bavcha, bahcha – a garden
belvitsa – a type of bleak, a fish endemic to Lake Prespa
besa – an oath, part of the Kanun
bey – a title for a local governor in Ottoman times
charshia – a market, usually along the main commercial street
chun – a traditional Ohrid Lake boat
detsa begalci (Bulgarian, Macedonian) – refugee children of the Greek Civil War, most of whom ended up in Eastern Europe; associated in Greece with paedomazoma (literally ‘the gathering of children’)
ferman – an official document during the Ottoman Empire
gurbet – work abroad, often for long periods
High Porte – also Sublime Porte; the central government of the Ottoman Empire
kalé – fortress
Kanun – a medieval code of honour in northern Albania
keche – a soft skullcap, Albanian, normally white
kiradjia – drover, caravan-owner, travelling trader in pre-modern Albania and Macedonia
komita, komitadja – freedom-fighter, literally ‘member of a secret committee’, during the national liberation movements at the end of the Ottoman era; the medieval meaning was ‘governor’ – as in the Tsar Samuil dynasty of the Komitopouli
koran – see pastrmka
pashalak – fiefdom, semi-autonomous domain in the Ottoman Balkans; from pasha, high-ranking official
pastrmka (Macedonian), koran (Albanian) – a species of trout endemic to Lake Ohrid
samovila, vila – female shape-shifting entity in Balkan folklore
saray – mansion, stately quarters, for Ottoman rulers and their households
tekke – a Sufi lodge
varosh – inner town, old town
VMRO – the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation, originally a secret political organisation with many branches, aiming to liberate Macedonia from the Ottomans. Today, the name of political parties in North Macedonia and Bulgaria.