The Pontic Mountains, which run parallel to the Black Sea, separate the coastline of Asia Minor from the interior Anatolian Plateau, resulting in a geographical setting similar to that of Lebanon and the Caspian provinces of Iran, which through the centuries have been known to provide a refuge to minority groups. The eastern Black Sea region of Turkey, composed of a succession of parallel valleys running south to north, from the mountains to the sea, has thus been a repository of cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity. In addition to the Hemshin, the region is home to Islamicized communities speaking Greek, Lazi and Georgian.

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