The
Vallahades or
Valaades (
Βαλαάδες) were a
Greek-speaking,
Muslim population who lived along the River
Haliacmon in southwest
Greek Macedonia, in and around
Anaselitsa (modern Neapoli) and
Grevena. They numbered about 17,000 in the early 20th century. They are a frequently referred-to community of late-
Ottoman Empire converts to
Islam, because unlike most other such communities of
Greek Muslims in Ottoman
Macedonia the Vallahades retained many aspects of their Greek culture and continued to speak Greek for both private and public purposes. Most other Greek converts to Islam from Ottoman Macedonia,
Thrace, and
Epirus generally adopted the Turkish language and culture and thereby assimilated into mainstream Ottoman society.