Abstract from Helen Karatzas's book [in Greek] "The last
Hellenism of the
region of St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Akseray-Ghelveri (Carbala)"
The Akseray-Ghelveri region, which before 1924 numbered approximately
5,000 Greeks,
mainly Turkophone, is situated in western Cappadocia. This large province,
with Caesarea as its
capital, occupies the centre of Asia Minor and is bordered by the region
of the Pontus on the
north. Cilicia on the south, Lycaonia on the west and the Euphrates and
Armenia on the east.
From the 11th century onwards Cappadocia was repeatedly invaded, first by
Seljuk, and then by
Ottoman tribes. These invasions, which culminated in the permanent
occupation of the whole of
Asia Minor and in the constitution of the Ottoman Empire, led to the
gradual loss of the Hellenic
character of the region. Thus, prior to the population exchanges in 1924,
there were only
eighty-one towns or villages partly or wholly inhabited by Orthodox
Greeks, of which only
fifty-one were Hellenophone.
The Centre for Asia Minor Studies, founded in 1930 by Melpo Merlier, first
turned its attention
to the study of this distant and little-known province. To facilitate the
study of Cappadocian
Hellenism, the area was subdivided into seven regions by grouping hamlets
and larger villages
around a central town to which they were linked administratively or
commercially.
The administrative centre of the Akseray-Ghelveri region examined in this
book is the town of
Akseray, situated on the road from Iconium to Caesarea, at a distance of
131 km southwest of the
latter. Amongst approximately 150 hamlets and villages surrounding it are
the five settlements
which were inhabited partly or entirely by Greeks up to the exodus of
1924. These are:
Ghelveri, a large village at a distance of 31 km southeast of Akseray, and
the villages of Kenatala,
Sivrinisar, Halvadere and Tcheltek. Only Tcheltek and Srivinisar were
inhabited exclusively by
Greeks and only in Tcheltek was a Greek dialect spoken. A Greek colony was
founded in Akseray
during the 19th century, also by Cappadocian Greeks.
According to the estimates of the Centre, the number of Greeks in this
region never exceeded
5,000, but if one takes into account the circumstances in which they lived
over a period of many
centuries, this number is far from insignificant. The study of their life,
customs, and traditions
is of great interest. In this region, nowadays entirely Turkicised, there
are, as in most of
Cappadocia, a great many ruins of churches, houses and rock churches
covered with frescoes and
inscriptions. There are also labyrinths, called "inns", where the
population took refuge in case
of war or invasions.
Ruins of churches, chapels or sanctuaries where the Greeks worshipped are
to be found in some
Turkish villages, as for example in Peristremma, Mamasson et al.; these
were also sometimes
used as places of worship by the Turks, whose traditions, especially those
linked to the cult of St.
Gregory of Nazianzus, are very characteristic.
The research carried out by the Centre for Asia Minor Studies on these
vestiges of Cappadocian
Hellenism first centered around the study of the oral tradition based on
material recorded from
many sources. The Centre also undertook the study of community registers,
records of the Greek
authorities, Turkish official documents (firmans, etc), private texts,
various manuscripts,
stamps, etc brought back by the refugees, as well as the relevant Greek
and foreign bibliography.
This book is the outcome of our personal research within the framework of
the Centre for Asia
Minor Studies, as well as that of other colleagues belonging to the same
Centre. Special mention
should be made of Mr. Hermes Andreadis, whose missions in Cappadocia were
extremely fruitful;
of the Centre's Cartographic Department and of the translators of firmans
and other Turkish
texts, all of whose assistance to the author of this work has been
invaluable.
This book attempts to give a picture of the life and development of this
late Hellenism during the
period of about 150 years before the exodus of 1924 -- a period for which
the existing sources
are more abundant and reliable. We have nevertheless also attempted,
whilst describing the area
and its Greek and Turkish localities, to present certain aspects of its
history prior to this
period, with special emphasis on St. Gregory of Nazianzus whose legend is
still alive amidst both
Greeks and Turks.
More specifically, we have studied the large and important village of
Ghelveri and its evolution
over the 19th century, when the general conditions were greatly improved
for the Christian
populations who were finally given a breathing space after a long-drawn
period of clandestine
existence.
Ghelveri, most probably the Carbala of St. Gregory, abandoned its
troglodyte dwellings, became a
rich village and developed its economy, communal life and schools. A great
advance took place in
education, a major concern both of the local inhabitants and of the
Cappadocian immigrants in
Istanbul, and attempts were made to revive the Greek language which had
disappeared during the
preceding period.
This development, which was shared as far as possible by the small
villages, came to an abrupt
halt as a result of the 1914-18 war and the Asia Minor expedition. The end
of that expedition
also marked the end of Hellenism in Asia Minor, and its last
representatives left the country in
1924.
Finally, the last chapter of this book deals with the vicissitudes
encountered by this ancient
population at the time of their settlement in Greece and the difficulties
they have had to overcome
in order to be integrated into their new homeland.
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