People / group

Laz people

The Laz are a Kartvelian-speaking people of the south-eastern Black Sea coast, living mainly in north-eastern Turkey around Rize and Artvin and in Adjara in Georgia. Descended from the ancient Colchians, they gave their name to the late antique kingdom of Lazica. Under the Empire of Trebizond they lived in its eastern districts and served as soldiers; most converted to Islam under Ottoman rule.

Laz people
Image: Macukali · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Laz people. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/laz-people
MLA
“Laz people.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/laz-people. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Laz people.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/laz-people.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Laz people’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/laz-people (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻