This paper deals with the person and legacy of Salih A?a of Pa?makl? within the context of the hotly disputed Pomak heritage in Bulgaria. Salih is the most famous, but “forgotten” Pomak governor of the small Ottoman province of Ah? Çelebi from the first half of the nineteenth century. Relying largely on orally transmitted ethnographic documentation, I reconstruct the life story of a fascinating ruler who registers in local memory as tough – indeed, often ruthless – but relentlessly evenhanded enforcer of justice. Most notably, he elevated the status of Christians to that of Muslims in Ah? Çelebi despite the religious discrimination inherent in Shari’a, the normative law of the Ottoman Empire. Historically speaking, Salih A?a is important in the rising discourse of Pomak heritage in Bulgaria. Because of the contentious nature of Pomak identity in the national narrative, the Muslim Rhodopean community has been stranded on a precarious crossroad with no real sense of self that is reflective of the people’s own understanding of past and present. Since the time of their first comprehensive Christianization of 1912-1913, the Pomaks have been consistently told to think of themselves as descendants of forcibly Islamized Bulgarians, whose primary patriotic duty is to return to their “true” identity. Challenges to any aspect of – what has become – the established history of the Bulgarian nation is likely to be met with overt hostility and aggression. Finding a way out of negative emotions and devising common grounds for the discussion of historical heritage, therefore, is paramount to a constructive public discourse. Salih A?a, the man who cared equally for the well-being of Muslim and Christian communities within his realm more than 170 years ago, may be able to offer just such shared platform. While the formal acknowledgement and celebration of Salih’s legacy in Smolyan would immensely please the local Pomak community, allowing them to develop a sense of historical continuity, it will also open the discussion of currently sensitive issues pertaining to the Ottoman past, including Pomak identity. This paper contributes to revitalizing the local Pomak heritage through the narrative of Salih’s life as reflected in oral history and recorded by Vassil Dechov, Nikolay Haytov, and Petar Marinov, among others. Albeit neglected by orthodox history, Salih of Pa?makl? is very much alive in vernacular memory and available to inspire the common grounds for a new, shared Rhodopean heritage.