Tag: Greeks in Turkey

A Greek Travel Guide to Istanbul

Cathedral of Agia Sophia in Istanbul | Photo Credit: Rachel Portele

Constantinople, Byzantion, Poli, Istanbul. These are the names that Greeks usually use to refer to the once capital of Byzantium and today’s largest city in Turkey. Istanbul is a multicultural, modern city, and an attractive tourist destination that offers everything from ancient history to fabulous nightclubs.

A tourist destination for many Greeks or admirer’s of Greek ancient history, Istanbul is home till this day to about 3,000 Greeks.

In 685 B.C., settlers from the ancient Greek town of Megara chose to colonize the town of Chalcedon, in today’s Kadıköy district. Some years later, in 667 B.C., famous Greek King Byzas went on colonizing the European side of the Bosporus further, thus founding the city of Byzantion.

As Today’s Zaman mentions, two prominent examples of ancient Greek architecture are the Serpentine Column and Leander’s Tower.

Approximately 2,500 years-old, the Serpentine Column is said to be İstanbul’s oldest remaining Greek monument. Erected to honor the triumph of the Greeks over the Persians at Plataea, it originally stood at Delphi and was moved to İstanbul in 324 B.C. by Constantine the Great to mark the declaration of the new capital city of the then-founded Roman Empire under the name of Constantinople.

Surrounded by no fewer stories is Leander’s Tower, often referred to as Maiden’s Tower and located offshore in the Bosporus in the Üsküdar district. It was actually built in 408 B.C. by an Athenian general to control Persian ships sailing along the Bosporus.

Although the Greek footprints exist around every corner of the city some major sights that have great Greek interest include Hagia Sophia (Αγια Σοφία), Topκapi, the Patriarchate and Saint George Church, Halki School and Princess Islands.

Agia Sophia

Hagia Sophia or Saint Sophia (from the Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, “Holy Wisdom”) is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople of the Western Crusader established Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from the 29th of May 1453 until 1931, when it was secularized. It was opened as a museum on the 1st of February 1935.

The Church was dedicated to the Logos, the second person of the Holy Trinity, its dedication feast taking place on 25 December, the anniversary of the incarnation of the Logos in Christ.

It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520. The current building was originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and was the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site, the previous two having both been destroyed by rioters. It was designed by the Greek scientists Isidore of Miletus, a physicist, and Anthemius of Tralles, a mathematician.

Topkapi Palace

The palace complex is located on the Seraglio Point (Sarayburnu), a promontory overlooking the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara, with the Bosphorus in plain sight from many points of the palace. The site is hilly and one of the highest points close to the sea. Topkapi includes a lot of Greek treasures including ancient artifacts, books and unique architecture.

View of Topkapi Palace from Bosphorus Sea

During Greek and Byzantine times, the acropolis of the ancient Greek city of Byzantion stood here. There is an underground Byzantine cistern, located in the Second Courtyard, which was used throughout Ottoman times, as well as remains of a small church, the so-called Palace Basilica on the acropolis have also been excavated in modern times. The nearby Church of Hagia Eirene, though located in the First Courtyard, is not considered a part of the old Byzantine acropolis.

The library is a beautiful example of Ottoman architecture of the 18th century. The exterior of the building is faced with marble. The library has the form of a Greek cross with a domed central hall and three rectangular bays. In 1928 the books of the Enderûn Library, among other works, were moved here as the Palace Library (Sarayı Kütüphanesi), housing a collection of about 13,500 Turkish, Arabic, Persian and Greek books and manuscripts, collected by the Ottomans. Located next to the mosque to the northeast is the Imperial Portraits Collection.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

Patriarchate – Saint George Church

Constantinople has been the center of the Eastern Christian Church since Constantine moved the Roman capital there in the 4th century. To this day, the city remains the home of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, who is recognized as the “first among equals” of all Orthodox spiritual leaders. The Patriarchate’s church is Saint George.

St. George

St. George had been part of a monastery before it welcomed the Orthodox Patriarchate. Over the centuries, it has been periodically damaged, the last time during the fire in 1941. Repairs began in 1989 and were completed in 1991.

The church’s main boast, aside from its association with the Patriarch, are its artifacts and relics, which include: the patriarchal throne, believed to date from the 5th century; three rare mosaic icons; the Column of Flagellation to which Jesus was tied and whipped; relics of Sts. Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom; and the tombs of three female saints.

The Patriarchate complex includes the Authorization Offices, the Patriarchate Library, the Financial offices, the public enterprises of Patriarchate and the Patriarchate Cathedral Church of Saint George.

Princess Islands

During the summer months the Princes’ Islands are popular destinations for day trips from Istanbul. In the past Princess Islands used to be home for thousands of Greeks but till this day there are a lot of Greeks living there. The largest island is Prinkipos where is also located the Orphanage of Saint George. As there is no traffic on the Islands, the only transport being horse and cart, they are incredibly peaceful compared with the city of Istanbul. They are just a short ferry ride from both the Asian (at Bostancı and also Kartal) and European sides (from Sirkeci/Eminönü, Kabataş and Yenikapı) of Istanbul. On the island of Halki there is the famous Greek Orthodox Theological School

Theological School of Halki

The Halki seminary, formally the Theological School of Halki (Greek: Θεολογική Σχολή Χάλκης), was founded on 1 October 1844 on the island of Halki (now called Heybeliada), the second-largest of the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara. It was the main school of theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church’s Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople until the Turkish government stopped its use in 1971. The theological school is located at the top of the island’s Hill of Hope, on the site of the Byzantine-era Monastery of the Holy Trinity. The premises of the school continue to be maintained by the monastery and are used to host conferences. Visitors can see the school and wander around the campus. As of January 2011, an international campaign to reopen the theological school is entering its 40th year. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople is among the schools alumni.

How to get there:
Turkish Airlines offers many daily flights from Athens and Thessaloniki Airport. The award winning air carrier also offers international flights that connect most major international cities directly with Istanbul. New York, Los Angeles, London and Tokyo are only some of the cities that Turkish is flying directly. Turkish Airlines is flying in more than 200 destinations worldwide with an excellent fleet and unique services.

Where to stay in Istanbul:
Armada Hotel, is one of the best hotels in the neighborhood of Sultanahmet, inside the walls of the old city. The Hotel is situated afew minutes away from the Blue Mosque and Agia Sophia. The hotel’s terrace often hosts wedding parties and offers breathtaking views of the old city, Bosphorus sea, Blue mosque and Agia Sophia.

Where to eat: Near Istanbul’s Taksim square at the neighborhood of Pera, there is Krependeki Imroz, a family restaurant owned by Greeks. The restaurant offers great ‘meze’ dishes in a great environment.

September 19, 2011
Greeks in Istanbul Cry Tears of Joy for the Return of their Properties

Greeks in Istanbul welcomed Erdogan’s decision to return confiscated property to minorities, with tears of joy in their eyes.

As the representative of minority institutions under the General Directorate for Foundations and member of the Greek minority of Istanbul, Lakis Vingas, stated to Newsit; “yesterday was a historic day. Mr. Erdogan’s determination is one of a leader, as the issue was solved by a government decision and did not go through general assembly. This is evidence to Mr. Erdogan’s consistency in the progress of issues, faced by minorities here for many decades. We neither received a gift, nor compensation; we simply took back what belonged to us. This is justice and what we have been waiting for. We are now in the third phase of the return of minority properties and are very satisfied.

From now on, we should be mindful not only for the return of property, but also for the proper management and future course of the entire property. For us, for example, the return of the Galata School is very important. In addition, a large property we own in the Kantyli community, some Monasteries and other properties and of course cemeteries”.

Mr. Lakis Vingas represents the council for Armenian, Syrian – Chaldean and Greek foundations in Istanbul. As he stated himself, minorities in the past were afraid to even enter the threshold of the General Directorate, but now, thanks to the effort for harmonization with EU law, things are changing. Lastly, he added that, particular attention should be paid to the future of minority foundations in Turkey.

via Greeks in Istanbul Cry Tears of Joy for the Return of their Properties | Greek Reporter Europe.

September 1, 2011
Historic Greek Newspaper in Istanbul Faces Closure

The Greek language newspaper “Apoyevmatini” is one of the oldest newspapers in Turkey. After 86 years in circulation, the Greek paper is now facing closure due to the financial problems which were aggravated by the economic crisis in Greece. Mr. Mihalis Vasiliadis, editor-in-chief of the newspaper, mentions some of the problems the Greek press faces in Istanbul.

“Apoyevmatini” was published for the first time on July 12, 1925. It is a four-page Greek language daily newspaper with news concerning Greece, Turkey and the world. Mr. Vasiliadis took charge in 2002 and continues to publish it by himself, with the help of his son, Minas, working 18 hours per day.

During his career he has faced lawsuits in Turkey, since he was accused of Greek propaganda. After 1975, when he went to Greece, he published the newspaper “Eptalofos” and was accused of not being “aggressive” enough against the Turks. In the end, however, he was found innocent on all accounts.

Unfortunately, the problems of the Greek community in Istanbul and the economic crisis have a negative effect on the newspaper. The Greek population is continuously diminishing, because of the non favorable conditions in Turkey. In 1964, the Greek community numbered 90,000 people. However, after the strict economic measures and the persecutions by the Turks, the number was dramatically decreased and today there are only 610 Greek families, in other words, 2000 people. The number is too small to support a newspaper.

“Due to the crisis Greek companies and foundations cannot support the newspaper financially by advertising and the funds for cultural issues have been reduced and are not used to support the newspapers” explains Mr. Vasiliadis. The other Greek language newspaper which is in circulation in Turkey, “IHO”, faces similar problems.

The Greek state is indifferent. A progressive group of Turks showed their interest about the situation and wanting to help, they became subscribers.

Mr. Vasiliadis emphasizes the importance of the newspaper for the Greek community of Istanbul as it is closely linked with the hardship that people have faced over the years. In fact, the newspaper archives have been studied by scholars.

It would be terrible for readers if the paper gets shut down, as they would lose all hopes for the future of their community, which is gradually disappearing.

via Historic Greek Newspaper in Istanbul Faces Closure | Greek Reporter Europe.

July 8, 2011
Non-Muslims demand equal citizenship rights in new constitution

The new constitution of Turkey should embrace all of its citizens and elevate individual rights and freedoms equally for all as opposed to the 1982 Constitution, which reinforced state and military authority and introduced substantial restrictions to the exercise of individual rights and freedoms, non-Muslim Turkish citizens indicate.

A member of Turkey’s Greek Orthodox community in an İstanbul church. Non-Muslims demand equality for minorities in the new constitution.

A member of Turkey’s Greek Orthodox community in an İstanbul church. Non-Muslims demand equality for minorities in the new constitution.

When asked by Sunday’s Zaman if Turkey needed a new constitution, most of the non-Muslim “minority” citizens of Turkey were no different than the majority of the voices in Turkey in their demands for a new, democratic and civilian constitution, and they always made references to the 1982 Constitution, which was drafted in the aftermath of the Sept. 12, 1980 military takeover.

“Instead of the 1982 Constitution, which blesses and protects the state and also says that rights can be restricted, a new constitution should be made to put emphasis on human rights, provide social justice and give people rights to live in accordance with their identity,” said Arus Yumul, a professor of sociology and a Turkish citizen of Armenian origin.

Laki Vingas, representative of several minority foundations and a Turkish citizen of Greek origin shares the same opinion. “Making a new constitution is important for every Turkish citizen. It is utterly disturbing that we still have the constitution of the 1980 military coup,” Vingas says.

Researcher and writer Nail Güleryüz, a Turkish citizen of Jewish background, is of the same opinion, and Zeki Basatemir, a member of the board of directors of the Syriac Catholic Church Foundation in Turkey, added that Turkish citizens of Syriac origin also demand a constitution which would emphasize individual rights and freedoms.

The Sept. 12 coup d’état was the third coup in Turkey’s history which came after a period of ideological armed conflict on Turkey’s streets during the second half of the 1970s. An estimated 5,000 people were killed during the political violence. Some 600,000 were reportedly detained, more than 200,000 were tried, over 10,000 were stripped of their citizenship and 50 people were executed while hundreds of thousands were tortured and went missing during the military coup administration.

But should a new constitution have special provisions for non-Muslims in Turkey, where they are supposed to have safeguards under the “Protection of Minorities” clause of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne? According to Güleryüz, a constitution should “justly embrace” all individuals of the country and should not give special privileges, even positive discrimination, to any individuals or institutions. “Therefore, there should not be special clauses for Turkish citizens of Jewish origin,” he said. “It would be adequate for Turkey’s Jewish people — even though they can be considered a ‘minority numerically’ from the perspective of religion — to have equal rights and responsibilities.”

He also recalled that the chief rabbi and the Jewish community leaders of the 1920s relinquished many special privileges provided to minorities by the Treaty of Lausanne.

Vingas regards the special clauses of the Lausanne Treaty regarding minorities as a thing of the past. “I don’t want to tell my children who will be born in 2020 that they are bound by the rules of 1923,” he said. “I am a normal citizen in this country, not separate or apart.”

The number of Turkish citizens of Jewish and Syriac origin has been estimated to be around 25,000 each, while this number is around 3,000 for the Turkish citizens of Greek origin. The Turkish-Armenian community is the largest of the minority groups in Turkey with a population of approximately 60,000, mostly in İstanbul. Despite protections, non-Muslims faced injustices in Turkey, a fact which has been recently stated by a government official. Ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Çelik had told Sunday’s Zaman that “the deep state” and the “pro-single-party spirit of the Republican People’s Party [CHP]” lies behind the injustices that were done to non-Muslims in Turkey. The single-party period of Turkey begins with the CHP being the only party after the founding of the republic on Oct. 29, 1923 and ends in 1946 with the establishment of the National Development Party (MKP).

“Serious injustices were done to all these groups during the single-party era in Turkey; however, the injustices done to the non-Muslims were more severe. The wealth tax was a disgrace. The closure of the Greek seminary was a great shame. The Sept. 6-7 incidents were an inhumane conspiracy that humiliated Turkey in the eyes of the world,” Çelik said.

He was referring to the tax which was levied on the wealthy citizens of Turkey in 1942, with the stated aim of raising funds for the country’s defense in the event of eventual entry into World War II. Those who suffered most severely from this tax were non-Muslims: Jews, Greeks, Armenians and Levantines. Established on Oct. 1, 1844, on Heybeli Island — or Halki in Greek — in the Marmara Sea, the Halki Seminary was the main school of theology for the Eastern Orthodox Church’s patriarchate in İstanbul until its closure by Turkish authorities in 1971. The unfortunate events of Sept. 6-7, 1955 started after a newspaper headline said the home of the nation’s founder, Atatürk, in Greece had been bombed by Greek militants. Fired up by the media, mobs killed and harassed non-Muslims and non-Turkish minorities in a massive campaign.

“Republican governments always wanted to destroy minorities,” said Turkish-Armenian journalist Pakrat Estukyan, adding that a good portion of non-Muslims still do not trust the state because of what happened in the past.

“Since 1923, even Lausanne has been subject to being run over,” he said. “We are in the process of democratization but there is not a consensus in society about how a more democratic constitution should be.”

Like most people in society, non-Muslims also stress the need for a wide-ranging consensus in society for making the new constitution, and that a new constitution should be made by the new Parliament, but not only by the ruling party even if it garners enough votes on June 12.

“Unions, civil society groups, institutions and businesses should agree on the principles. Even parties which remained out of Parliament as a result of the election should be consulted in the process of making a new constitution,” Vingas said, pointing out the 10 percent election threshold.

“For the constitution not to be an arena of power-sharing among the powerful, citizens’ participation into the process is essential, especially in societies that have a tendency to resort to violence,” Yumul said, adding that no matter how well-written, no constitution would provide equal citizenship for non-Muslims if it doesn’t go hand-in-hand with a general understanding for the meaning of equal citizenship.

In that regard, Basatemir stressed that non-Muslims will feel their “equality” if de facto practices disappear.

“Although there are not written rules, I am not allowed to have a career in the police, military and in high levels of the bureaucracy because I am a Christian,” he said. “We appreciate recent reforms in Turkey but we should have an understanding that non-Muslims are Turkish citizens, too.” In addition, Güleryüz emphasized the prevention of the hate crimes.

Some civil society groups have been raising their voices against hate speech and hate crimes, which are serious problems in the country, and emphasizing that there is a need for legislation to combat them. The cases they give include the 2007 murder of journalist Hrant Dink, who was the editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos; in Malatya, the Zirve murders of 2007 when three people who had sold Christian literature were brutally killed; and the murder of Catholic priest Father Andrea Santoro in Trabzon.

June 5, 2011