuring the loyalty of the population against a potential [[Venetian Republic|Venetian]] invasion. However, Islam was spread by force in the areas under the control of the [[Ottoman sultan]] through the ''[[devşirme]]'' system of [[Ghilman|child levy]] enslavement,<ref name="Ágoston-Masters 2009b"/><ref name="Glassé 2008"/> by which [[Ethnic groups in Europe|indigenous European]] [[Christians|Christian boys]] from the [[Balkans]] (predominantly [[Albanians]], [[Bulgarians]], [[Croats]], [[Greeks]], [[Romanians]], [[Serbs]], and [[Ukrainians]]) were taken, levied, subjected to [[forced circumcision]] and [[Forced conversion#Islam|forced conversion to Islam]], and incorporated into the [[Ottoman army in the 15th–19th centuries|Ottoman army]],<ref name="Ágoston-Masters 2009b"/><ref name="Glassé 2008">{{cite book |editor-last=Glassé |editor-first=Cyril |year=2008 |title=The New Encyclopedia of Islam |location=[[Lanham, Maryland]] |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |edition=3rd |page=129 |isbn=978-1-4422-2348-6}}</ref> and ''[[jizya]]'' taxes.<ref name="Ágoston-Masters 2009b"/><ref name="Wittek 1955"/><ref>Basgoz, I. & Wilson, H. E. (1989), The educational tradition of the Ottoman Empire and the development of the Turkish educational system of the republican era. Turkish Review 3(16), 15</ref>
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The [[Islamization]] of Sandžak was otherwise caused by a number of factors, mainly economic, as Muslims didn't pay the ''[[devşirme]]'' tributes and ''[[jizya]]'' taxes.{{sfn|Górak-Sosnowska|2011|p=328}} The Muslims were also privileged compared to Christians, who were unable to work in the administration or testify in court against Muslims, as they were treated as ''[[dhimmi]]''.{{sfn|Todorović|2012|p=13}} The second factor that contributed to the Islamization were migrations; a large demographic shift occurred after the [[Great Turkish War]] (1683–1699). Part of the Slavic-speaking Orthodox Christian population was expelled northwards, while other Christians and Muslims were driven to the Ottoman territory.{{sfn|Górak-Sosnowska|2011|pp=328-329}} The land abandoned by the Eastern Orthodox Serbs was settled by populations from neighbouring areas who either were or became Muslim in Sandžak. Large migrations occurred throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.{{sfn|Górak-Sosnowska|2011|pp=328-329}} The third factor of Islamization was the geographical location of Sandžak, which allowed it to become a trade centre, facilitating conversions amongst merchants.{{sfn|Górak-Sosnowska|2011|pp=328-329}} The tribal migrations to Sandžak had contributed a large role to its history and identity along with culture.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8m07AAAAIAAJ|title=Memoirs of the American Folklore Society|date=1954|publisher=University of Texas Press|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Elsie|first=Robert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bbeKDwAAQBAJ|title=The Tribes of Albania: History, Society and Culture|date=2015-04-24|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-0-85772-586-8|language=en}}</ref>
[[de:Sandschak]]

[[nl:Sandjak]]
[[File:Sanjak of Novibazar.png|thumb|left|Sanjak of Novi Pazar in 1878.]]
The second half of the 19th century was very important in terms of shaping the current ethnic and political situation in Sandžak.{{sfn|Górak-Sosnowska|2011|p=329}} [[Austria-Hungary]] supported Sandžak's separation from the Ottoman Empire, or at least its autonomy within it.{{sfn|Górak-Sosnowska|2011|p=329}} The reason was to prevent the kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Montenegro|Montenegro]] and [[Kingdom of Serbia|Serbia]] from unifying, and allow Austria-Hungary's further expansion into the Balkans. Per these plans, Sandžak was seen as part of the [[Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina|Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina]], while its Muslim population played a significant role, giving Austrian-Hungarians a pretext of protecting the Muslim minority from the Eastern Orthodox Serbs.{{sfn|Górak-Sosnowska|2011|p=329}}

Sandzak was an administrative part of the [[Sanjak of Bosnia]] until 1790, when it become a separated [[Sanjak of Novi Pazar]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Djukanovic |first1=Bojka |title=Historical Dictionary of Montenegro |date=2023 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9781538139158 |page=337 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PgmmEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA337}}</ref> However, in 1867, it become a part of the [[Bosnia Vilayet]] that consisted of seven sanjaks, including the Sanjak of Novi Pazar.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Klemenčić |first1=Mladen |title=Territorial Proposals for the Settlement of the War in Bosnia-Hercegovina |date=1994 |publisher=IBRU |isbn=9781897643150 |page=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V9DtlRfO6JMC&pg=PA15}}</ref> This led to Sandžak Muslims identifying themselves with other [[Bosniaks|Slavic Muslims in Bosnia]].{{sfn|Todorović|2012|p=11}}
Albanian speakers gradually migrated or were relocated to the Ottoman provinces of [[Ottoman Kosovo|Kosovo]] and [[North Macedonia under the Ottoman Empire|North Macedonia]], leaving a primarily Slavic-speaking population in the rest of the region (except in a southeastern corner of Sandžak that ended up as a part of Kosovo).<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Dragostinova|first1=Theodora|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G_4OEAAAQBAJ|title=Beyond Mosque, Church, and State: Alternative Narratives of the Nation in the Balkans|last2=Hashamova|first2=Yana|date=2016-08-20|publisher=Central European University Press|isbn=978-963-386-135-6|language=en}}</ref>

Some members of the Albanian [[Shkreli (tribe)|Shkreli]] and [[Kelmendi (tribe)|Kelmendi]] tribes began migrating into the lower Pešter and Sandžak regions at around 1700.{{Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=September 2024}} The Kelmendi chief had converted to Islam, and promised to convert his people to.{{Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=September 2024}} A total of 251 Kelmendi households (1,987 people) were resettled in the Pešter area on that occasion, however five years later part the exiled Kelmendi managed to fight their way back to their homeland, and in 1711 they sent out a large raiding force to bring back some other from Pešter too.{{sfn|Elsie|2015|p=32}} The remaining Kelmendi and Shkreli converted to Islam and became [[Slavic languages|Slavophones]] by the 20th century, and as of today they now self-identify as part of the [[Bosniaks|Bosniak ethnicity]], although in the Pešter plateau they partly utilized the [[Albanian language]] until the middle of the 20th century, particuarily in the villages of [[Ugao]], [[Boroštica]], [[Doliće (Sjenica)|Doliće]], and [[Gradac (Sjenica)|Gradac]].<ref name="Elsie2015">{{cite book|author=Robert Elsie|title=The Tribes of Albania: History, Society and Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-EzWCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA81|date=30 May 2015|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-78453-401-1|pages=81}}</ref> Since the 18th century, many people originating from the [[Hoti (tribe)|Hoti tribe]] have migrated to and live in Sandžak, mainly in the Tutin area, but also in Sjenica.<ref name="Biber">{{cite web |last1=Biber |first1=Ahmet |title=HISTORIJAT RODOVA NA PODRUČJU BJELIMIĆA |url=https://mail.medzlis-konjic.com/index.php/knjige-i-tekstovi/odabrani-tekstovi/tekstovi-vezani-za-konjic/1622-historijat-rodova-na-podrucju-bjelimica |publisher=Fondacija "Lijepa riječ" |ref=Biber}}</ref>
[[File:Ernst-Ravenstein-Balkans-Ethnic-Map-1880.jpg|thumb|1880 ethnographic map of the Balkans]]
In October 1912, during the [[First Balkan War]], Serbian and Montenegrin troops seized Sandžak, which was then divided between the two countries.{{Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=September 2024}} This led to the displacement of many Slavic Muslims and Albanians, who migrated to [[Ottoman Turkey]] as ''[[Muhajir (Turkey)|muhajir]]''.{{Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=September 2024}}

After the war, Sandžak became a part of the newly formed [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]].{{sfn|Górak-Sosnowska|2011|p=329}} The region acted as a bridge between the Muslims in the West in Bosnia and Herzegovina and those in the East in Kosovo and North Macedonia.{{Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=September 2024}} However, the Slavic Muslims of Sandžak suffered economic decline due to the [[Defeat and dissolution of the Ottoman Empire|defeat and collapse of the Ottoman Empire]], which had been their primary source of economic stability.{{Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=September 2024}} Additionally, the agrarian reform implemented in the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] worsened their economic situation, leading to the emigration of Muslims from Sandžak to the Ottoman Empire.{{sfn|Hadžišehović|Butler|Risaluddin|2003|p=132}}

===World War I===
During World War I, Sandžak was occupied by Austria-Hungary. In 1919, an Albanian revolt, which later came to be known as the ''Plav rebellion'' rose up in the [[Rožaje]], [[Gusinje]], and [[Plav, Montenegro|Plav]] districts, fighting against the inclusion of Sandžak in the [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]].{{sfn|Morrison|2018|p=56}}<ref>Giuseppe Motta, [http://www.cambridgescholars.com/download/sample/59407 Less than Nations: Central-Eastern European Minorities after WWI, Volume 1 ], Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013, p. 11</ref><ref>Klaus Roth, Ulf Brunnbauer, [https://books.google.com/books?id=6RveDmHbIv8C&q=Region%2C+Regional+Identity+and+Regionalism+in+Southeastern+Europe%2C+Part+1 Region, Regional Identity and Regionalism in Southeastern Europe, Part 1], LIT Verlag Münster, 2008, p. 221</ref> As a result, during the Serbian army's second occupation of Rožaje, which took place in 1918-1919, seven hundred Albanian citizens were slaughtered in Rožaje.{{Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=September 2024}} In 1919, Serb forces attacked Albanian populations in Plav and Gusinje, which had appealed to the [[British government]] for protection.{{Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=September 2024}} About 450 local civilians were killed after the uprising was quelled.{{sfn|Morrison|2018|p=21}} These events resulted in a large influx of Albanians migrating to the [[Principality of Albania]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mulaj|first=Klejda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sGQVdG63WPYC|title=Politics of Ethnic Cleansing: Nation-State Building and Provision of In/Security in Twentieth-Century Balkans|date=2008-02-22|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-4667-5|pages=33}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Banac|first=Ivo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zf6tDwAAQBAJ&q=Rozaj|title=The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics|date=2015-06-09|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-1-5017-0194-8|pages=298 snippet view}}</ref>

=== World War II ===
[[File:Map_of_Albania_during_WWII.png|thumb|200px|Protectorate of Albania in 1941]]

In [[World War II]], Sandžak was the battleground of several factions. In 1941, the region was partitioned between the [[Italian governorate of Montenegro]], the [[Italian protectorate of Albania (1939–1943)|Italian protectorate over the Kingdom of Albania]], and the [[Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia]].{{sfn|Zaug|2021|p=45}} The Muslim population was in general anti-partisan.{{sfn|Banac|1988|p=100}} They were organized in small formations known in historiography as the [[Sandžak Muslim militia]]. These formations depending on their location and regional politics were affiliated to Albanian nationalist groups linked to [[Balli Kombëtar]] in central and south Sandžak or to Muslim [[Ustaše]] groups in the north. Many Orthodox Serbs organized in the Serbian nationalist [[Chetniks]]. The stance of these factions towards the Nazi forces ranged from armed resistance to open collaboration. Smaller groups of both Orthodox Serbs and Muslims organized after 1943 in the [[Yugoslav Partisan]] Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Sandžak. Each faction sought the inclusion of Sandžak in the [[post-war period]] into separate states. Albanian militia fought for inclusion in [[Greater Albania]], while Ustaše formations wanted at least part of Sandžak to join the Bosnian Muslims of the [[Independent State of Croatia]]. Amonge these factions, the Yugoslavs, Slavic Muslims, Serbs, and Montenegrins adopted different strategies. Muslims wanted either unification with Bosnia under a federal Yugoslavia or the establishment of an autonomous Sandžak region. Serbs and Montenegrins wanted the area to either pass entirely to Serbia or Montenegro.<ref name="Banac101">{{harvnb|Banac|1988|p=101}}</ref>

The formal partition of Sandžak between Italian and German spheres of influence was largely ignored as local politics shaped control over the area. [[Prijepolje]] which formally was within the Italian area of rule in Montenegro was in fact under the [[NDH]]-affiliated [[Sulejman Pačariz]], while [[Novi Pazar]] in the German sphere was led by the Albanian nationalist [[Aqif Bluta]]. Clashes between Albanians and Serbs in south Sandžak began in April 1941. In other cities of Sandžak similar battles between different factions played out. [[Otto von Erdmannsdorf]], the special envoy of Germany to Sandžak mentioned in his correspondence that up to 100,000 Albanians from Sandžak wanted to be moved from Serbia under the jurisdiction of Albania.{{sfn|Zaugg|2021|p=58}} The Italian and German forces considered to enact population exchange from Sandžak to Kosovo to stop interethnic violence between Serbs and Albanians. Peter Pfeiffer, diplomat of the Foreign Office of Germany warned that relocation plans would cause a great rift between the German army and Albanians and they were abandoned. In November 1941 as clashes continued Albanians defeated the Chetniks in the [[battle of Novi Pazar]]. The battle was followed by reprisals against the Serbs of Novi Pazar. In 1943, Chetnik forces based in Montenegro conducted a series of ethnic cleansing operations against Muslims in the [[Bihor (region)|Bihor]] region of modern-day Serbia. In May 1943, an estimated 5400 Albanian men, women and children in Bihor were massacred by Chetnik forces under [[Pavle Đurišić]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kaba |first1=Hamit| title=RAPORTI I STAVRO SKËNDIT DREJTUAR OSS' NË WASHINGTON D.C "SHQIPËRIA NËN PUSHTIMIN GJERMAN". STAMBOLL, 1944|journal=Studime Historike |date=2013|issue=3–04 |url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=462554|page=275}}</ref> In a reaction, the notables of the region then published a memorandum and declared themselves to be Albanians. The memorandum was sent to Prime Minister [[Ekrem Libohova]] whom they asked to intervene so the region could be united to the Albanian kingdom.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Džogović|first=Fehim|date=2020|title=NEKOLIKO DOKUMENATA IZ DRŽAVNOG ARHIVA ALBANIJE U TIRANI O ČETNIČKOM GENOCIDU NAD MUSLIMANIMA BIHORA JANUARA 1943.|url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=903917|journal=ALMANAH - Časopis za proučavanje, prezentaciju I zaštitu kulturno-istorijske baštine Bošnjaka/Muslimana|language=Bosnian|issue=85–86|pages=329–341|issn=0354-5342}}</ref> It has been estimated that 9,000 Muslims were killed in total by the Chetniks and affiliated groups during the war in Sandžak.{{sfn|Jancar-Webster|2010|p=70}} The Jewish community of Novi Pazar was initially not harassed because the city didn't have any considerable concentration of German forces, but on March 2, 1942 the city's Jews were rounded up by the German army and killed in extermination camps (the men in [[Bubanj Memorial Park|Bubanj]] and the women and children in [[Sajmište concentration camp|Sajmište]]).{{sfn|Greble|2011|p=115}}{{sfn|Mojzes|2011|p=94}}

1943 year saw the creation of the [[SS Polizei-Selbstschutz-Regiment Sandschak|SS-Police "Self-Defence" Regiment Sandžak]], being formed by joining three [[battalion]]s of Albanian collaborationist troops with one battalion of the [[Sandžak Muslim militia]].<ref name="Glišić1970">{{cite book|last=Glišić|first=Venceslav|title=Teror i zločini nacističke Nemačke u Srbiji 1941-1944|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2-5mAAAAMAAJ|year=1970|publisher=Rad|page=215|quote=Легију „Кремплер", састављени од три батаљона албанских квислиншких трупа и муслиманске фашистичке милиције у Санџаку.}}</ref>{{sfn|Muñoz|2001|p=293}} At one point around 2,000 members of the SS regiment operated in Sjenica.<ref>{{cite book|title=Simpozijum seoski dani Sretena Vukosavljevića|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q2FpAAAAMAAJ|year=1978|publisher=Opštinska zajednica obrazovanja|page=160|quote=Немци су тада на подручју Сјенице имали ... и око 2000 СС добровољачка легија Кремплер}}</ref> Its leader was [[Sulejman Pačariz]],<ref>"The Moslem Militia and Legion of the Sandjak" in ''Axis Europa Magazine'', Vol. II/III (No. 9), July–August–September 1996, pp.3-14.</ref> an Islamic cleric of [[Albanians|Albanian]] origin.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Prcela |first1=John |last2=Guldescu |first2=Stanko |title=Operation Slaughterhouse |date=1995 |publisher=Dorrance Publishing Company}}</ref>

[[File:Sandzak 1943 1945 en.png|thumb|Area under jurisdiction of the National Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Sandžak (ZAVNOS), 1945]]
The Anti-Fascist Council of People's Liberation of Sandžak (AVNOS) had been founded on 20 November 1943 in [[Pljevlja]].{{sfn|Jelić|Strugar|1985|p=82, 134}} In January 1944, the Land Assembly of Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor claimed Sandžak as part of a future Montenegrin federal unit. However, in March, the Communist Party opposed this, insisting that Sandžak's representatives at AVNOJ should decide on the matter.{{sfn|Banac|1988|p=101}} In February 1945, the Presidency of the AVNOJ made a decision to oppose the Sandžak's autonomy. The AVNOJ explained that the Sandžak did not have a national basis for an autonomy and opposed crumbling of the Serbian and Montenegrin totality.{{sfn|Banac|1988|p=102}} On 29 March 1945 in [[Novi Pazar]], the AVNOS accepted the decision of the AVNOJ and divided itself between Serbia and Montenegro.{{sfn|Jelić|Strugar|1985|p=144}} Sandžak was divided based on the 1912 demarcation line.{{sfn|Banac|1988|p=102}}

===SFR Yugoslavia===
Economically, Sandžak remained undeveloped. It had a small amount of crude and low-revenue industry. Freight was transported by trucks over poor roads. Schools for business students, which remained poor in general education, were opened for working-class youth. The Sandžak had no faculty, not even a department or any school of higher education.{{sfn|Hadžišehović|Butler|Risaluddin|2003|p=132}}

Sandžak saw a process of industrialisation, during which factories were opened in several cities, including Novi Pazar, Prijepolje, [[Priboj]], [[Berane|Ivangrad]], while the coal mines were opened in the Prijepolje area. The urbanisation caused a major social and economic shift. Many people left villages for towns. The national composition of the urban centres was changed to the disadvantage of the Muslims, as most of those who inhabited the cities were Serbs. The Muslims continued to lose their economic status, continuing the trend inherited from the time of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the agrarian reform in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.{{sfn|Hadžišehović|Butler|Risaluddin|2003|p=132}} The emigration of the Muslims to [[Turkey]] also continued, caused by the general underdevelopment of the region, disagreement with the communist authorities and the mistrust with the Serbs and Montenegrins, but also due to the nationalisation and expropriation of property. Serbs from Sandžak also moved to the wealthier regions of the central Serbia or to [[Belgrade]] or [[Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina|Vojvodina]], while the Muslims moved to [[Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia and Herzegovina]] as well.{{sfn|Hadžišehović|Butler|Risaluddin|2003|p=133}}

====Autonomy referendum of 1991====
Between 25 and 27 October 1991, a [[1991 Sandžak autonomy referendum|referendum on Sandžak's autonomy]] was held, organized by the [[Bosniac National Council|Muslim National Council of Sandžak]] (MNVS) which consisted of the Muslim [[Party of Democratic Action]] (SDA) and other Bosnian Muslim organizations and parties.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Post-Soviet States |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Research Report |date=1994 |quote=Between 25 and 27 October 1991 a referendum was held on the territorial, cultural, and political autonomy of the Sandzak. Its sponsor was the Muslim National Council, which consisted of the SDA, the Muslim Bosnian Organization..}}</ref> It was declared illegal by Serbia. According to the SDA, 70.2% of the population participated in the referendum with 98.92% voting in favor of autonomy.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bugajski |first1=Janusz |title=Political Parties of Eastern Europe: A Guide to Politics in the Post-communist Era |date=2002 |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |isbn=1-56324-676-7 |page=388 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9gGKtLTQlUcC&pg=PA388}}</ref>

===Contemporary period===
With the democratic changes in Serbia in 2000, the ethnic Bosniaks were enabled to start participating in the political life in Serbia and Montenegro, including [[Rasim Ljajić]], an ethnic Bosniak, who was a minister in the verious governments of [[Serbia]], and [[Rifat Rastoder]], who was the Deputy President of the Parliament of Montenegro. Census data shows a general emigration of all ethnicities from this underdeveloped region.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

== Demographics ==
[[File:Sandzak ethnic map.png|thumb|right|240px|Ethnic map of Sandžak (including [[Plav, Montenegro|Plav]] and [[Andrijevica]]) according to the 2002 census in Serbia and 2003 census in Montenegro. Note: map shows the ethnic majority populations within the municipalities]]
[[File:Raska02i03.png|thumb|right|240px|Ethnic map of Sandžak (excluding [[Plav, Montenegro|Plav]] and [[Andrijevica]]) according to the 2002 census in Serbia and 2003 census in Montenegro. Note: map shows the ethnic majority populations within the settlements]]

The population of the sanjak of Novi Pazar was ethnically and religiously diverse. In 1878-81, Muslim Slav [[muhacirs]] (refugees) from areas which became part of Montenegro, settled in the sanjak. As Ottoman institutions only registered religious affiliation, official Ottoman statistics about ethnicity do not exist. Austrian, Bulgarian and Serbian consulates in the area produced their own ethnographic estimations about the sanjak. In general, three main groups lived in the region: Orthodox Serbs, Muslim and Catholic Albanians and Muslim Slavs (noted in contemporary sources as Bosniaks). Small communities of Romani, Turks and Jews lived mainly in towns. The Bulgarian foreign ministry compiled a report in 1901-02. The five [[kaza]]s (districts) of the sanjak of the Novi Pazar at that time were: [[Bijelo Polje|Akova]], [[Sjenica]], [[Lower Kolašin|Kolašin]], [[Novi Pazar]] and [[Nova Varoš]]. According to the Bulgarian report, in the kaza of Akova there were 47 Albanian villages which had 1,266 households. Serbs lived in 11 villages which had 216 households.<ref name="Bartl1">{{harvnb|Bartl|1968|p=63|ps=:Die Kaza Bjelopolje ( Akova ) zählte 11 serbische Dörfer mit 216 Häusern, 2 gemischt serbisch - albanische Dörfer mit 25 Häusern und 47 albanische Dörfer mit 1 266 Häusern . Bjelopolje selbst hatte etwa 100 albanische und serbische.}}</ref> The town of Akova (Bijelo Polje) had 100 Albanian and Serb households. There were also mixed villages - inhabited by both Serbs and Albanians - which had 115 households with 575 inhabitants. The kaza of Sjenica was inhabited mainly by Orthodox Serbs (69 villages with 624 households) and Bosnian Muslims (46 villages with 655 households). Seventeen villages had a population of both Orthodox Serbs and Bosnian Muslims. Albanians (505 households) lived exclusively in the town of [[Sjenica]]. The kaza of Novi Pazar had 1,749 households in 244 Serb villages and 896 households in 81 Albanian villages. Nine villages inhabited by both Serbs and Albanians had 173 households. The town of Novi Pazar had a total of 1,749 Serb and Albanian households with 8,745 inhabitants.<ref name="Bartl2">{{harvnb|Bartl|1968|p=63|ps=:Die Stadt Novi Bazar hatte 1 749 serbische und albanische Häuser.}}</ref> The kaza of Kolašin had 27 Albanian villages with 732 households and 5 Serb villages with 75 households. The administrative centre of the kaza, Šahovići, had 25 Albanian households. The kaza of Novi Varoš, according the Bulgarian report, had 19 Serbian villages with 298 households and "one Bosnian village with 200 houses".<ref name="Bartl3">{{harvnb|Bartl|1968|p=63|ps=:Die Kaza Novi Varoš zählte 19 serbische Dörfer mit 298 Häusern und 1 „ bosnisches Dorf mit 200 Häusern .}}</ref> Novi Varoš had 725 Serb and some Albanian households.<ref name="Bartl4">{{harvnb|Bartl|1968|p=63}}</ref>

The last official registration of the population of the sanjak of Novi Pazar before the [[Balkan Wars]] was conducted in 1910. The 1910 Ottoman census recorded 52,833 Muslims and 27,814 Orthodox Serbs. About 65% of the population were Muslims and 35% Serbian Orthodox. The majority of the Muslim population were Albanians.<ref name="Bartl5">{{harvnb|Bartl|1968|p=64|ps=:Die Bevölkerung des Sancak Novi Bazar war zu etwa 65% islamisiert. Der muslimische Bevölkerung santeil bestand zum grössten Teil aus Albanern.}}</ref>

The last Yugoslav pre-war census of 1931 counted in Bijelo Polje, [[Prijepolje]], Nova Varoš, Pljevlja, Priboj, Sjenica and Štavica a total population of 204,068. They were mostly counted as Orthodox Serbs or Montenegrins (56.48%) and Bosnian Muslims (43.09%).<ref name="Banac101"/>

Most Bosniaks declared themselves [[Muslims (South-Slavic ethnic group)|ethnic Muslims]] in 1991 census. By the 2002-2003 census, however, most of them declared themselves Bosniaks. There is still a significant minority that identify as Muslims (by ethnicity). There are still some Albanian villages (Boroštica, Doliće and Ugao) in the Pešter region.<ref name = Pieroni>Andrea Pieroni, Maria Elena Giusti, & Cassandra L. Quave (2011). "[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225732430_Cross-Cultural_Ethnobiology_in_the_Western_Balkans_Medical_Ethnobotany_and_Ethnozoology_Among_Albanians_and_Serbs_in_the_Pester_Plateau_Sandzak_South-Western_Serbia Cross-cultural ethnobiology in the Western Balkans: medical ethnobotany and ethnozoology among Albanians and Serbs in the Pešter Plateau, Sandžak, South-Western Serbia.]" ''Human Ecology''. '''39'''. (3): 335. "The current population of the Albanian villages is partly "bosniakicised", since in the last two generations a number of Albanian males began to intermarry with (Muslim) Bosniak women of Pešter. This is one of the reasons why locals in Ugao were declared to be "Bosniaks" in the last census of 2002, or, in Boroštica, to be simply "Muslims", and in both cases abandoning the previous ethnic label of "Albanians", which these villages used in the census conducted during "Yugoslavian" times. A number of our informants confirmed that the self-attribution "Albanian" was purposely abandoned in order to avoid problems following the Yugoslav Wars and associated violent incursions of Serbian para-military forces in the area. The oldest generation of the villagers however are still fluent in a dialect of Ghegh Albanian, which appears to have been neglected by European linguists thus far. Additionally, the presence of an Albanian minority in this area has never been brought to the attention of international stakeholders by either the former Yugoslav or the current Serbian authorities."</ref> There were a larger presence of Albanians in Sandžak in the past, however due to various factors such as migration, assimilation, along with mixing, many identify as Bosniaks instead.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Banac|first=Ivo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zf6tDwAAQBAJ|title=The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics|date=2015-06-09|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-1-5017-0194-8|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Malcolm|first=Noel|url=http://archive.org/details/kosovoshorthisto0000malc_m3s3|title=Kosovo : a short history|date=1998|publisher=London : Macmillan|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-333-66612-8}}</ref> Catholic Albanian groups which settled in [[Tutin, Serbia|Tutin]] and [[Pešter]] in the early 18th century were converted to Islam in that period. Their descendants make up the large majority of the population of [[Tutin, Serbia|Tutin]] and the [[Pešter plateau]].<ref name="VePo168">{{cite journal|last=Velović Popović|first=Bojana M.|title=Морфолошке одлике глаголских облика говора Тутина, Новог Пазара и Сјенице|trans-title=Morphological features of verb forms in speech from Tutin, Novi Pazar and Sjenica|url=https://dais.sanu.ac.rs/bitstream/handle/123456789/12761/veljovic.tutin.2021.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|journal=Српски дијалектолошки зборник|issue=68|year=2021|pages=197–199|doi=}}</ref>

The Slavic dialect of Gusinje and Plav (sometimes considered part of Sandžak) shows very high structural influence from Albanian. Its uniqueness in terms of language contact between Albanian and Slavic is explained by the fact that most Slavic-speakers in today's Plav and Gusinje are of [[Albanians|Albanian]] origin.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Matthew C.| first1=Curtis |title=Slavic-Albanian Language Contact, Convergence, and Coexistence |publisher=The Ohio State University |year=2012|page=140}}</ref>

=== Ethnic structure ===

The total population of the municipalities of Sandžak in Serbia and Montenegro is around 385,666. A plurality of people in Sandžak identify as [[Bosniaks]]. They form 52.05% (197,754) of the region's population. Serbs form 30.03% (114,121), Montenegrins 6.97% (26,494), ethnic Muslims 4.71% (17,879), and Albanians 1.06% (4,035). About 19,687 (5.18%) people belong to smaller communities or have chosen to not declare an ethnic identity.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Municipality
! colspan="12" | Ethnicity ('''2022 Serbian census and 2023 Montenegrin census)'''
! rowspan="2" | Total
|-
! Bosniaks
! %
! Serbs
! %
! Montenegrins
! %
! Muslims
! %
! Albanians
! %
! others
! %
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Novi Pazar]] (Serbia)
| 85,204 || 79.84
| 14,142 || 13.25
| 34 || 0.03
| 1,851 || 1.73
| 200 || 0.19
| 5,289 || 4.96
| 106,720
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Bijelo Polje Municipality|Bijelo Polje]] (Montenegro)
| 12,315 || 31.85
| 16,675 || 43.13
| 5,751 || 14.88
| 2,916 || 7.54
| 55 || 0.14
| 950 || 2.46
| 38,662
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Tutin, Serbia|Tutin]] (Serbia)
| 30,413 || 92.01
| 704 || 2.13
| 1 || 0.00
| 340 || 1.03
| 16 || 0.05
| 1,579 || 4.78
| 33,053
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Prijepolje]] (Serbia)
| 12,842 || 39.86
| 14,961 || 46.44
| 37 || 0.11
| 1,945 || 6.04
| 10 || 0.03
| 2,419 || 7.51
| 32,214
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Berane Municipality|Berane]] (Montenegro)
| 1,103 || 4.48
| 14,742 || 59.82
| 6,548 || 26.57
| 532 || 2.16
| 28 || 0.11
| 1,692 || 6.87
| 24,645
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Pljevlja Municipality|Pljevlja]] (Montenegro)
| 1,765 || 7.31
| 16,027 || 66.41
| 4,378 || 18.14
| 797 || 3.30
| 0 || 0.00
| 1,167 || 4.84
| 24,134
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Sjenica]] (Serbia)
| 17,665 || 73.35
| 3,861 || 16.03
| 3 || 0.01
| 1,069 || 4.44
| 26 || 0.11
| 1,459 || 6.06
| 24,083
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Priboj]] (Serbia)
| 4,144 || 17.62
| 16,909 || 71.91
| 47 || 0.20
| 914 || 3.89
| 2 || 0.01
| 1,498 || 6.37
| 23,514
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Rožaje Municipality|Rožaje]] (Montenegro)
| 19,627 || 84.66
| 593 || 2.56
| 868 || 3.74
| 738 || 3.18
| 1,176 || 5.07
| 182 || 0.79
| 23,184
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Nova Varoš]] (Serbia)
| 673 || 4.98
| 11,901 || 88.11
| 9 || 0.07
| 308 || 2.28
| 4 || 0.03
| 612 || 4.53
| 13,507
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Plav Municipality|Plav]] (Montenegro)
| 5,940 || 65.64
| 1,546 || 17.08
| 372 || 4.11
| 236 || 2.61
| 853 || 9.43
| 103 || 1.14
| 9,050
|-
|style="text-align:left;" | [[Petnjica Municipality|Petnjica]] (Montenegro)
|4,162
|83.96
|47
|0.95
|237
|4.78
|461
|9.30
|0
|0.00
|50
|1.01
|4,957
|-
|style="text-align:left;" | [[Gusinje Municipality|Gusinje]] (Montenegro)
|2,247
|57.13
|109
|2.77
|61
|1.55
|127
|3.23
|1,352
|34.38
|37
|0.94
|3,933
|-
! '''Sandžak'''
! 198,100 !! '''54.78'''
! '''112,217''' !! '''30.03'''
! '''18,346''' !! '''5.07'''
! '''12,234''' !! '''3.38'''
! '''3,722''' !! '''1.03'''
! '''17,037''' !! '''4.71'''
! 361,656
|}

=== Religious structure ===

Religion in Sandžak is also as diverse as the ethnic composition, most of the Bosniaks being Muslim while a majority of the Serbs being Orthodox Christian. However, because of the prolonged Ottoman rule, Sandžak is more Muslim orientated.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Municipality
! colspan="6" | Religion ('''2022 Serbian census'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dissemination database search |url=https://data.stat.gov.rs//Home/Result/3104020301?languageCode=en-US |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=data.stat.gov.rs}}</ref> ''' and 2023 Montenegrin census'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistical Office of Montenegro - MONSTAT |url=https://monstat.org/cg/page.php?id=2282&pageid=56 |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=www.monstat.org |language=en}}</ref>''')'''
! rowspan="2" | Total
|-
! Muslims
! %
! Orthodox
! %
! others
! %
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Novi Pazar]] (Serbia)
| 88,493 || 82.92
| 13,690 || 12.83
| 4,537 || 4.25
| 106,720
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Bijelo Polje Municipality|Bijelo Polje]] (Montenegro)
| 17,202 || 44.49
| 20,956 || 54.20
| 504 || 1.30
| 38,662
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Tutin, Serbia|Tutin]] (Serbia)
| 30,909 || 93.51
| 646 || 1.96
| 1,498 || 4.53
| 33,053
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Prijepolje]] (Serbia)
| 15,066 || 46.77
| 14,941 || 46.38
| 2,207 || 6.85
| 32,214
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Berane Municipality|Berane]] (Montenegro)
| 3,698 || 15.01
| 20,384 || 82.71
| 563 || 2.28
| 24,645
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Pljevlja Municipality|Pljevlja]] (Montenegro)
| 4,092 || 16.96
| 19,330 || 80.09
| 712 || 2.95
| 24,134
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Sjenica]] (Serbia)
| 18,860 || 78.31
| 3,808 || 15.81
| 1,415 || 5.88
| 24,083
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Priboj]] (Serbia)
| 5,119 || 21.77
| 16,687 || 70.97
| 1,708 || 7.26
| 23,514
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Rožaje Municipality|Rožaje]] (Montenegro)
| 22,378 || 96.52
| 715 || 3.08
| 91 || 0.39
| 23,184
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Nova Varoš]] (Serbia)
| 1,069 || 7.91
| 11,742 || 86.93
| 696 || 5.15
| 13,507
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Plav Municipality|Plav]] (Montenegro)
| 7,164 || 79.16
| 1,800 || 19.89
| 86 || 0.95
| 9,050
|-
|style="text-align:left;" |[[Petnjica Municipality|Petnjica]] (Montenegro)
|4,881
|98.47
|65
|1.31
|11
|0.22
|4,957
|-
|style="text-align:left;" | [[Gusinje Municipality|Gusinje]] (Montenegro)
|3,640
|92.55
|122
|3.10
|171
|4.35
|3,933
|-
! '''Sandžak'''
! 222,571 !! '''61.54'''
! '''124,886''' !! '''34.53'''
! '''14,199''' !! '''3.93'''
! 361,656
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Crkva Svetih apostola Petra i Pavla (Petrova crkva), Novi Pazar, Srbija.jpg|[[Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Ras]] near Novi Pazar, 8-9th century
Image:Stari Ras.jpg|[[Stari Ras]] fortress near Novi Pazar, 8th century
Image:Đurđevi stupovi, November 2005.jpg|[[Đurđevi Stupovi]] monastery, near Novi Pazar, 12th century
Image:Meister von Mileseva 001.jpg|[[White Angel]], fresco from [[Mileševa monastery]] near [[Prijepolje]], c. 1235
Image:Manastir Sopocani.jpg|[[Sopoćani]] monastery near Novi Pazar, 13th century
Image:Pljevlja Mosque 1.JPG|Husein-pasha Mosque in [[Pljevlja]]
Image:Novi Pazar02.JPG|[[Novi Pazar]]
Image:BedemNP.jpg| A wall built during the Ottoman period in Novi Pazar
Image:Kucanska_dzamija.jpg|[[Kučanska Mosque]] in [[Rožaje]], 1830.
Image:Nova Varos Center 2004.JPG|[[Nova Varoš]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Bosniaks]]
* [[Bosniaks of Serbia]]
* [[Bosniaks of Montenegro]]
* [[Greater Bosnia]]

== References ==

=== Notes ===

{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===

{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last1=Bartl |first1=Peter |title=Die albanischen Muslime zur Zeit der nationalen Unabhängigkeitsbewegung (1878-1912) |date=1968 |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yOdrAAAAIAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Banac |first=Ivo |year=1988 |title=With Stalin Against Tito: Cominformist Splits in Yugoslav Communism |location=Ithaca, NY |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=0801421861 }}
* {{cite book|last=Górak-Sosnowska |first=Katarzyna |year=2011 |title=Muslims in Poland and Eastern Europe: Widening the European Discourse on Islam |location=Warszaw |publisher=Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Warszaw |isbn=978-8390322957 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Greble |first1=Emily |title=Sarajevo, 1941–1945: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Hitler's Europe |date=2011 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0801461217 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=je_GozR8wRMC}}
*{{cite book |last1=Greble |first1=Emily |title=Muslims and the Making of Modern Europe |date=2021 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0197538807 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zns_EAAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book|last1=Hadžišehović |first1=Munevera |last2=Butler |first2=Thomas J. |last3=Risaluddin |first3=Saba |year=2003 |title=A Muslim Woman in Tito's Yugoslavia |location=College Station, TX |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=1585443042 }}
* {{cite book|last1=Jelić |first1=Ivan |last2=Strugar |first2=Novak |year=1985 |title=War and revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945 |location=Belgrade |publisher=Socialist Thought and Practice }}
*{{cite book |last1=Mojzes |first1=Paul |title=Balkan Genocides: Holocaust and Ethnic Cleansing in the Twentieth Century |date=2011 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1442206632 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KwW2O7v7CUcC}}
*{{cite book |last1=Morrison |first1=Kenneth |title=Nationalism, Identity and Statehood in Post-Yugoslav Montenegro |date=2018 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=9781474235204 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GZw8DwAAQBAJ}}
*{{cite book |last1=Jancar-Webster |first1=Barbara |editor1-last=Ramet |editor1-first=Sabrina |title=Gender Politics in the Western Balkans: Women and Society in Yugoslavia and the Yugoslav Successor States |date=2010 |publisher=Penn State Press |isbn=978-0271043067 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9qv9HK6AViwC |chapter=Women in the Yugoslav National Liberation Movement}}
*{{cite book|author=John D. Treadway|title=The Falcon and the Eagle: Montenegro and Austria-Hungary, 1908-1914|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JVJUk2cHkDcC|year=1983|publisher=Purdue University Press|isbn=978-1-55753-146-9}}
*{{cite book |last1=Zaugg |first1=Franziska Anna |title=Rekrutierungen für die Waffen-SS in Südosteuropa: Ideen, Ideale und Realitäten einer Vielvölkerarmee |date=2021 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-3110730777 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9gRGEAAAQBAJ}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130712163204/http://sandzaknews.net/ News from Sandžak sandzaknews.net]
* [http://www.novipazar.org/ Novi Pazar]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130809143627/http://www.sandzak-x.net/ Info about Sandžak]
* [http://www.bnv.org.rs/ Bosniak National Council in Serbia]
* [http://www.dijaspora.org/ Community of the Sandžak diaspora]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120501024621/http://www.cbs.org.rs/ Centre for Bosniak Study & Bošnjačka riječ magazine]

{{Historical regions in Serbia}}
{{Regions in Montenegro}}
{{Authority control}}
{{coord|43|09|47|N|19|46|30|E|type:adm1st_source:kolossus-huwiki|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandzak}}
[[Category:Sandžak| ]]
[[Category:Historical regions in Serbia]]
[[Category:Historical regions in Montenegro]]
[[Category:Geography of Šumadija and Western Serbia]]
[[Category:Countries and territories where Bosnian is an official language]]
[[Category:Montenegro–Serbia border]]
[[Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina–Serbia border]]
[[Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina–Montenegro border]]
[[Category:Kosovo–Montenegro border]]
[[Category:Kosovo–Serbia border]]
[[Category:Albanian communities in Serbia]]

Latest revision as of 13:07, 24 December 2024

Sandžak
Санџак (Serbian)
Sandžak (Bosnian)
Geopolitical region
Map of Sandžak
Map of Sandžak
Countries Serbia
 Montenegro
Largest cityNovi Pazar
Area
 • Total
8,686 km2 (3,354 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
372,159
Serbian Sandžak (233,091)
Monten. Sandžak (139,068)
ISO 3166 codeSRB
MNE
Vehicle registrationNP, TT, SJ, PP, PB, NV in  Serbia
PV, BP, BA, AN, RO, GS, PT in  Montenegro

Sandžak (Serbian Cyrillic: Санџак) is a historical[1][2][3] and geo-political region in the Balkans, located in the southwestern part of Serbia and the eastern part of Montenegro.[4] The Serbo-Croatian term Sandžak derives from the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a former Ottoman administrative district founded in 1865.

Various empires and kingdoms have ruled over the region. In the 12th century, Sandžak was part of the region of Raška under the medieval Serbian Kingdom. During the Ottoman territorial expansion into the western Balkans in a series of wars, the region became an important administrative district, with Novi Pazar as its administrative center.[5] Sandžak was under Austro-Hungarian occupation between 1878 and 1909 as a garrison, until an agreement between Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire resulted in the withdrawal of Austro-Hungarian troops from Sandžak in exchange for full control over Bosnia.[6][7] In 1912, it was divided between the Kingdom of Montenegro and the Kingdom of Serbia.

Novi Pazar serves as Sandžak's economic and cultural center and is the region's most populous city. Sandžak has a diverse and complex ethnic and religious composition, with significant Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Sunni Muslim populations. Bosniaks comprise ethnic majority in this region.[citation needed]

Etymology

[edit]

The Serbo-Croatian term Sandžak (Serbian Cyrillic: Санџак) is the transcription of Ottoman Turkish sancak (sanjak, "province");[8] the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, known in Serbo-Croatian as Novopazarski sandžak. Historically, it is known as Raška by the Serbs. The region is known as Sanxhak in Albanian.[9]

Geography

[edit]

Sandžak stretches from the southeastern border of Bosnia and Herzegovina[10] to the borders with Kosovo[11][12][13] and Albania[13] at an area of around 8,500 square kilometers. Six municipalities of Sandžak are in Serbia (Novi Pazar, Sjenica, Tutin, Prijepolje, Nova Varoš, and Priboj[14]), and seven in Montenegro (Pljevlja, Bijelo Polje, Berane, Petnjica, Rožaje, Gusinje, and Plav).[15] Sometimes the Montenegrin municipality of Andrijevica is also regarded as part of Sandžak.

The most populated municipality in the region is Novi Pazar (100,410),[16] while other large municipalities are: Pljevlja (31,060),[17] and Priboj (27,133).[16] In Serbia, the municipalities of Novi Pazar and Tutin are part of the Raška District,[18] while the municipalities of Sjenica, Prijepolje, Nova Varoš, and Priboj, are part of the Zlatibor District.[18]

History

[edit]

Ottoman rule

[edit]

The Serbian Despotate was invaded by the Ottoman Empire in 1455. Apart from the effect of a lengthy period under Ottoman domination, many of the subject populations were periodically and forcefully converted to Islam[19][20] as a result of a deliberate move by the Ottoman Turks as part of a policy of ensuring the loyalty of the population against a potential Venetian invasion. However, Islam was spread by force in the areas under the control of the Ottoman sultan through the devşirme system of child levy enslavement,[19][21] by which indigenous European Christian boys from the Balkans (predominantly Albanians, Bulgarians, Croats, Greeks, Romanians, Serbs, and Ukrainians) were taken, levied, subjected to forced circumcision and forced conversion to Islam, and incorporated into the Ottoman army,[19][21] and jizya taxes.[19][20][22]

The Islamization of Sandžak was otherwise caused by a number of factors, mainly economic, as Muslims didn't pay the devşirme tributes and jizya taxes.[23] The Muslims were also privileged compared to Christians, who were unable to work in the administration or testify in court against Muslims, as they were treated as dhimmi.[24] The second factor that contributed to the Islamization were migrations; a large demographic shift occurred after the Great Turkish War (1683–1699). Part of the Slavic-speaking Orthodox Christian population was expelled northwards, while other Christians and Muslims were driven to the Ottoman territory.[25] The land abandoned by the Eastern Orthodox Serbs was settled by populations from neighbouring areas who either were or became Muslim in Sandžak. Large migrations occurred throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.[25] The third factor of Islamization was the geographical location of Sandžak, which allowed it to become a trade centre, facilitating conversions amongst merchants.[25] The tribal migrations to Sandžak had contributed a large role to its history and identity along with culture.[26][27]

Sanjak of Novi Pazar in 1878.

The second half of the 19th century was very important in terms of shaping the current ethnic and political situation in Sandžak.[28] Austria-Hungary supported Sandžak's separation from the Ottoman Empire, or at least its autonomy within it.[28] The reason was to prevent the kingdoms of Montenegro and Serbia from unifying, and allow Austria-Hungary's further expansion into the Balkans. Per these plans, Sandžak was seen as part of the Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while its Muslim population played a significant role, giving Austrian-Hungarians a pretext of protecting the Muslim minority from the Eastern Orthodox Serbs.[28]

Sandzak was an administrative part of the Sanjak of Bosnia until 1790, when it become a separated Sanjak of Novi Pazar.[29] However, in 1867, it become a part of the Bosnia Vilayet that consisted of seven sanjaks, including the Sanjak of Novi Pazar.[30] This led to Sandžak Muslims identifying themselves with other Slavic Muslims in Bosnia.[31]

Albanian speakers gradually migrated or were relocated to the Ottoman provinces of Kosovo and North Macedonia, leaving a primarily Slavic-speaking population in the rest of the region (except in a southeastern corner of Sandžak that ended up as a part of Kosovo).[32]

Some members of the Albanian Shkreli and Kelmendi tribes began migrating into the lower Pešter and Sandžak regions at around 1700.[citation needed] The Kelmendi chief had converted to Islam, and promised to convert his people to.[citation needed] A total of 251 Kelmendi households (1,987 people) were resettled in the Pešter area on that occasion, however five years later part the exiled Kelmendi managed to fight their way back to their homeland, and in 1711 they sent out a large raiding force to bring back some other from Pešter too.[33] The remaining Kelmendi and Shkreli converted to Islam and became Slavophones by the 20th century, and as of today they now self-identify as part of the Bosniak ethnicity, although in the Pešter plateau they partly utilized the Albanian language until the middle of the 20th century, particuarily in the villages of Ugao, Boroštica, Doliće, and Gradac.[34] Since the 18th century, many people originating from the Hoti tribe have migrated to and live in Sandžak, mainly in the Tutin area, but also in Sjenica.[35]

1880 ethnographic map of the Balkans

In October 1912, during the First Balkan War, Serbian and Montenegrin troops seized Sandžak, which was then divided between the two countries.[citation needed] This led to the displacement of many Slavic Muslims and Albanians, who migrated to Ottoman Turkey as muhajir.[citation needed]

After the war, Sandžak became a part of the newly formed State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs.[28] The region acted as a bridge between the Muslims in the West in Bosnia and Herzegovina and those in the East in Kosovo and North Macedonia.[citation needed] However, the Slavic Muslims of Sandžak suffered economic decline due to the defeat and collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which had been their primary source of economic stability.[citation needed] Additionally, the agrarian reform implemented in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia worsened their economic situation, leading to the emigration of Muslims from Sandžak to the Ottoman Empire.[36]

World War I

[edit]

During World War I, Sandžak was occupied by Austria-Hungary. In 1919, an Albanian revolt, which later came to be known as the Plav rebellion rose up in the Rožaje, Gusinje, and Plav districts, fighting against the inclusion of Sandžak in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.[37][38][39] As a result, during the Serbian army's second occupation of Rožaje, which took place in 1918-1919, seven hundred Albanian citizens were slaughtered in Rožaje.[citation needed] In 1919, Serb forces attacked Albanian populations in Plav and Gusinje, which had appealed to the British government for protection.[citation needed] About 450 local civilians were killed after the uprising was quelled.[40] These events resulted in a large influx of Albanians migrating to the Principality of Albania.[41][42]

World War II

[edit]
Protectorate of Albania in 1941

In World War II, Sandžak was the battleground of several factions. In 1941, the region was partitioned between the Italian governorate of Montenegro, the Italian protectorate over the Kingdom of Albania, and the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia.[43] The Muslim population was in general anti-partisan.[44] They were organized in small formations known in historiography as the Sandžak Muslim militia. These formations depending on their location and regional politics were affiliated to Albanian nationalist groups linked to Balli Kombëtar in central and south Sandžak or to Muslim Ustaše groups in the north. Many Orthodox Serbs organized in the Serbian nationalist Chetniks. The stance of these factions towards the Nazi forces ranged from armed resistance to open collaboration. Smaller groups of both Orthodox Serbs and Muslims organized after 1943 in the Yugoslav Partisan Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Sandžak. Each faction sought the inclusion of Sandžak in the post-war period into separate states. Albanian militia fought for inclusion in Greater Albania, while Ustaše formations wanted at least part of Sandžak to join the Bosnian Muslims of the Independent State of Croatia. Amonge these factions, the Yugoslavs, Slavic Muslims, Serbs, and Montenegrins adopted different strategies. Muslims wanted either unification with Bosnia under a federal Yugoslavia or the establishment of an autonomous Sandžak region. Serbs and Montenegrins wanted the area to either pass entirely to Serbia or Montenegro.[45]

The formal partition of Sandžak between Italian and German spheres of influence was largely ignored as local politics shaped control over the area. Prijepolje which formally was within the Italian area of rule in Montenegro was in fact under the NDH-affiliated Sulejman Pačariz, while Novi Pazar in the German sphere was led by the Albanian nationalist Aqif Bluta. Clashes between Albanians and Serbs in south Sandžak began in April 1941. In other cities of Sandžak similar battles between different factions played out. Otto von Erdmannsdorf, the special envoy of Germany to Sandžak mentioned in his correspondence that up to 100,000 Albanians from Sandžak wanted to be moved from Serbia under the jurisdiction of Albania.[46] The Italian and German forces considered to enact population exchange from Sandžak to Kosovo to stop interethnic violence between Serbs and Albanians. Peter Pfeiffer, diplomat of the Foreign Office of Germany warned that relocation plans would cause a great rift between the German army and Albanians and they were abandoned. In November 1941 as clashes continued Albanians defeated the Chetniks in the battle of Novi Pazar. The battle was followed by reprisals against the Serbs of Novi Pazar. In 1943, Chetnik forces based in Montenegro conducted a series of ethnic cleansing operations against Muslims in the Bihor region of modern-day Serbia. In May 1943, an estimated 5400 Albanian men, women and children in Bihor were massacred by Chetnik forces under Pavle Đurišić.[47] In a reaction, the notables of the region then published a memorandum and declared themselves to be Albanians. The memorandum was sent to Prime Minister Ekrem Libohova whom they asked to intervene so the region could be united to the Albanian kingdom.[48] It has been estimated that 9,000 Muslims were killed in total by the Chetniks and affiliated groups during the war in Sandžak.[49] The Jewish community of Novi Pazar was initially not harassed because the city didn't have any considerable concentration of German forces, but on March 2, 1942 the city's Jews were rounded up by the German army and killed in extermination camps (the men in Bubanj and the women and children in Sajmište).[50][51]

1943 year saw the creation of the SS-Police "Self-Defence" Regiment Sandžak, being formed by joining three battalions of Albanian collaborationist troops with one battalion of the Sandžak Muslim militia.[52][53] At one point around 2,000 members of the SS regiment operated in Sjenica.[54] Its leader was Sulejman Pačariz,[55] an Islamic cleric of Albanian origin.[56]

Area under jurisdiction of the National Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Sandžak (ZAVNOS), 1945

The Anti-Fascist Council of People's Liberation of Sandžak (AVNOS) had been founded on 20 November 1943 in Pljevlja.[57] In January 1944, the Land Assembly of Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor claimed Sandžak as part of a future Montenegrin federal unit. However, in March, the Communist Party opposed this, insisting that Sandžak's representatives at AVNOJ should decide on the matter.[58] In February 1945, the Presidency of the AVNOJ made a decision to oppose the Sandžak's autonomy. The AVNOJ explained that the Sandžak did not have a national basis for an autonomy and opposed crumbling of the Serbian and Montenegrin totality.[59] On 29 March 1945 in Novi Pazar, the AVNOS accepted the decision of the AVNOJ and divided itself between Serbia and Montenegro.[60] Sandžak was divided based on the 1912 demarcation line.[59]

SFR Yugoslavia

[edit]

Economically, Sandžak remained undeveloped. It had a small amount of crude and low-revenue industry. Freight was transported by trucks over poor roads. Schools for business students, which remained poor in general education, were opened for working-class youth. The Sandžak had no faculty, not even a department or any school of higher education.[36]

Sandžak saw a process of industrialisation, during which factories were opened in several cities, including Novi Pazar, Prijepolje, Priboj, Ivangrad, while the coal mines were opened in the Prijepolje area. The urbanisation caused a major social and economic shift. Many people left villages for towns. The national composition of the urban centres was changed to the disadvantage of the Muslims, as most of those who inhabited the cities were Serbs. The Muslims continued to lose their economic status, continuing the trend inherited from the time of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the agrarian reform in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.[36] The emigration of the Muslims to Turkey also continued, caused by the general underdevelopment of the region, disagreement with the communist authorities and the mistrust with the Serbs and Montenegrins, but also due to the nationalisation and expropriation of property. Serbs from Sandžak also moved to the wealthier regions of the central Serbia or to Belgrade or Vojvodina, while the Muslims moved to Bosnia and Herzegovina as well.[61]

Autonomy referendum of 1991

[edit]

Between 25 and 27 October 1991, a referendum on Sandžak's autonomy was held, organized by the Muslim National Council of Sandžak (MNVS) which consisted of the Muslim Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and other Bosnian Muslim organizations and parties.[62] It was declared illegal by Serbia. According to the SDA, 70.2% of the population participated in the referendum with 98.92% voting in favor of autonomy.[63]

Contemporary period

[edit]

With the democratic changes in Serbia in 2000, the ethnic Bosniaks were enabled to start participating in the political life in Serbia and Montenegro, including Rasim Ljajić, an ethnic Bosniak, who was a minister in the verious governments of Serbia, and Rifat Rastoder, who was the Deputy President of the Parliament of Montenegro. Census data shows a general emigration of all ethnicities from this underdeveloped region.[citation needed]

Demographics

[edit]
Ethnic map of Sandžak (including Plav and Andrijevica) according to the 2002 census in Serbia and 2003 census in Montenegro. Note: map shows the ethnic majority populations within the municipalities
Ethnic map of Sandžak (excluding Plav and Andrijevica) according to the 2002 census in Serbia and 2003 census in Montenegro. Note: map shows the ethnic majority populations within the settlements

The population of the sanjak of Novi Pazar was ethnically and religiously diverse. In 1878-81, Muslim Slav muhacirs (refugees) from areas which became part of Montenegro, settled in the sanjak. As Ottoman institutions only registered religious affiliation, official Ottoman statistics about ethnicity do not exist. Austrian, Bulgarian and Serbian consulates in the area produced their own ethnographic estimations about the sanjak. In general, three main groups lived in the region: Orthodox Serbs, Muslim and Catholic Albanians and Muslim Slavs (noted in contemporary sources as Bosniaks). Small communities of Romani, Turks and Jews lived mainly in towns. The Bulgarian foreign ministry compiled a report in 1901-02. The five kazas (districts) of the sanjak of the Novi Pazar at that time were: Akova, Sjenica, Kolašin, Novi Pazar and Nova Varoš. According to the Bulgarian report, in the kaza of Akova there were 47 Albanian villages which had 1,266 households. Serbs lived in 11 villages which had 216 households.[64] The town of Akova (Bijelo Polje) had 100 Albanian and Serb households. There were also mixed villages - inhabited by both Serbs and Albanians - which had 115 households with 575 inhabitants. The kaza of Sjenica was inhabited mainly by Orthodox Serbs (69 villages with 624 households) and Bosnian Muslims (46 villages with 655 households). Seventeen villages had a population of both Orthodox Serbs and Bosnian Muslims. Albanians (505 households) lived exclusively in the town of Sjenica. The kaza of Novi Pazar had 1,749 households in 244 Serb villages and 896 households in 81 Albanian villages. Nine villages inhabited by both Serbs and Albanians had 173 households. The town of Novi Pazar had a total of 1,749 Serb and Albanian households with 8,745 inhabitants.[65] The kaza of Kolašin had 27 Albanian villages with 732 households and 5 Serb villages with 75 households. The administrative centre of the kaza, Šahovići, had 25 Albanian households. The kaza of Novi Varoš, according the Bulgarian report, had 19 Serbian villages with 298 households and "one Bosnian village with 200 houses".[66] Novi Varoš had 725 Serb and some Albanian households.[67]

The last official registration of the population of the sanjak of Novi Pazar before the Balkan Wars was conducted in 1910. The 1910 Ottoman census recorded 52,833 Muslims and 27,814 Orthodox Serbs. About 65% of the population were Muslims and 35% Serbian Orthodox. The majority of the Muslim population were Albanians.[68]

The last Yugoslav pre-war census of 1931 counted in Bijelo Polje, Prijepolje, Nova Varoš, Pljevlja, Priboj, Sjenica and Štavica a total population of 204,068. They were mostly counted as Orthodox Serbs or Montenegrins (56.48%) and Bosnian Muslims (43.09%).[45]

Most Bosniaks declared themselves ethnic Muslims in 1991 census. By the 2002-2003 census, however, most of them declared themselves Bosniaks. There is still a significant minority that identify as Muslims (by ethnicity). There are still some Albanian villages (Boroštica, Doliće and Ugao) in the Pešter region.[69] There were a larger presence of Albanians in Sandžak in the past, however due to various factors such as migration, assimilation, along with mixing, many identify as Bosniaks instead.[26][70][71] Catholic Albanian groups which settled in Tutin and Pešter in the early 18th century were converted to Islam in that period. Their descendants make up the large majority of the population of Tutin and the Pešter plateau.[72]

The Slavic dialect of Gusinje and Plav (sometimes considered part of Sandžak) shows very high structural influence from Albanian. Its uniqueness in terms of language contact between Albanian and Slavic is explained by the fact that most Slavic-speakers in today's Plav and Gusinje are of Albanian origin.[73]

Ethnic structure

[edit]

The total population of the municipalities of Sandžak in Serbia and Montenegro is around 385,666. A plurality of people in Sandžak identify as Bosniaks. They form 52.05% (197,754) of the region's population. Serbs form 30.03% (114,121), Montenegrins 6.97% (26,494), ethnic Muslims 4.71% (17,879), and Albanians 1.06% (4,035). About 19,687 (5.18%) people belong to smaller communities or have chosen to not declare an ethnic identity.

Municipality Ethnicity (2022 Serbian census and 2023 Montenegrin census) Total
Bosniaks % Serbs % Montenegrins % Muslims % Albanians % others %
Novi Pazar (Serbia) 85,204 79.84 14,142 13.25 34 0.03 1,851 1.73 200 0.19 5,289 4.96 106,720
Bijelo Polje (Montenegro) 12,315 31.85 16,675 43.13 5,751 14.88 2,916 7.54 55 0.14 950 2.46 38,662
Tutin (Serbia) 30,413 92.01 704 2.13 1 0.00 340 1.03 16 0.05 1,579 4.78 33,053
Prijepolje (Serbia) 12,842 39.86 14,961 46.44 37 0.11 1,945 6.04 10 0.03 2,419 7.51 32,214
Berane (Montenegro) 1,103 4.48 14,742 59.82 6,548 26.57 532 2.16 28 0.11 1,692 6.87 24,645
Pljevlja (Montenegro) 1,765 7.31 16,027 66.41 4,378 18.14 797 3.30 0 0.00 1,167 4.84 24,134
Sjenica (Serbia) 17,665 73.35 3,861 16.03 3 0.01 1,069 4.44 26 0.11 1,459 6.06 24,083
Priboj (Serbia) 4,144 17.62 16,909 71.91 47 0.20 914 3.89 2 0.01 1,498 6.37 23,514
Rožaje (Montenegro) 19,627 84.66 593 2.56 868 3.74 738 3.18 1,176 5.07 182 0.79 23,184
Nova Varoš (Serbia) 673 4.98 11,901 88.11 9 0.07 308 2.28 4 0.03 612 4.53 13,507
Plav (Montenegro) 5,940 65.64 1,546 17.08 372 4.11 236 2.61 853 9.43 103 1.14 9,050
Petnjica (Montenegro) 4,162 83.96 47 0.95 237 4.78 461 9.30 0 0.00 50 1.01 4,957
Gusinje (Montenegro) 2,247 57.13 109 2.77 61 1.55 127 3.23 1,352 34.38 37 0.94 3,933
Sandžak 198,100 54.78 112,217 30.03 18,346 5.07 12,234 3.38 3,722 1.03 17,037 4.71 361,656

Religious structure

[edit]

Religion in Sandžak is also as diverse as the ethnic composition, most of the Bosniaks being Muslim while a majority of the Serbs being Orthodox Christian. However, because of the prolonged Ottoman rule, Sandžak is more Muslim orientated.

Municipality Religion (2022 Serbian census[74] and 2023 Montenegrin census[75]) Total
Muslims % Orthodox % others %
Novi Pazar (Serbia) 88,493 82.92 13,690 12.83 4,537 4.25 106,720
Bijelo Polje (Montenegro) 17,202 44.49 20,956 54.20 504 1.30 38,662
Tutin (Serbia) 30,909 93.51 646 1.96 1,498 4.53 33,053
Prijepolje (Serbia) 15,066 46.77 14,941 46.38 2,207 6.85 32,214
Berane (Montenegro) 3,698 15.01 20,384 82.71 563 2.28 24,645
Pljevlja (Montenegro) 4,092 16.96 19,330 80.09 712 2.95 24,134
Sjenica (Serbia) 18,860 78.31 3,808 15.81 1,415 5.88 24,083
Priboj (Serbia) 5,119 21.77 16,687 70.97 1,708 7.26 23,514
Rožaje (Montenegro) 22,378 96.52 715 3.08 91 0.39 23,184
Nova Varoš (Serbia) 1,069 7.91 11,742 86.93 696 5.15 13,507
Plav (Montenegro) 7,164 79.16 1,800 19.89 86 0.95 9,050
Petnjica (Montenegro) 4,881 98.47 65 1.31 11 0.22 4,957
Gusinje (Montenegro) 3,640 92.55 122 3.10 171 4.35 3,933
Sandžak 222,571 61.54 124,886 34.53 14,199 3.93 361,656
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See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Stjepanović, Dejan (2012). "Regions and Territorial Autonomy in Southeastern Europe". In Gagnon, Alain-G.; Keating, Michael (eds.). Political autonomy and divided societies: Imagining democratic alternatives in complex settings. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 194. ISBN 9780230364257.
  2. ^ Roth, Clémentine (2018). Why Narratives of History Matter: Serbian and Croatian Political Discourses on European Integration. Nomos publishing house. p. 268. ISBN 9783845291000.
  3. ^ Duda, Jacek (2011). "Islamic community in Serbia - the Sandžak case". In Górak-Sosnowska, Katarzyna (ed.). Muslims in Poland and Eastern Europe: Widening the European Discourse on Islam. University of Warsaw: Faculty of Oriental Studies. p. 327. ISBN 9788390322957.
  4. ^ Karen Dawisha; Bruce Parrott (13 June 1997). Politics, Power and the Struggle for Democracy in South-East Europe. Cambridge University Press. pp. 175–. ISBN 978-0-521-59733-3.
  5. ^ Hozic, Aida (2006). "The Balkan Merchants: Changing Borders and Informal Transnationalization". Ethnopolitics. 5 (3): 243–248. doi:10.1080/17449050600911059.
  6. ^ Cviic, Christopher (1995). Remaking the Balkans. Pinter. p. 75. ISBN 9781855672949.
  7. ^ Malcolm, Noel (1996). Bosnia: A Short History. NYU Press. p. 151. ISBN 9780814755617.
  8. ^ "Dictionary.com - Sanjak entry".
  9. ^ "Kuptimi i fjalës Sanxhak ‹ FJALË". fjale.al (in Albanian). Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  10. ^ "Position of the Municipality of Priboj". priboj.rs. Municipality of Priboj.
  11. ^ "Geographic position of Municipality of Tutin". tutin.rs. Municipality of Tutin. 19 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Geographic position of Municipality of Rožaje". rozaje.me. Municipality of Rozaje.
  13. ^ a b "Profile of Municipality of Plav" (PDF). plav.me. Municipality of Plav.
  14. ^ "Territorial organisation of Republic of Serbia". paragraf.rs.
  15. ^ "Territorial organization of Montenegro" (PDF). mup.gov.me.
  16. ^ a b "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia" (PDF). stat.gov.rs.
  17. ^ "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in Montenegro" (PDF). monstat.org.
  18. ^ a b "Government of Republic of Serbia - Administrative Okrugs Regions". uzzpro.gov.rs).
  19. ^ a b c d Ágoston, Gábor (2009). "Devşirme (Devshirme)". In Ágoston, Gábor; Masters, Bruce (eds.). Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. New York: Facts On File. pp. 183–185. ISBN 978-0-8160-6259-1. LCCN 2008020716. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  20. ^ a b Wittek, Paul (1955). "Devs̱ẖirme and s̱ẖarī'a". Bulletin of the School of Oriental & African Studies. 17 (2). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London: 271–278. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00111735. JSTOR 610423. OCLC 427969669. S2CID 153615285.
  21. ^ a b Glassé, Cyril, ed. (2008). The New Encyclopedia of Islam (3rd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-4422-2348-6.
  22. ^ Basgoz, I. & Wilson, H. E. (1989), The educational tradition of the Ottoman Empire and the development of the Turkish educational system of the republican era. Turkish Review 3(16), 15
  23. ^ Górak-Sosnowska 2011, p. 328.
  24. ^ Todorović 2012, p. 13.
  25. ^ a b c Górak-Sosnowska 2011, pp. 328–329.
  26. ^ a b Memoirs of the American Folklore Society. University of Texas Press. 1954.
  27. ^ Elsie, Robert (2015-04-24). The Tribes of Albania: History, Society and Culture. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85772-586-8.
  28. ^ a b c d Górak-Sosnowska 2011, p. 329.
  29. ^ Djukanovic, Bojka (2023). Historical Dictionary of Montenegro. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 337. ISBN 9781538139158.
  30. ^ Klemenčić, Mladen (1994). Territorial Proposals for the Settlement of the War in Bosnia-Hercegovina. IBRU. p. 15. ISBN 9781897643150.
  31. ^ Todorović 2012, p. 11.
  32. ^ Dragostinova, Theodora; Hashamova, Yana (2016-08-20). Beyond Mosque, Church, and State: Alternative Narratives of the Nation in the Balkans. Central European University Press. ISBN 978-963-386-135-6.
  33. ^ Elsie 2015, p. 32.
  34. ^ Robert Elsie (30 May 2015). The Tribes of Albania: History, Society and Culture. I.B.Tauris. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-78453-401-1.
  35. ^ Biber, Ahmet. "HISTORIJAT RODOVA NA PODRUČJU BJELIMIĆA". Fondacija "Lijepa riječ".
  36. ^ a b c Hadžišehović, Butler & Risaluddin 2003, p. 132.
  37. ^ Morrison 2018, p. 56.
  38. ^ Giuseppe Motta, Less than Nations: Central-Eastern European Minorities after WWI, Volume 1 , Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013, p. 11
  39. ^ Klaus Roth, Ulf Brunnbauer, Region, Regional Identity and Regionalism in Southeastern Europe, Part 1, LIT Verlag Münster, 2008, p. 221
  40. ^ Morrison 2018, p. 21.
  41. ^ Mulaj, Klejda (2008-02-22). Politics of Ethnic Cleansing: Nation-State Building and Provision of In/Security in Twentieth-Century Balkans. Lexington Books. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-7391-4667-5.
  42. ^ Banac, Ivo (2015-06-09). The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics. Cornell University Press. pp. 298 snippet view. ISBN 978-1-5017-0194-8.
  43. ^ Zaug 2021, p. 45.
  44. ^ Banac 1988, p. 100.
  45. ^ a b Banac 1988, p. 101
  46. ^ Zaugg 2021, p. 58.
  47. ^ Kaba, Hamit (2013). "RAPORTI I STAVRO SKËNDIT DREJTUAR OSS' NË WASHINGTON D.C "SHQIPËRIA NËN PUSHTIMIN GJERMAN". STAMBOLL, 1944". Studime Historike (3–04): 275.
  48. ^ Džogović, Fehim (2020). "NEKOLIKO DOKUMENATA IZ DRŽAVNOG ARHIVA ALBANIJE U TIRANI O ČETNIČKOM GENOCIDU NAD MUSLIMANIMA BIHORA JANUARA 1943". ALMANAH - Časopis za proučavanje, prezentaciju I zaštitu kulturno-istorijske baštine Bošnjaka/Muslimana (in Bosnian) (85–86): 329–341. ISSN 0354-5342.
  49. ^ Jancar-Webster 2010, p. 70.
  50. ^ Greble 2011, p. 115.
  51. ^ Mojzes 2011, p. 94.
  52. ^ Glišić, Venceslav (1970). Teror i zločini nacističke Nemačke u Srbiji 1941-1944. Rad. p. 215. Легију „Кремплер", састављени од три батаљона албанских квислиншких трупа и муслиманске фашистичке милиције у Санџаку.
  53. ^ Muñoz 2001, p. 293.
  54. ^ Simpozijum seoski dani Sretena Vukosavljevića. Opštinska zajednica obrazovanja. 1978. p. 160. Немци су тада на подручју Сјенице имали ... и око 2000 СС добровољачка легија Кремплер
  55. ^ "The Moslem Militia and Legion of the Sandjak" in Axis Europa Magazine, Vol. II/III (No. 9), July–August–September 1996, pp.3-14.
  56. ^ Prcela, John; Guldescu, Stanko (1995). Operation Slaughterhouse. Dorrance Publishing Company.
  57. ^ Jelić & Strugar 1985, p. 82, 134.
  58. ^ Banac 1988, p. 101.
  59. ^ a b Banac 1988, p. 102.
  60. ^ Jelić & Strugar 1985, p. 144.
  61. ^ Hadžišehović, Butler & Risaluddin 2003, p. 133.
  62. ^ "The Post-Soviet States". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Research Report. 1994. Between 25 and 27 October 1991 a referendum was held on the territorial, cultural, and political autonomy of the Sandzak. Its sponsor was the Muslim National Council, which consisted of the SDA, the Muslim Bosnian Organization..
  63. ^ Bugajski, Janusz (2002). Political Parties of Eastern Europe: A Guide to Politics in the Post-communist Era. M.E. Sharpe. p. 388. ISBN 1-56324-676-7.
  64. ^ Bartl 1968, p. 63:Die Kaza Bjelopolje ( Akova ) zählte 11 serbische Dörfer mit 216 Häusern, 2 gemischt serbisch - albanische Dörfer mit 25 Häusern und 47 albanische Dörfer mit 1 266 Häusern . Bjelopolje selbst hatte etwa 100 albanische und serbische.
  65. ^ Bartl 1968, p. 63:Die Stadt Novi Bazar hatte 1 749 serbische und albanische Häuser.
  66. ^ Bartl 1968, p. 63:Die Kaza Novi Varoš zählte 19 serbische Dörfer mit 298 Häusern und 1 „ bosnisches Dorf mit 200 Häusern .
  67. ^ Bartl 1968, p. 63
  68. ^ Bartl 1968, p. 64:Die Bevölkerung des Sancak Novi Bazar war zu etwa 65% islamisiert. Der muslimische Bevölkerung santeil bestand zum grössten Teil aus Albanern.
  69. ^ Andrea Pieroni, Maria Elena Giusti, & Cassandra L. Quave (2011). "Cross-cultural ethnobiology in the Western Balkans: medical ethnobotany and ethnozoology among Albanians and Serbs in the Pešter Plateau, Sandžak, South-Western Serbia." Human Ecology. 39. (3): 335. "The current population of the Albanian villages is partly "bosniakicised", since in the last two generations a number of Albanian males began to intermarry with (Muslim) Bosniak women of Pešter. This is one of the reasons why locals in Ugao were declared to be "Bosniaks" in the last census of 2002, or, in Boroštica, to be simply "Muslims", and in both cases abandoning the previous ethnic label of "Albanians", which these villages used in the census conducted during "Yugoslavian" times. A number of our informants confirmed that the self-attribution "Albanian" was purposely abandoned in order to avoid problems following the Yugoslav Wars and associated violent incursions of Serbian para-military forces in the area. The oldest generation of the villagers however are still fluent in a dialect of Ghegh Albanian, which appears to have been neglected by European linguists thus far. Additionally, the presence of an Albanian minority in this area has never been brought to the attention of international stakeholders by either the former Yugoslav or the current Serbian authorities."
  70. ^ Banac, Ivo (2015-06-09). The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-1-5017-0194-8.
  71. ^ Malcolm, Noel (1998). Kosovo : a short history. Internet Archive. London : Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-333-66612-8.
  72. ^ Velović Popović, Bojana M. (2021). "Морфолошке одлике глаголских облика говора Тутина, Новог Пазара и Сјенице" [Morphological features of verb forms in speech from Tutin, Novi Pazar and Sjenica] (PDF). Српски дијалектолошки зборник (68): 197–199.
  73. ^ Matthew C., Curtis (2012). Slavic-Albanian Language Contact, Convergence, and Coexistence. The Ohio State University. p. 140.
  74. ^ "Dissemination database search". data.stat.gov.rs. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  75. ^ "Statistical Office of Montenegro - MONSTAT". www.monstat.org. Retrieved 2023-08-09.

Sources

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43°09′47″N 19°46′30″E / 43.16306°N 19.77500°E / 43.16306; 19.77500