Bihor is a geographical region in northeastern

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

, located near Jagoče and northeast of Lopare. The area falls under three municipalities:

Berane Berane (Cyrillic: Беране) is a town in Montenegro in the northern region. It is former administrative centre of the Ivangrad District. The town is located on the Lim river. From 1949 to 1992, it was named Ivangrad ( cyrl, Ивангра ...

Bijelo Polje Bijelo Polje (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бијело Поље, ) is a town located in the Northern Montenegro, Northern Region of Montenegro, situated along Lim (river), Lim River. It has an urban population of 12,900 (2011 census). It is the ad ...

and

Petnjica Petnjica () is a town in Montenegro in the northern region, and the center of Petnjica Municipality. Petnjica regained its municipality status on May 28, 2013, which it previously had from 1945 to 1957, when it was merged with the Berane Municip ...

. It is named after Bihor, a former medieval town once located near

. The region is mainly inhabited by

Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

, with a minority of

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

and

Montenegrins Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...

Geology

Upper Bihor covers an area of approximately with an average altitude of . The region has a wide variety of terrain types, with high mountains,

river valleys A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over a ve ...

glacial A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

and

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

landforms and volcanic mountains. The Bosniak inhabitants of the area consider Upper Bihor to be a part of southwestern

Sandžak Sandžak (Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) is a historical and geo-political region in the Balkans, located in the southwestern part of Serbia and the eastern part of Montenegro. The Bosnian/ Serbian term ''Sandžak'' derives from the Sanjak of Novi Paza ...

History

In 1455, the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

captured the city of Bihor. The town developed in the 16th century as the center of a

kadiluk A kadiluk (, ) was the jurisdiction of a kadi, an Islamic judge under the Ottoman Empire. They typically consisted of a major city and its surrounding villages, although some kadis occupied other positions within the imperial administration. ...

, with a garrison holding eight

timar A timar was a land grant by the sultans of the Ottoman Empire between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, with an annual tax revenue of less than 20,000 akçes. The revenues produced from the land acted as compensation for military service. A ...

s in 1530. The Ottoman conquest did not change the ethnic structure of the area which, in the 16th century, was inhabited only by

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

and Serbianized

Vlachs Vlach ( ), also Wallachian and many other variants, is a term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate speakers of Eastern Romance languages living in Southeast Europe—south of the Danube (the Balkan peninsula ...

. And although the

Islamization The spread of Islam spans almost 1,400 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, expanding over a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted ...

of the population of the city of Bihor began with the Ottoman rule, it did not spread outside the town until the end of the 17th century.

Gypsies {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , ...

are also mentioned as living in the area in 1566, while

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

soldiers appear in the mid-17th century as part of the Ottoman

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

of the city. Bijelo Polje (Akova) in the late Ottoman period was one of the five

kaza A kaza (, "judgment" or "jurisdiction") was an administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. It is also discussed in English under the names district, subdistrict, and juridical district. Kazas co ...

s (districts) of the

sanjak of Novi Pazar The Sanjak of Novi Pazar (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Novopazarski sandžak, Новопазарски санџак; ) was an Ottoman sanjak (second-level administrative unit) that was created in 1865. It was reorganized in 1880 and 1902. The Ottoman rule ...

. The Bulgarian foreign ministry compiled a report in 1901-02 about the demographics of the sanjak. 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. 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 area became part of Montenegro in the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

. After the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, heavy pressure led the

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

from Bihor to move to

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. In 1914, a few thousand people from Bihor left for Turkey, while followers of

Eastern Orthodoxy Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

began to settle in various other parts of Montenegro. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Montenegro was occupied by the

Italian army The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...

, reinforced locally by several detachments of Albanians from

and Muslims from Bihor. The Muslim unit from the Petnjica area was commanded by Osman Rastoder, Arslan Đukić and Osman Cikotić. Following the

13 July Uprising The Uprising in Montenegro (), commonly known as the 13 July Uprising () was an uprising against Italian occupation forces in Montenegro ( Axis occupied Yugoslavia). Initiated by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia on 13 July 1941, it was suppress ...

, a militia commanded by Osman Rastoder attacked Christian villages from the Berane and

Rožaje Rožaje ( Bosnian: ''Rožaje''; , ; , ) is a town located in the Northern Region of Montenegro, situated along the Ibar river. The town is the cultural center of the Bosniaks in Montenegro. As of 2023, the town has a population of 13,608 inhabi ...

areas, at the end of July and the beginning of August 1941. The attackers burned and looted houses belonging to Christians, killed several of them and destroyed entire villages. In 1943, Bihor was a buffer zone between the Italian-controlled part of Montenegro and the Albanian quisling state. Based in Montenegro,

Chetnik The Chetniks,, ; formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland; and informally colloquially the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationalist m ...

forces under the command of

Pavle Đurišić Pavle Đurišić ( sh-Cyrl, Павле Ђуришић, ; 9 July 1909 – 21 April 1945) was a Montenegrin Serb regular officer of the Royal Yugoslav Army who became a Chetnik commander ('' vojvoda'') and led a significant proportion of the Che ...

conducted a series of ethnic cleansing operations against Muslims in the region. A first massacre of the Muslim population from Bihor took place in January 1943 and led to thousands of people fleeing to Albanian-controlled areas such as Rožaje or

Peja Peja or Peć, ), is the fifth most populous city in Kosovo and serves as the seat of the Peja Municipality and the District of Peja. It is located in the Rugova region on the eastern section of the Accursed Mountains along the Peja's Lumbar ...

. ''

Muhajir Muhajir or Mohajir (, '; pl. , ') is an Arabic word meaning ''migrant'' (see immigration and emigration) which is also used in other languages spoken by Muslims, including English. In English, this term and its derivatives may refer in a general s ...

s'' (refugees) from Bihor numbered several thousand people. A contemporary letter from one of them who moved to Albania, addressed to the Prime Minister of Albania, considered them to be almost 10,000. A memorandum from Bihor sent to the Albanian government urged Ekrem Libohova to take the necessary measures for the protection of the local Albanians and the unification of the area with Albania. It mentions that 6,000 to 7,000 refugees from Bihor were living in

. According to modern Bosniak historian Fehim Džogović, while the primary documents mentions populations involved as Albanians, the people in question should be viewed as a reference to the modern Bosniak (Slavic-speaking Muslim) population in the same area. In the late 1940s, people from Bihor began moving to

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...

as colonists. Because of hard life in their new home, some people came back to Bihor. The migration of Muslims from this area to Turkey was intensive between 1956 and 1958. Today, the population is predominantly made up of Bosniaks with a minority of Serbs and Montenegrins.

Families

There are 73 surnames of villagers found in Upper Bihor: *Adrović *Agović *Alibašić *

Babić Babić (Serbian Cyrillic: Бабић) is a Croatian, Bosniak and Serbian family name. It is the 3rd most frequent surname in Croatia. Geographical distribution As of 2014, the frequency of the surname ''Babić'' was highest in Bosnia and Herzego ...

*Babačić *Batilović *Bibuljica * Bošnjak *Brakočević *Cikotić *Ćeman *

Ćorović Ćorović () is a Serbian surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Jelena Skerlić Ćorović (1887–1960), Serbian writer, translator, literary critic, and French language professor *Svetozar Ćorović (1875–1919), Bosnian Serb novelis ...

*Čivović *Čilović *Čolović *

Duraković Duraković is a surname of Serbo-Croatian language. Notable people with the surname include: *Asaf Duraković (1940–2020), Croatian doctor and poet * Mehmet Duraković (born 1965), Australian football coach and former player *Nijaz Duraković (19 ...

Đukić Đukić ( sr-Cyrl, Ђукић; also transliterated Djukić) is a Serbian surname, derived from the male given name "Đuka", itself a diminutive of Đorđe (George). It is predominantly used as a surname in Serbia and Montenegro. It may refer to: No ...

*Đurašković *Garčević *Goljo *Hajdarpašić * Halilović *

Hodžić Hodžić (, ) is a common family name found in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia. It is derived from the word ''hodža'', meaning "master/lord", itself a Turkish loanword (''hoca'') of ultimately Persian origin (''khaw ...

*Huremović *Idrizović *Ivezić *Javorovac *Kalić *Kočan *

Korać Korać is a surname. Notable persons with that name include: * Dušan Korać (disambiguation), multiple people * Milorad Korać (born 1969), Serbian football player and manager * Radivoj Korać (1938–1969), Serbian basketball player * Vitomir Ko ...

*Klica * Kolić *Kožar *Kršić *Hećo *Herović *Latić *Levaić *Ličina *Ligonja *

Luković Luković is a Serbian surname that may refer to:Vojislav Luković(b. 1960), Serbian art painter, iconographer and art photographer * Aleksandar Luković Lukijan (b. 1924), Serbian art painter * Ivan Luković, Serbian art painter * Djordje Luković, ...

*Mehović *Muhović *Mustajbašić * Muratović *Murić * Mirković *Novalić *Osmanović *Palamar * Pačariz *

Petrović Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Петровић, ;) is a South Slavic language patronymic surname literally meaning ''Peter's son'', equivalent to the English last name of Peterson (name), Peterson. In Eastern Slavic naming customs its counterpart is "Petrovi ...

*Pramenko *Prentić *Pljakić *

Radošević Radošević () is a Serbo-Croatian surname, derived from the Slavic masculine given name '' Radoš''. It is borne by ethnic Croats and Serbs. In English-language countries may be written as Radosevich. Notable people with the surname include: * A ...

*Ramdedović *Ramčilović * Račić * Rastoder *Rujović *Rugovac *Sijarić * Sadiković *Sehratlić *Smailović * Skenderović *Šabotić * Škrijelj *Taraniš *Tiganj *

Vukajlović Vukajlović () is a Serbian surname, derived from the Serbian male given name '' Vukajlo''. Notable people with the surname include: *Aleksandra Vukajlović (born 1997), Serbian handball player *Dušan Vukajlović (born 1948), Serbian poet *Ljiljan ...

* Vujošević * Zverotić

Towns

*Azanje *Bare *Bistrica *Bor *Crnče *Dašča Rijeka *Dobrodole *Donja Vrbica *Donje Korito *Donji Ponor *Godočelje *Goduša *Gornja Vrbica *Hazane *Jahova Voda *Javorova *Johovice *Kalica *Kruščica *Lagatore *Laze *Lješnica *Murovac *Orahovo *Paljuh *Petnjica *Ponor *Poroče *Radmanci *Sipovice *Savin Bor *Sipanje *Trnavice *Trpezi *Tucanje *Vorbica *Vrševo

Geology

History

Families

Towns

References

Sources

External links