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The Torbeši () are a Macedonian-speaking Muslims ethnoreligious group in North Macedonia and Albania. The Torbeši are also referred to as Macedonian Muslims () or Muslim Macedonians. They have been religiously distinct from the Orthodox Christian Macedonian community for centuries, and are linguistically distinct from the larger Muslim ethnic groups in the greater region of Macedonia: the Albanians, Turks and Romani people. However, some Torbeši also still maintain a strong affiliation with Turkey identity and with Macedonian Turks. The regions inhabited by these Macedonian-speaking Muslims are Debarska Župa, Dolni Drimkol, Reka, and Golo Brdo (in Albania).
Among other names ascribed to them are Macedonian-speaking Muslims, Našinci, Apovci, Poturi and Turci (Turks).* Damjanovski, Ivan (2021) Old Communities and New Controversies: the community of Macedonian-speaking Muslims between ethnicity and religion, Political Thought 62: Also there is a big number of ethnonyms ascribed to the Macedonian speaking Muslims. Amongst others, most notable ethnonyms that are used in different regional contexts in Macedona sic are: Nashintsi, Pomaks, Apovci, Poturi and Turks. However the most widespread ethnonym (which is also accepted in the academic and political circles) is Torbesh, although the term has polarizing effects on some parts of the Macedonian speaking Muslim community They are also referred to as Macedonian Muslims or Muslim Macedonians.
In some sources, Macedonian-speaking Muslims are grouped together with Pomaks and Gorani. Report of the International Commission to Inquire into the Causes and Conduct of the Balkan Wars, published by the Endowment Washington, D.C. 1914, p.28, 155, 288, 317, Лабаури, Дмитрий Олегович. Болгарское национальное движение в Македонии и Фракии в 1894-1908 гг: Идеология, программа, практика политической борьбы, София 2008, с. 184-186, Поп Антов, Христо. Спомени, Скопje 2006, с. 22-23, 28-29, Дедиjeр, Jевто, Нова Србија, Београд 1913, с. 229, Петров Гьорче, Материали по изучаванието на Македония, София 1896, с. 475 (Petrov, Giorche. Materials on the Study of Macedonia, Sofia, 1896, p. 475) Center for Documentation and Information on Minorities in Europe - Southeast Europe (CEDIME-SE). Muslims of Macedonia. p. 2, 11Лабаури, Дмитрий Олегович. Болгарское национальное движение в Македонии и Фракии в 1894-1908 гг: Идеология, программа, практика политической борьбы, София 2008, с. 184, Кънчов, Васил. Македония. Етнография и статистика, с. 39-53 (Kanchov, Vasil. Macedonia — ethnography and statistics Sofia, 1900, p. 39-53), Leonhard Schultze Jena. «Makedonien, Landschafts- und Kulturbilder», Jena, G. Fischer, 1927Fikret Adanir, Die Makedonische Frage: Ihre Entstehung und Entwicklung bis 1908, Wiesbaden 1979 (in Bulgarian: Аданър, Фикрет. Македонският въпрос, София2002, с. 20) The Macedonian-speaking Muslims of Gollobordë are also known as Gollobordas.
Torbeši who identify as ethnic Macedonians claim to be "the truest Macedonians" who speak "clean Macedonian" and have maintained traditions and customs for centuries, unlike their Orthodox Macedonian counterparts.
Torbešija is an ethnographic region in the Marko's River Valley south of Skopje, today within Studeničani Municipality. Torbeš began settling in the area in the second half of the 18th century. Beginning in the 20th century, many Torbeš left the area for Turkey or Skopje.
In the late 90s, Macedonian linguist Božidar Vidoeski conducted a study on the Macedonian speaking population of Albania. During that time, he notes the existence of a Torbeš population in Gollobordë, on the Macedonian-Albanian border, specifically in the villages of Vërnicë, Trebisht Lladomericë, Gjinovec, Klenjë, Lejçan, Lubalesh, Ostren and Ostren i Vogël, Okshtun, Pasinkë, Radovesh, Sebisht, Sërpetovë, Stebleve, Tuçep, Tërbaç. An Albanian population dominated in the northern Gollobordë villages of Sebishtë, Pasinkë, Vërnicë, Ostren and Ostren i Vogël.Božidar Vidoeski (1998). 9789989649509, Makedonska akademija na naukite i umetnostite. . ISBN 9789989649509 p. 214. "Заедно со македонско христијанско население Торбеши живеат и во селата: Могорче, Требиште, Велебрдо, Ростуше, Јанче, Долно Косоврасти (во Река), Горенци, Житинени (во Жупа), Џепиште, Себишта, Пасинки, Големо и Мало Острени, Требишта, (во Голо Брдо),"; p. 309. "Во западна Македонија исламизирано македонско население живее во неколку географски региони на македонско-албанската пограничје:... Голо Брдо (Врмница, Владимирци, Гиновци, Клење, Лешничани, Љуболези, Големо и Мало Острени, Окштун, Отишани, Пасинки, Радовиште, Себишча, Српетово, Стеблево, Тучепи, Торбач, Џепишта)"; p. 339. "Во повеќето од спомнативе села живее население - со македонски и со албански мачин јазик. Албанското население доминира во северните голобрдски села (Себишта, Пасинки, Врмница, Големо и Мало Острени). Селата: Лешничани, Требиште, Српетово, Торбач, Љуболези, Владимирица и Тучепи се населени со Македонски муслимани (Торбеши), а во Себишта, Требиште, Г. и М. Острени живее мешано население - православни и Торбеши."
There are some tensions with the Macedonian Christian community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church.Duncan M. Perry, "The Republic of Macedonia: finding its way", in Politics, Power and the Struggle for Democracy in South-East Europe, ed. Karen Dawisha, Bruce Parrott, p. 256. (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
Identity for Macedonian Muslims is often tied to a belonging to their respective villages/localities.
In Yugoslavia, Slavic-speaking Muslims were allowed to register themselves for the first time as a separate ethnic group. This new form of identification was mostly used by Bosniaks, but also spread as a choice in Macedonia, where in 30,000-40,000 individuals identified themselves as Muslims in 1981 and 1991. This number dropped to ~14,000 in 1994. In the 2002 census, many Torbeši identified themselves with ethnic groups of their Muslim co-religionists: Albanians and Turks. The 2021 North Macedonia census was the first to have a separate ethnic category for Torbeši; a total of 4,174 individuals in the country identified as such and a further 455 identified as "Muslim Macedonians". However, data at the municipal and settlement levels is not available for these groups. There were also 1,187 individuals who declared as Muslims. Other Torbeši identified themselves as Turks, Albanians, and Bosniaks.
In municipalities containing the largest concentrations of Torbeš villages, the 2021 census results were as follows for individuals who participated in the census:
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| Centar Župa | 99.4 | 28.6 | Turk: 86.1%; Macedonian: 7.0%; Albanian 5.6%; Other 1.2% |
| Debar | 97.9 | 32.1 | Albanian: 60.7%; Turk: 19.7%; Macedonian: 8.3%; Other 3.1% |
| Mavrovo and Rostuša | 79.2 | 88.9 | Turk: 33.7%; Macedonian: 31.9%; Other: 23.2%; Albanian: 10.2% |
| Plasnica | 97.4% | 0.30% (as declared in the census) | Turk: 97.13%; Macedonian: 0.23%; Other: 0%; Albanian: 0.31% |
| Struga | 67.9 | 46.7 | Albanian: 54.4%; Macedonian: 31.4%; Turk: 7.3%; Other: 5.1% |
Interethnic marriages are considered acceptable among Macedonian Muslims, whereas interreligious ones are not, though families are most likely to prefer marriage with those from within the nearby villages. Arranged marriage, common in the past, is now rare.
The Torbeš consider their local cuisine to be "Macedonian cuisine", while it shares commonalities with neighboring Muslim groups such as dishes for weddings and religious holidays.
Led by member of parliament Fiat Canoski, “organizations of Macedonians of Islamic religion… declared themselves as Torbeshi”. At the First Torbesh Forum, they adopted the “Torbesh Charter” and demanded separate inclusion in the preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia.
A controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council of the Islamic community in North Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official language of Muslims in Macedonia. The decision prompted protests from the leaders and members of the Macedonian Muslim community.
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