Babyak

A sanctuary from the Iron Age in a site, called "Mitesh" and an ancient village at the site "Pshenitseninata" are the oldest traces of live near the village. A Thracian marble plates representing Bendida, Zeus and Hera were found at an altar used till 5th century. A medieval necropolis and more than 1000 copper and silver Byzantine coins have been unearthed at a site named "Gogovo". Ruins from a medieval monastery "St Ekaterina" have been found at "Babyaska chuka". The village was mentioned in an Ottoman register from 1576 year.

In the book Ethnographie des Vilayets d'Andrinople, de Monastir et de Salonique in French the village was described as "village with 892 households and more than 2100 male inhabitants of pomak origin" as in 1873. In 1900 Vasil Kanchov wrote about a "village with more than 3600 people of pomak origin". In 1916 D. Gadzhanov noted about 4780 pomak people, living in Babyak. Since 1954 - 1955 some neighborhoods of the village have been separated from the village and the population decreased.

The population is Muslim of Pomak origin. In 1972 started a renaming process of the people of non-Bulgarian (Islamic) names and more than 400 men formed resistance groups, who tried to reach Sofia and to protest against the renaming, but they were stopped and arrested. One old man died after the incident. There is a very old mosque from 17th century.

There is one primary school "St. St. Cyril and Methodius", a kindergarten, a nursery and a cultural center with library.

The village is connected with the national road system by a fourth class municipal road through the villages Lyutovo and Kraishte. There are roads to the neighboring villages: Kuzyovo, Chereshovo and Ortsevo. The road between Babyak and Lyutovo is in excellent condition, but the other roads need improvement. The roads are mountainous, narrow and steep and very difficult in the winter. There are no other types of transportation. Electricity is provided to all the neighborhoods of the village by aerial wires. Home and mobile phones are provided. There is a central sewerage and local water supply. A post office and a grocery work daily. The police station is in the village hall.

• Information for Babyak in Bulgarian
• Babyak satellite map