Diversity in Modern Greek Culture

Cretan Greek

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Cretan GreekHistory of the Greek language (see also: Greek alphabet)

Proto-Greek (c. 30001600 BC) Mycenaean (c. 16001100 BC) Ancient Greek (c. 800330 BC) Dialects: Aeolic, Arcadocypriot, Attic-Ionic, Doric, Locrian, Pamphylian, Homeric Greek, Macedonian Koine Greek (c. 330 BC330) Medieval Greek (3301453) Modern Greek (from 1453) Dialects: Calabrian, Cappadocian, Cheimarriotika, Cretan, Cypriot, Demotic, Griko, Katharevousa, Pontic, Tsakonian, Maniot, Yevanic*

Dates (beginning with Ancient Greek) from Wallace,D.B. (1996). Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. p.12. ISBN0310218950.

Cretan Greek (Cretan dialect in Greek, Kritik dilektos or Kritik ) is a dialect of the Greek language, spoken by more than half a million people in Crete and many thousands in the diaspora.

Geographic distributionThe Cretan dialect is spoken by the majority of the Cretan Greeks in the island of Crete, as well as by several thousands of Cretans who have settled in major Greek cities, notably in Athens. In the major centers of the Greek diaspora, the dialect continues to be used by the Cretans, mainly in the United States, Australia, and Germany. In addition, the descendants of many Cretan Muslims who left the island during the 19th and early 20th century continue to use it. In Turkey, they are called Cretan Turks. There is another grouping of Cretan Muslims in the coastal town of Al Hamidiyah, Syria, and the neighboring territories of Lebanon.

Cretan Greek

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Phonology Palatalisation. Standard Greek has an allophonic alternation between velar consonants ([k], [], [x], []) and palatalised counterparts (([c], [], [], []) before front vowels (/i/, /e/). In southern dialects, the palatalisation goes further towards affricates (e.g. [te] vs. standard [ce] 'and'). Subtypes can be distinguished that have either palato-alveolar ([t], [d], [], []) or alveolo-palatal sounds ([t], [d], [], []). The former are reported for Cyprus, the latter for Crete, among others.[1]

Grammar inda? versus ti? In Standard Greek, the interrogative pronoun 'what?' is ti. In most of the Aegean Islands (except at its geographical fringe: Rhodes in the south-east, Lemnos, Thasos and the Sporades in the north; and Andros in the west), it is inda[2] as it is for Cyprus.

Usage and settingsToday the Cretan dialect is rarely used in writing. However, Cretan Greeks usually communicate with each other in this dialect. Cretan is not much different from the Greek dialects or Standard Greek, and has a fairly high level of mutual intelligibility. Many organizations of Cretans aim to preserve their culture, including their dialect, and the dialect does not seem to be in danger of extinction. Some academics speculate that Cretan could have become the basis of Modern Standard Greek, given its flourishing history and achievements. According to them, this process was interrupted by the Ottoman conquest in 1669.

HistoryLike all other modern Greek dialects except Tsakonian and, to some extent, Griko, Cretan evolved from Koine. Its structure and vocabulary have preserved different features than standard Greek, due to the distance of Crete from the main Greek centers. There are also influences from other languages. The conquest of Crete by the Andalusian Moors in 824 left mainly toponyms. However, Venetian influence proved to be stronger since the island remained under Venetian control for nearly five centuries. To this day, many toponyms, names and words stem from the Venetian language of early modern times, which came to reinforce the Latin influence from antiquity and the early Byzantine Empire. Following the Ottoman conquest of 1669, Turkish words entered the vocabulary of Cretans as well. Borrowings, as usual, are mainly lexical; Arabic, Turkish, and Venetian had little or no effect on grammar and syntax. With the beginning of the 20th century and the evolution of technology and tourism, English, French and German terms are widely used.

LiteratureMedieval works suggest that Modern Greek started shaping as early as the 10th century, with one of the first works being the epic poem of Digenis Acritas). However, the first literary activity which was important enough to be identified as "modern Greek literature" was done in the Cretan dialect during the 16th century. Erotokritos is undoubtedly the masterpiece of the Cretan literature, and perhaps the supreme achievement of modern Greek literature. It is a romantic work written around 1600 by Vitsentzos Kornaros (1553-1613). In over 10,000 lines of rhyming fifteen-syllable couplets, the poet relates the trials and tribulations suffered by two young lovers, Erotokritos and Aretousa, daughter of Heracles, King of Athens. It was a tale that enjoyed enormous popularity among its Greek readership. The poets of the period of Cretan literature (15th-17th centuries) used the spoken Cretan dialect. The tendency to purge the language of foreign elements was above all represented by Chortatsis, Kornaros and the anonymous poets

Cretan Greek of Voskopoula and the Sacrifice of Abraham, whose works highlight the expressive power of the dialect. As dictated by the pseudo-Aristotelian theory of decorum, the heroes of the works use a vocabulary analogous to their social and educational background. It was thanks to this convention that the Cretan comedies were written in a language that was an amalgam of Italicisms, Latinisms and the local dialect, thereby approximating to the actual language of the middle class of the Cretan towns. The time span separating Antonios Achelis, author of the Siege of Malta (1570), and Chortatsis and Kornaros is too short to allow for the formation, from scratch, of the Cretan dialect we see in the texts of the latter two. The only explanation, therefore, is that the poets at the end of the sixteenth century were consciously employing a particular linguistic preference they were aiming at a pure style of language for their literature and, via that language, a separate identity for the Greek literary production of their homeland. The flourishing Cretan school was all but terminated by the Turkish capture of the island in the 17th century. The ballads of the klephts, however, survive from the 18th century; these are the songs of the Greek mountain fighters who carried on guerrilla warfare against the Turks. Many Greek authors have integrated Cretan literary elements in their respective works. Among these authors were Nikos Kazantzakis who was known for his literary contributions mainly written in standard Greek. This paradigm, overall, has helped Kazantzakis to write significant works such as Zorba the Greek and thus establish for himself recognition in various international circles.

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References[1] Trudgill 2003: 54. [2] Kontosopoulos 1999.

Article Sources and Contributors

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Article Sources and ContributorsCretan Greek Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=479858592 Contributors: Akhilleus, Cplakidas, DIEGO RICARDO PEREIRA, Deucalionite, El Greco, Erutuon, Eugene-elgato, Fjmustak, Future Perfect at Sunrise, Hectorian, Macrakis, Melenc, Miskin, Neoptolemos, Notesenses, Patroklis, Perique des Palottes, Steinbach, Stevepeterson, TimBentley, William Avery, 8 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:P46.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:P46.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Bibi Saint-Pol, Dsmdgold, Foroa, Heycos, Kersti Nebelsiek, Neithsabes, Saiht, Sscotts, Unicorn, Wst, 1 anonymous edits

LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported //creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Sfakians

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SfakiansThe Sfakians (or Sphakians or Sfakiots; Greek: ) are the inhabitants of the region of Sfakia located in western Crete. The Sfakians hold themselves to be the direct descendants of the Dorians who invaded the island around 1100 BC. Although they are not as strong or aggressive as the Maniots, but like the Maniots, the inhabitants of Sfakia have faced numerous foreign invaders, to which fact they owe their reputation as courageous warriors that they have had for centuries as cousins of the Maniots and Souliots.A group of modern Sfakians dancing at Komitades, Sfakia.

Sfakians and SaracensWhen the Saracen Arabs invaded Crete in 824 AD, many regions of the island, Sphakia included, escaped effective Arab rule. One reason frequently offered is geography: Sphakians, secure in their mountain fastness, could mount a formidable deep defence de haut en bas (from top to bottom), gradually retreating upward while imposing relatively high casualties on invaders from the lowlands. In refusing to submit to the Arabs, the Sfakians established a form of self-government known as the Gerousia ("Council of Elders"); this had its antecedent in the Spartan Gerousia, but it is not clear there is any connection. The members of the council were either known as Gerontes ("Elders") or Dimogerontes ("Public Elders") who were selected based on the general consensus of the members of the entire community (cf. alderman). Nicephorus Phocas, general of the Greek Byzantine forces sent to liberate Crete, appointed large numbers of Sfakian warriors to defend his rear against Arab attacks from the south while he besieged Chandax. Chandax was the key to Phocas's campaign as it was both the most formidable Arab fortress and the capital of Crete under Arab rule. The Sfakians not only successfully protected General Phocas's troops, but they also supported him in the siege of Chandax, which fell on March 7, 961 AD, marking the end of Arab rule in Crete. General Phocas was so grateful for the contributions of the Sfakians that he gave the Gerontes many presents which included weapons and lavish clothing. Moreover, the general allowed the Sfakians the right to continue with their own form of self-government with the added benefit of being exempt from all taxes. Moreover, when General Phocas became the emperor of the Byzantine Empire, he reconfirmed these privileges.

Peace in Byzantine CreteAt the dawn of the second Byzantine period in Crete (961 - 1204), the island itself was in a state of devastation. Many of the inhabitants were sold to slave markets, the economy was in ruins, and the administrative structure of government had no presence on the island. The Byzantines immediately started to rebuild fortifications on the island in order to guard against future attacks. Also, they placed a new administrative system that divided the island into a number of provinces that appointed their own governors.View of Loutro community at Sfakia region.

Sfakians A new period of cultural and economic renewal began to emerge in Crete. Christianity in Crete was undergoing a revival thanks to missionaries such as Saint Saint Nikon the Metanoeite ("The Repenter") and Saint Ioannis Xenos ("John the Stranger"). The local population grew and further assistance was provided by Emperor Alexius I Comnenus. In 1080, the emperor ordered the migration and settlement of Greek Byzantine families in Crete. Emperor Alexius II Comnenus, grandson of Alexius I Comnenus, issued an imperial order that divided the island into twelve provinces and appointed twelve princes from the Byzantine Empire to govern them. Each prince was known as an archondopoulon ("petty lord"; cp. English baron) and he would arrive with his extended family to settle in the area allocated to him. From this event, a number of great aristocratic families of Crete emerged, some of them still in existence today. The archondopoula of Crete entailed the families of Kallergis, Skordilis, Melisseni, Varouchi, Mousouri, Vlasti, Hortatzi, and others. Sfakia itself was allocated to the emperor's nephew, Marinos Skordilis, who came to Crete with nine of his brothers who also brought over their sons and families. The borders of Skordilis's territory ranged from Askyfou east to Koustogerako and along the south coast to Agia Roumeli, Omprosgialos (today's Hora Sfakion) and to Frangokastello (the largest town in Skordilis's territory was Anopoli and many Sfakian families today claim to be direct descendants of the original Skordiles). John Phocas, a direct descendant of the emperor who freed Crete from the Arabs, was considered to be the most senior member of the twelve archontopoula. His territory was one of the largest, which covered the greater part of today's province of Rethymno, all the way south to the coast and westward up to the valley of Askyfou, where the border of the Skordilis' territory was located (the name of the family changed a few years later under the Venetians to Kallergis and families that today claim to be direct descendants of the Phocas-Kallergis dynasty are one of the largest family groups in Crete, including a number from Sfakia).

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Revolts against VeniceRebellions (1212 - 1283)During Venetian rule in Crete (1204 - 1669), the Greek inhabitants of the island rebelled at least twenty-seven times (without counting any of the other smaller local uprisings). Some of these revolutions lasted for years and were eventually suppressed by the Venetians with great brutality. Many of these revolutions sprang out of the "Lefka Ori" (or "White Mountains"), which was a Sfakian stronghold. Many of the revolutionaries were led by members of the Archondopoula families, especially members of the Sfakian-based families of Skordilis and Phocas/Kallergis. There occurred over fourteen insurrections between 1207 and 1365. The first rebellion in 1212, against Venetian resettlement, was started by the Aghiostephanites or Argyropouli but was quickly quelled by Venice. In 1217, another revolt occurred that was caused by a private dispute over stolen horses between the noble Skordilis and the Venetian Castellan. The revolt spread rapidly, but a treaty was made and signed between a new Duke and the rebels. Another large rebellion occurred in 1230 in the Rethymno area as a result of the gathering of the noble clans of Skordilis, Melisseni, and Drakontopouli. The rebellion went on for six years until Venice conceded much land and many garrisons in order to bring the revolt to an end. Venice, from this point on, had its hands full with Crete. Over the next few decades starting in 1212, the Venetians began to resettle numerous noble families from Venice in order to acquire better control over Crete. Chandax was renamed Candia (today's Heraklion) and became the seat of the Duke of Candia. The duke was appointed for a two-year term by Venice and the island was known as the "Regno di Candia" or the "Kingdom of Crete." In 1252, Chania was built on the ancient city of Kydonia by the Venetians and Crete was divided into six provinces (sexteria). Eventually, the six provinces became four counties, but Sfakia always remained out of the direct control of the Venetians who maintained only a small garrison at the castle at Omprosgialos (today's Hora Sfakion). The Venetians would rarely venture outside of their castle walls. In 1273, the Hortatzi brothers became the leaders of a great rebellion. The revolt lasted for six years and the costs to the Venetians were heavy. However, the Cretan nobleman, Alexios Kallergis, was lured by the promises given to

Sfakians him by the Venetians and he eventually supported them. The Venetian attack against the Hortatzi brothers was decisive and in 1279, the entire rebellion was crushed. The Venetians did not keep their promises to Alexios Kallergis and were unfortunately very cruel in their treatment of the Cretan rebels. As a result, Kallergis started one of the largest and most destructive rebellions against the Venetians in 1283. After sixteen years of fighting, the Venetians and Kallergis secretly negotiated an end to the rebellion with numerous concessions made on both sides. In return for the Venetian concessions that entailed the allowing of mixed marriages (in which such a "privilege" did not persuade the Sfakians and Cretans to perceive the Venetians any more favorably) and the installation of a Greek bishopric, Kallergis would swear allegiance to Venice.

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The Chrysomalousa revolution (1319)One of the major Sfakian revolutions against Venetian rule was the Chrysomallousa Revolution of 1319. The Venetian garrison maintained at Omprosgialos at Sfakia consisted of only fifteen soldiers and an officer. These troops were merely keeping an eye out on the Sfakians, but rarely did they venture outside and they never interfered in Sfakian affairs. Capuleto, the Venetian officer in charge of the garrison, was attracted one day by a young girl at the well of the village. He approached the young girl and kissed her. She slapped Capuleto in the face, but he managed to pull out a dagger and cut some of the girl's golden hair. The girl's name was Chrysi Skordilis and she was from the Archondopoula family of the Skordilises. She was also called "Chrysomallousa" (or "Golden Hair") due to her blond hair. Upon hearing what happened to Chrysi, her relatives immediately killed the offending Venetian officer and most of the guards. Venetian troops arrived soon from Chania and the locals fought the Venetians bravely throughout the district. The revolution went on for more than a year until Archondas Kallergis intervened and had reached a peace treaty with the Venetians. The peace treaty entailed an agreement for the withdrawal of the Venetian forces from the area and an end to hostilities.

Rebellions (1332 - 1371)More rebellions against the Venetians broke out in 1332 in Margarites and in 1341 in Apokoronas. In Amari, Sfakia, Mesara and elsewhere throughout the island, the Cretans succeeded in winning for themselves many new benefits. As a result of the hard tax policy Venice exercised towards its colony, both Cretans and Venetian settlers revolted in 1363. The revolt, which became to be known as the revolt of St. Titus, overthrew official Venetian rule and declared a Cretan Republic under the protection of Saint Titus, Crete's patron saint who had christianized the island thirteen centuries earlier. A new rebellion occurred in 1365 and it was crushed by Venice to the point where life in Crete was very miserable. The Venetians decided to build a castle on the fertile plains east of Sfakia where they intended to place a strong military presence in order to protect Venetian nobles and their properties. This decision was a result of the constant incursions the Venetians were experiencing on the southern coast of Crete from pirates (some of whom were Sfakians). The castle itself would also serve to protect the Venetians from the Sfakians who lived in the mountains north and west of the plains and who were harassing Venetian nobles. In 1371, a Venetian fleet with soldiers and builders arrived on the fertile plain to begin construction on the castle. However, the local Sfakians were against having a castle on their territory. The Sfakians, under the leadership of the six Patsos brothers from the nearby settlement of Patsianos, would destroy every night what the Venetians built during the day. Eventually, the Venetians were forced to bring in additional troops that surrounded the whole area during the whole period that the castle was being built. The Patsos brothers, ready to resume their campaigns against the Venetians, were unfortunately betrayed, arrested and ultimately hanged at the site of the castle. In 1374, the castle was complete, but the Sfakians were not threatened in their stronghold by the Venetian troops who much preferred to be stationed at the castle looking out for pirates instead of trying to establish control over the Sfakians. The castle is now known as Frangokastello.

Sfakians

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War of the chickens (1470)Another major Sfakian revolution was known as the "Ornithopolemos" (or the "War of the Chickens"), which took place in 1470. This revolution was caused by the pressures the Venetians were placing on the Cretans in order to extract additional tax revenues. A new tax was introduced requiring all Cretan families to provide one well-fed chicken every month to the Venetian in charge of their area. As time went by and Cretan families began to multiply, the number of chickens demanded was increasing and arguments began to start about the correct amount of chickens that should be given to the Venetian in charge of the area. Some villages started giving eggs rather than chickens on the basis that the Venetians would hatch the eggs themselves. Legal action was taken by the Venetians against the villagers for short payment, as well as against the Sfakians who were refusing to pay the tax altogether. Eventually, the Venetians issued over 10,000 indictments. The Sfakians, in return, compiled a report charging the Venetian authorities of corruption and sent the report to Chania for dispatch to Venice. The authorities at Chania imprisoned the Sfakian who brought the report and as a result, the Sfakians declared a revolution and encouraged the rest of the Cretans to refuse the tax. The revolution lasted for three years and at the end of the fighting, the Venetians agreed to withdraw the tax from the whole island, as well as withdraw all outstanding legal actions.

Kantanoleon's revolution (1527 or 1570)There occurred yet another Sfakian revolution, which became a part of Cretan mythology since the publication of a book in 1872 known as "The Cretan Weddings" by a Lefkadiot writer and historian named Zambelios. The full historical events have never been proven, but there are Venetian records that substantiate large parts of the overall story. However, the records do not fully explain why the wedding was proposed in the first place and by whom. The name of this major uprising was called Kantanoleon's Revolution and the Cretan Weddings. The protagonists of this revolution were George Kantanoleon (who came from the small village of Koustogerako north of Sougia), his son Petros, Francesco Molino (a Venetian noble from Chania), and Sophia (Molino's daughter). Although Kantanoleon came from Koustogerako, a small village just outside of today's province of Sfakia, the village itself was on the border of the Sfakian territory owned by Archondopoulo Skordilis. Kantanoleon was also from the family of Skordilis (some sources also claim that his correct surname was Skordilis and that the surname "Kantanoleon" was given to him by the Venetians). Some time before 1527 (or 1570 according to another source), a large number of families from western Crete decided to meet at the monastery of Saint John at Akrotiri in order to revolt against their Venetian rulers. This meeting came into order as a result of the unbearable taxes the Venetians placed on the Cretans, as well as the brutal treatment the Cretans dealt with from their rulers. At the monastery, the families elected George Kantanoleon as head of a new government. Following a number of successful battles against the Venetians at Impros Gorge near Rethymno and at Samaria Gorge at Lasithi, the Venetians withdrew to Chania, allowing the new Cretan independent government total freedom in governing all of western Crete. Kantanoleon established his headquarters at Meskla at the foot of the Lefka Ori, which was about 15 kilometers south of Chania. There, he set up proper government processes that included a more acceptable level for collecting taxes. The events that followed are subject to debate. Zambelios, in his book "The Cretan Weddings", claims that Petros (Kantanoleon's son) fell in love with Sophia (Molinos daughter) and that Molino conspired with the Duke of Candia to trap and exterminate all of the revolutionaries. Molino's plan entailed the arrangement of a marriage between his daughter and Petros in which the invitees at the wedding will be arrested and the protagonists of the rebellion will be killed. A Venetian historian, however, stated that it was Kantanoleon that tried to impose a reconciliation between Cretans and the noble Venetian families of western Crete by arranging the marriage of his son to Molino's daughter thus trying to establish a new dynasty to govern western Crete. Both historians agree on the events that transpired at the wedding. The wedding itself had a large number of invited Cretan guests and traditional festivities had large amounts of wine consumed (spiced with opium according to Zambelios). Eventually, all of the guests were surrounded by Venetian troops that came secretly from Chania,

Sfakians Rethymno, and Candia. The troops arrested both Kantanoleon and his son Petros and hanged them on the spot together with more than thirty other Cretan nobles. The rest of the prisoners, ranging in the hundreds, were divided into four groups and one was hanged at the gates of Chania, one at Koutsogerako, one on the road from Chania to Rethymno, and one at Meskla (the headquarters of the rebel government). Yet, the atrocities did not stop there as whole villages were destroyed including Koutsogerako, Meskla, and a few others. The atrocities continued for some time and quite a few Cretan leaders and their families fled up to the mountains and stayed there for some time until eventually an amnesty was issued.

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Sfakians and the fall of ConstantinopleIn January 1453, Sultan Mehmet II had the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, surrounded. He decided that he was going to take it over either by breaking through the city's defenses or by starving the inhabitants into submission. The sultan had his troops and an enormous fleet at his disposal while the besieged Byzantines (and their Christian allies) were demoralized and divided amongst themselves. Responding to a request for help from the Byzantine Emperor, the Sfakian leader Manousos Kallikratis gathered 300 Sfakian warriors and another 760 Cretan fighters from other parts of the island. The leader then sailed in five ships (three of which were Sfakian) and went to help the besieged Emperor. The Sfakian/Cretan forces fought valiantly by breaking through the Ottoman blockade and by defending the city itself. Many Cretans died alongside the Byzantines, as well as alongside the few Genoese and Venetian co-defenders. When the city fell, the only 170 surviving Cretans had been surrounded by Ottoman troops in one of the city's towers and were refusing to surrender. The sultan was so impressed by their courage and fierce fighting skills that he agreed to let them walk out of the city with their flags, arms, and wounded and sail away to Crete in one of their ships.

Woman from Sfakia; 19th century.

A poet of the time has the Byzantine Emperor saying as he was surrounded by the Ottomans, "Christians, Greeks, cut off my head, take it, good Cretans, and carry it to Crete, for the Cretans to see it and be sad at heart." Just a few words from an anonymous poet described the deep impact the fall of Constantinople had on the Cretans. They were to become the next home of the refugees from Byzantium and responsible for nurturing the rich heritage left to them by the collapsing Byzantine Empire.

Against the OttomansDuring the Ottoman occupation of Crete (16691898), and especially from the 18th century onwards, the Greeks looked towards Christian Russia as its savior. Peter the Great, as part of his plan to expand southward to the Black Sea, promoted himself as a champion of the Christians residing in the Balkans. His overall policy, with some variations, was continued by Catherine the Great (17621796) in her wars against the Ottoman Turks. She dreamed of resurrecting the Byzantine Empire and placing her grandson as its emperor. Before the first Russo-Turkish War, she sent Russian agents to Morea and the islands in order to stir up the Greeks to fight against the Turks. One of the Russian agents reached a man named Daskaloyiannis and told the Sfakian from Anopoli to lead a revolt. This was ill advice since the Sfakians, let alone the Cretans in general, were hardly ready for such a revolt, as they had virtually no weapons.

Sfakians Yet, when in 1770, a Russian fleet under Count Aleksey Grigoryevich Orlov appeared in the Aegean, precipitating the Orlov Revolt, Daskaloyiannis and his Cretan followers revolted. However, when the Russo-Turkish conflict ran to an end, the Cretans were left alone against Turkish troops from Chania, Rethymno, and Heraklion. The pasha of Crete had captured the brother and daughters of Daskaloyiannis and with the promise of leniency he demanded that Daskaloyiannis surrender. Daskaloyiannis decided to surrender so that he could see his brother and daughters released. Most of the other leaders of the revolt were killed, and the pasha had Daskaloyiannis first tortured in order to provide any valuable strategic information. Naturally, Daskaloyiannis refused to surrender his people to the Turks. Even after the pasha had the Sfakian skinned alive strip by strip in front of hundreds summoned at a public square, Daskaloyiannis did not betray his people. Neither the failed revolt of 1770 AD nor the death of Daskaloyiannis went in vain since both events aroused the national sentiments of all Cretans. The revolts made by the Cretans and the legendary Sfakians contributed to the rise of the independent Cretan state in 1898, which also paved the way for Cretes union with Greece in 1912.

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The Sfakian dialectThe Sfakian dialect is much like any other Creten dialect, and yet it is also quite different. Like many other Cretan dialects, /k/, //, /x/, and // before front vowels become [t], [d], [], and []. However, one oddity present in the Sfakian dialect is how it treats /l/. Before an /il or an /e/, is a lateral [l]. However, before an /a/, /o/, or /u/, it becomes an approximant [], much like the English "r" sound.[1] For example, "" (thalassa, meaning "sea") is pronounced by a Sfakian as [aasa], but (pouli, meaning bird) is [pouli], closer to standard Greek. This feature is not shared anywhere else, except for certain villages in the Aegean, including the village of Apiranthos on the Cyladic island of Naxos. Indeed, the Sfakians believe that hundreds of years ago, probably after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, a group of Sfakians left Crete and came to Apiranthos on Naxos. The cultures of Sfakia and Apiranthos bear many striking similarities, not least of which includes the aforementioned dialectal peculiarity.

Notable Sfakians Georgios Tsontos, general and politician Emmanouil Manousogiannakis, general

References[1] http:/ / www. sfakia-crete. com/ sfakia-crete/ dialect. html

External links History of Crete and the Region of Sfakia (http://www.sfakia-crete.com/sfakia-crete/history.html) Brief History of Crete (http://hep.physics.uoc.gr/HistCrete.htm#bix) (http://www.sfakia-crete.com/sfakia-crete/dialect.html)


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Article Sources and ContributorsSfakians Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=475931735 Contributors: Behemoth, CALR, Caroldermoid, Chapterprimdown, Chatzaras, Chirags, Cplakidas, Deucalionite, Future Perfect at Sunrise, Ghmyrtle, Greco22, Ikokki, Iridescent, JaGa, Jpbrenna, KRBN, Ken Gallager, Kross, Kwamikagami, Loco70, Mtiedemann, Nick Number, Nipsonanomhmata, Pearle, RasputinAXP, Ravedave, Rjwilmsi, Sdcheung, Segv11, Sshadow, Sv1xv, TimBentley, Withevenoff, Yamakiri, 22 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsImage:Sfakia-dance.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Sfakia-dance.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Kilom691, Malo, Man vyi, Oniros, OnrevW File:Loutron (Crete).JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Loutron_(Crete).JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: Chris.urs-o File:Crete Sfakia.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Crete_Sfakia.JPG License: Public Domain Contributors: E.A. Cavaliero


Cretan Turks

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Cretan TurksCretan Muslims (Girit Trkleri)

Giritli Ali Aziz Efendi Ismail Fazil Pasha Mustafa Erturul Aker

Total population est. 200,000-300,000 [1] Regions with significant populations Lebanon Syria Turkey Languages Cretan Greek, Turkish Religion Sunni Islam, Bektashism Related ethnic groups Greeks, Turks

The Cretan Turks, Turco-Cretans (Greek: , Tourkokritikoi), or Cretan Muslims (Turkish: Giritli, Girit Trkleri, or Trk Giritliler) were the Muslim inhabitants of Crete (until 1923) and now their descendants, who settled principally in Turkey, the Levant, and Egypt as well as in the larger Turkish diaspora. After the Ottoman conquest of Crete (16451669), a high rate of local conversions made the island a unique case in Ottoman history; indeed, the Muslim population of Crete resulted "primarily through conversion to Islam".[2] Sectarian violence during the 19th century caused many to leave, especially during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897,[3] and after autonomous Crete's unilateral declaration of union with Greece rule in 1908.[4] Finally, after the Greco-Turkish War of 19191922 and the Turkish War of Independence, the remaining Muslims of Crete were compulsorily exchanged for the Greek Christians of Anatolia under the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). At all periods, most Cretan Muslims were Greek-speaking,[5] but the language of administration and the prestige language for the Muslim urban upper classes was Ottoman Turkish. In the folk tradition, however, Greek was used to express Muslims' "Islamic--often Bektashi--sensibility".[5] Under the Ottoman Empire, many Cretan Turks attained prominent positions. Those who left Crete in the late 19th and early 20th centuries settled largely along Turkey's Aegean and Mediterranean coast; other waves of refugees settled in Syrian cities like Damascus, Aleppo, and Al Hamidiyah; in Tripoli, Lebanon; Haifa, Israel; Alexandria and Tanta in Egypt. While some of these peoples have integrated themselves with the populations around them over the course of the 20th century, the majority of them still live in a tightly knit communities preserving their unique culture, traditions, Cretan Greek dialect and Turkish language. In fact many of them made reunion visits to distant relatives in Lebanon, in Crete and even other parts of Greece where some of the cousins may still share the family name but follow a different religion. Although most Cretan Turks are Sunni Muslims, Islam in Crete during the Ottoman rule was deeply influenced by the Bektashi Sufi order, as it has been the case in some parts of the Balkans. This influence went far beyond the

Cretan Turks actual numbers of Bektashis present in Crete and it contributed to the shaping of the literary output, folk Islam and a tradition of inter-religious tolerance.

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CultureLiteratureTurks in Crete produced an unusually rich and varied literary output, leading one researcher to define a "Cretan School" which counts twenty-one poets who evolved within Ottoman Divan poetry or Turkish folk literature traditions, especially in the 18th century [6] Personal, mystical, fantastic themes abound in the works of these men of letters, reflecting the dynamism of the cultural life in the island. A taste and echo of this tradition can be perceived in the verses below by Giritli Srr Pasha (18441895); Fidnsn nev-nihl-i hsn nsn fet-i cnsn Gl k blbl kdr sana, bir zge cnnsn[7] which were certainly addressed to his wife, the poetess-composer Leyla Saz, herself a notable figure of Turkish literature and Turkish Classical Music. Recently, a number of books written by descendants of Cretan Turks in the form of novellized family souvenirs with scenes set in Crete and Anatolia have seen the day in Turkey's book market. Saba Altnsay's "Kritimu" and Ahmet Yorulmaz's trilogy were the first to set the example in this move. There has even been family souvenirs written by a Cretan Turk - Afro-Turk, namely Mustafa Olpak whose biographies in retrospect from the shores of Istanbul, Crete and Kenya follow his grandfathers who were initially brought to the Ottoman Empire as slaves to Crete. (see below: Further reading)

MusicA study by one Greek researcher counts six Muslim Cretans who engaged themselves into music in Cretan Greek dialect.[8] The Cretans brought the musical tradition they shared with the Cretan Christians to Turkey with them: One of the significant aspects of Giritli culture is that this Islamic--often Bektashi--sensibility is expressed through the Greek language. [There has been] some confusion about their cultural identity, and an assumption is often made that their music was somehow more "Turkish" than "Cretan". In my view this assumption is quite wrong....[5]

Cretan Turkish popular culture in TurkeyNuances may be observed among the waves of immigrations from Crete and the respective behavioral patterns. At the end of the 19th century Turks often fled massacres to take refuge in the present-day territory of Turkey or beyond (see Al Hamidiyah). During the 1910s, with the termination of the Cretan State which had recognized the Muslim community of the island a proper status, many others left. The Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)[9] and the ensuing population exchange is the final chapter among the root causes that shaped these nuances. Among contributions made by Cretan Turks to the Turkish culture in general, the first to be mentioned should be their particular culinary traditions based on consumption at high-levels of olive oil and of a surprisingly wide array of herbs and other plant-based raw materials. While they have certainly not introduced olive oil and herbs to their compatriots, Cretan Turks have greatly extended the knowledge and paved the way for a more varied use of these products. Their predilection for herbs, some of which could be considered as unusual ones, has also been the source of some jokes. The Giritli chain of restaurants in stanbul, Ankara and Bodrum, and Aye n's "Girit Mutfa" (Cretan Cuisine) eateries in zmir are indicative references in this regard. Occasional although intrinsically inadequate care has also been demonstrated by the authorities in the first years of the Turkish Republic for settling Cretan Turks in localities where vineyards left by the departed Greeks were found, since this capital was bound to be

Cretan Turks lost in the hands of cultivators with no prior knowledge of viniculture. In the field of maritime industries, the pioneer of gulet boats construction that became a vast industry in Bodrum in our day, Ziya Gvendiren was a Cretan Turk, as are many of his former apprentices who themselves have become master shipbuilders and who are based in Bodrum or Gllk today. An overall pattern of investing in expertise and success remains remarkable among Cretan Turks, as attested by the notable names below. However, with sex roles and social change starting out from different grounds for Turkish Cretans,[10] the adaptation to the "fatherland" [11] did not always take place without pain, including that of being subjected to slurs as in other cases involving immigration of people.[12] According to Peter Loizos, they were often were relegated to the poorest land: They were briefly feted on arrival, as 'Turks' 'returning' to the Turkish heartland... like the Asia Minor Christians seeking to settle on land in northern Greece, the Muslim refugees found that local people, sometimes government officials, had already occupied the best land and housing.[13] The same author depicts a picture where they did not share the "Ottoman perceptions of certain crafts and trades as being of low status",[13] so more entrepreneurial opportunities were open to them. Like others who did not speak Turkish, they suffered during the "Citizens Speak Turkish" campaign which started in 1928. "Arabs, Circassians, Cretan Muslims, and Kurds in the country were being targeted for not speaking Turkish. In Mersin, for instance, Kurds, Cretans, Arabs and Syrians were being fined for speaking languages other than Turkish.".[14] In the summary translation of a book on Bodrum made by Loizos, it is stated that, even as late as 1967, the Cretans and the 'local Turks' did not mix in some towns; they continued to speak Greek and mostly married other Cretans.[15]

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Greek perception of Cretan TurksThe Greek perception of Muslims in Crete used the terms "Turk" and "Greek" in a religious rather than ethnic or racial meaning (Turks themselves would have more readily used the term "Muslim" at the time). A Greek observer remarks that we are acquainted with extremely few cases of Muslim Cretan lyra-players as against Cretan Greeks (the very name for that instrument in Turkish language being Rum kemenesi - Greek kemenche).[16]

Cretan Turks in Lebanon and SyriaToday there are about 7,000 living in Tripoli, Lebanon and about 3,000 in Al Hamidiyah, Syria.[17] The majority of them are Muslims of Cretan origin. Records suggest that the community left Crete between 1866 and 1897, on the outbreak of the last Cretan uprising against the Ottoman empire, which ended the Greco-Turkish War of 1897.[17] Sultan Abdul Hamid II provided Cretan Muslim families who fled the island with refuge on the Levantine coast. The new settlement was named Hamidiye after the sultan. Many Cretan Muslims of Lebanon somewhat managed to preserve their identity and language. Unlike neighbouring communities, they are monogamous and consider divorce a disgrace. Until the Lebanese Civil War, their community was close-knit and entirely endogamous. However many of them left Lebanon during the 15 years of the war.[17] Cretan Muslims constitute 60% of Al Hamidiyah's population. The community is very much concerned with maintaining its culture. The knowledge of the spoken Greek language is remarkably good and their contact with their historical homeland has been possible by means of satellite television and relatives.[17]

Cretan Turks

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HistoryStarting in 1645, the Ottoman Empire gradually took Crete from the Republic of Venice, which had ruled it since 1204. In the final major defeat, Candia (modern Iraklion) fell to the Ottomans in 1669 (though some offshore islands remained Venetian until 1715). Crete remained part of the Ottoman Empire until 1897. Unlike other Ottoman provinces, the fall of Crete was not accompanied by a large influx of Muslims. On the other hand, many Cretans converted to Islam more than in any other part of the Greek world. Various explanations have been given for this, including the disruption of war, the possibility of receiving a timar (for those who went over to the Ottomans during the war), Latin-Orthodox dissension, avoidance of the head-tax (cizye) on non-Muslims ( but this is highly unlikely reason since by becoming Muslims they would have to pay the zakat which is higher in amount than the jizya), the increased social mobility of Muslims, and the opportunity that Muslims had of joining the paid militia (which the Cretans also aspired to under Venetian rule).[18] It is difficult to estimate the proportion which became Muslim, as Ottoman cizye tax records count only Christians: estimates range from 30-50%.[19] By the late 18th century, as many as 45% of the islanders may have been Muslim. The Muslim population declined through the 19th century, and by the last Ottoman census, in 1881, Muslims were only 26% of the population, concentrated in the three large towns on the north coast, and in Monofatsi.Year [20] 1821 1832 1858 1881 1900 1910 1920 1928 8% 7% 0%

Muslims 47% 43% 22% 26% 11%

Most Cretan Muslims were local Greek converts who spoke Cretan Greek, yet at the dawn of Greek nationalism, the Christian population labeled them "Turks".[21] People who claim descent from Muslim Cretans are still found in several Muslim countries today, and principally in Turkey. Between 1821 and 1828, during the Greek War of Independence, the island was the scene of repeated hostilities. Most Muslims were driven into the large fortified towns on the north coast and both the Muslim and Christian populations of the island suffered severe losses, due to conflicts, plague or famine. In the 1830s, Crete was an impoverished and backward island. Since the Ottoman sultan, Mahmud II, had no army of his own available, he was forced to seek the aid of his rebellious vassal and rival, Kavalal Mehmed Ali Pasha of Egypt, who sent troops to the island. Starting in 1832, the island was administered for two decades by an Albanian from Egypt, Mustafa Naili Pasha (later a Grand Vizier), whose rule attempted to create a synthesis between the Muslim landowers and the emergent Christian commercial classes. His rule was generally cautious, pro-British, and he tried harder to win the support of the Christians (having married the daughter of a priest and allowed her to remain Christian) than the Muslims. In 1834, however, a Cretan committee had already been founded in Athens to work for the union of the island with Greece. In 1840, Egypt was forced by Palmerston to return Crete to direct Ottoman rule. Mustafa Naili Pasha angled unsuccessfully to become a semi-independent prince but the Cretans rose up against him, once more driving the Muslims temporarily into siege in the towns. An Anglo-Ottoman naval operation restored control in the island and Mustafa Naili Pasha was confirmed as its governor, though under command from stanbul. He remained in Crete until 1851 when he was summoned to the capital, where at a relatively advanced age he pursued a successful career.

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Religious tensions erupted on the island between Muslims and Christians and the Christian populations of Crete revolted twice against Ottoman rule (in 1866 and in 1897). In the uprising of 1866, the rebels initially managed to gain control of most of the hinterland although as always the four fortified towns of the north coast and the southern town of Ierapetra remained in An ethnic map of Crete, around 1861. Turks are in red, Greeks in blue Ottoman hands. The Ottoman approach to the Cretan question was that, if Crete was lost, the next line of defense would have to be the Dardanelles, as indeed it was the case later. The Ottoman Grand Vizier, Mehmed Emin Aali Pasha arrived in the island in October 1867 and set in progress a low profile district-by-district reconquest of the island followed by the erection of blockhouses or local fortresses across the whole of it. More importantly, he designed an Organic Law which gave the Cretan Christians equal (in practice, because of their superior numbers, majority) control of local administration. At the time of the Congress of Berlin in the summer of 1878, there was a further uprising, which was speedily halted through the adaptation of the Organic Law into a constitutional settlement known as the Pact of Halepa. Crete became a semi-independent parliamentary state within the Ottoman Empire under a Greek Orthodox Governor. A number of the senior "Christian Pashas" including Photiades Pasha and Adossides Pasha ruled the island in the 1880s, presiding over a parliament in which liberals and conservatives contended for power. Disputes between these led to a further insurgency in 1889 and the collapse of the Pact of Halepa arrangements. The international powers allowed the Ottoman authorities to send troops to the island and restore order but the Sultan Abdulhamid II used the occasion for ruling the island by martial law. This action led to international sympathy for the Cretan Christians and to a loss of any remaining acquiescence among them for continued Ottoman rule. When a small insurgency began in September 1895, it quickly spiralled out of control and by the summer of 1896, the Ottoman forces had lost military control over most of the island. The insurrection in 1897 led to a war between Greece and the Ottoman Empire. By March 1897 however, the Great Powers decided to govern the island temporarily through a committee of four admirals who remained in charge until the arrival of Prince George of Greece as first governor-general of an autonomous Crete, effectively detached from the Ottoman Empire, in late December 1898. Ottoman forces were expelled in 1898, and an independent Cretan State, headed by Prince George of Greece, was founded. The island's Muslim population dropped dramatically from these changes. From the summer of 1896 until the end of hostilities in 1898, Cretan Muslims remained under siege in the four coastal cities, where massacres against them took place. Subsequent waves of emigration followed as the island was united by stages with Greece. Those remaining were forced to leave Crete under the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations in 1924. In Turkey, some descendants of this population continued to speak a form of Cretan Greek dialect until recently. In 1908, the Cretan deputies declared union with Greece, which was internationally recognized after the Balkan Wars in 1913. Under the Treaty of London, Sultan Mehmed V relinquished his formal rights to the island.

Cretan Turks

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Notable Cretan Turks(in chronological order) Ali Baba Giritli: May refer to two different persons who are also called under other names. One is the founder of the first Bektashi tekke in Crete in the early stages of the Ottoman conquest, and the other is an 18th century Bektashi mystic and author of several works of a Sufi nature. Ahmed Resm Efendi: 18th century Ottoman statesman, diplomat and author (notably of two sefretnme). Turkey's first ever ambassador in Berlin [22] (during Frederick the Great's reign). Giritli Ali Aziz Efendi: Turkey's third ambassador in Berlin and arguably the first Turkish author to have written in novelistic form. Giritli Hseyin Pasha: Kapudan Pasha (Admiral of the Fleet) of the Ottoman Empire between 17891792 Salacolu: (1750 Hanya - 1825 Kandiye): One of the most important 18th century poets of Turkish folk literature. Giritli Srr Pasha: Ottoman administrator, Leyla Saz's husband and a notable man of letters in his own right. Vedat Tek: Representative figure of the First National Architecture Movement in Turkish architecture. Son of Leyla Saz and Giritli Srr Pasha. Giritli Hseyin: 19th century Turkish painter. Dr. brahim Pertev: 19th century community leader. Paul Mulla (alias Mollazade Mehmed Ali): Roman Catholic bishop and author. Tahmiscizade Mehmed Macid: Memorialst Rahmizde Bahaeddin Bediz: The first Turkish photographer by profession. The thousands of photographs he took, based as of 1895 successively in Crete, zmir, stanbul and Ankara (as Head of the Photography Department of Turkish Historical Society), have immense historical value. Salih Zeki: Turkish photographer in Chania [23] Mustafa Karagioules: Turkish musician of Cretan folk music [24] Ismail Fazil Pasha: (1856-1921) descended from the rooted Cebeciolu family of Ske who had settled in Crete [25] He has been the first Minister of Public Works in the government of Grand National Assembly in 1920. He was the father of Ali Fuad and Mehmed Ali. Mehmet Atf Atedal: (1876-1947) Turkish officer. Ahmed Cevat Emre: (1876-1961) Linguist, close aid of Atatrk and a notable figure in the Turkish Language Association during the reform of the Turkish language started in the 1930s. Mustafa Erturul Aker: (1892-1961) Turkish officer who sank HMS Ben-my-Chree. Writer Cevat akir Kabaaal, alias Halikarnas Balks (The Fisherman of Halicarnassus), although born in Crete and has often let himself be cited as Cretan, descends from a family of Ottoman aristocracy with roots in Afyonkarahisar, and his father had been an Ottoman High Commissioner in Crete and later ambassador in Athens. Likewise, as stated above, Mustafa Naili Pasha was Albanian/Egyptian.[26]

Further reading Saba Altnsay (2004). Kritimu: Girit'im benim - novellized souvenirs ISBN 978-9750704246. Can Yayinlari. Ahmet Yorulmaz (2002). Savan ocuklar (Children of the war) - novellized souvenirs ISBN 975-1408474. Remzi Kitabevi. Mustafa Olpak (2005). Kenya - Girit - stanbul Kle Kysndan nsan Biyografileri (Human biographies from the shores of slavery of Kenya, Crete and Istanbul) ISBN 975-7891800. Ozan Yaynclk. Mustafa Olpak (2005). Kenya'dan stanbul'a Kle Kys (Shores of slavery from Kenya to Istanbul) ISBN 975-0110344. Ozan Yaynclk. zmir Life magazine, June 2003

Cretan Turks Nkhet Adyeke & Nuri Adyeke, Fethinden Kaybna Girit (Crete from its conquest to its loss), Babali Kltr Yayncl, 2007 Michael Herzfeld, A Place in History: Social and Monumental Time in a Cretan Town, Princeton University Press, 1991 Michael Herzfeld, "Of language and land tenure: The transmission of property and information in autonomous Crete", Social Anthropology 7:7:223-237 (1999), Richard Clogg, A Concise History of Greece, Cambridge University Press, 2002 Encyclopdia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911), s.v. Crete; La Grande Encyclopdie (1886), s.v. Crte Kemal zbayri and Emmanuel Zakhos-Papazahariou, "Documents de tradition orale des Turcs d'origine crtoise: Documents relatifs l'Islam crtois" Turcica VIII/I (5), pp.7086 (not seen) Molly Greene, A Shared World: Christians and Muslims in the Early Modern Mediterranean, Princeton, 2000. ISBN 0-691-00898-1 A. Lily Macrakis, Cretan Rebel: Eleftherios Venizelos in Ottoman Crete, Ph.D. Dissertation, Harvard University, 1983.

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References[1] http:/ / www. e-telescope. gr/ gr/ cat02/ art02_060626. htm [2] Elif Bayraktar. (full text) "The Implementation of Ottoman Religious Policies in Crete 1645-1735: Men of faith as actors in the Kad court" (http:/ / www. thesis. bilkent. edu. tr/ 0003011. pdf). Bilkent University, Ankara. (full text). Retrieved 2007-04-30., p. 76. See also ( limited preview (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?vid=ISBN0691008981& id=Ecy575SBY1cC& pg=PP1& lpg=PP1& ots=4pVgRbZvo8& dq="molly+ greene"& ie=ISO-8859-1& output=html& sig=kutYq9LkCZIBtigtBKv9loqtH4w)) Greene, Molly (2000). A Shared World: Christians and Muslims in the early modern Mediterranean. London: Princeton University Press. ISBN0691008981. [3] Henry Noel Brailsford ( full text (http:/ / knigite. abv. bg/ en/ hb/ hb_7_6. html)), an eyewitness of the immediate aftermath, uses the term "wholesale massacre" to describe the events of 1897 in Crete. [4] (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?vid=ISBN1850653682& id=E4OuoSFztt8C& pg=RA1-PA86) Smith, Michael Llewellyn (1998). Ionian Vision: Greece in Asia Minor, 1919-1922. London: C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. ISBN1850653682., Chapter 5, p. 87. "In the eve of the Occupation of zmir by the Greek army in 1922, there was in the city a large colony of Turcocretans who had left Crete around the time that the island was united with the Greek Kingdom." [5] Chris Williams, "The Cretan Muslims and the Music of Crete", in Dimitris Tziovas, ed., Greece and the Balkans: Identities, Perceptions, and Cultural Encounters since the Enlightenment [6] Filiz Kl. (full text) "Cretan [[Bektashi (http:/ / www. hbektas. gazi. edu. tr/ portal/ html/ modules. php?name=News& file=article& sid=541)] school in Ottoman Divan poetry"] (in Turkish). Hac Bektash Veli and Turkish Culture Research Center. (full text). Retrieved 2007-04-30. (abstract also in English) Aside from those cited in the article, the principal men of letters considered to compose the "Cretan school" are; 1. Ahmed Hikmet Efendi (also called B-namaz Ahmed Efendi) (? - 1727), 2. Ahmed Bedr Efendi (? - 1761), 3. Lebib Efendi (? 1768), 4. Ahmed Cezb Efendi (? - 1781), 5. Aziz Ali Efendi (? - 1798), 6. brahim Hfz Efendi (? - ?), 7. Mustafa Mazlum Fehm Pasha (1812 - 1861), 8. brahim Fehim Bey (1813 - 1861), 9. Yahya Kmi Efendi (? - ?), 10. Ahmed zzet Bey (? - 1861), 11. Mazlum Mustafa Pasha (? - 1861), 12. Ahmed Muhtar Efendi (1847 - 1910), 13. Ali ffet Efendi (1869 - 1941). [7] Summary translation: A slender sapling you are, freshly shooting beauty and grace you are, an affection for one's mind you are! The rose is in love with you, the nightingale is in love you. An uncommon beloved one you are! (note that "fidn" can mean "sapling" as a noun and "slender" as an adjective, and "fet" has more than one meaning as its English equivalent "affection".) [8] Prof. Theodoros I. Riginiotis. "Christians and Turks: The language of music and everyday life" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20070927201744/ http:/ / www. muammerketencoglu. com/ roportajlar/ tr/ ChristianandTurks. pdf). www.cretan-music.gr (http:/ / www. cretan-music. gr), Rethimno. Archived from (full text) the original (http:/ / www. muammerketencoglu. com/ roportajlar/ tr/ ChristianandTurks. pdf) on 2007-09-27. . Retrieved 2007-04-30. [9] (limited preview) (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?vid=ISBN1850653682& id=E4OuoSFztt8C& pg=RA1-PA87& lpg=RA1-PA86& vq=turcocretans& dq=ionian+ vision& ie=ISO-8859-1& output=html& sig=TAs2Q-r8dGgncfB7nZVPmByvzqI) Smith, Michael Llewellyn (1998). Ionian Vision: Greece in Asia Minor, 1919-1922. London: C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. ISBN1850653682., Chapter 5, p. 88. Some effort was made by Greece prior to the war to win Turcocretans to the idea of Greek government in Anatolia. The Greek Prime Minister Venizelos dispatched an obscure Cretan politician by the name of Makrakis to zmir in the early months of 1919, and his mission is qualified a "success", although the Greek mission set up zmir, "presenting a naive picture of the incorrigible Turks", is cited as describing "the various [Turkish] organizations which includes the worst elements among Turcocretans and the Laz people (...) as disastrous and inexpedient" in the same source. [10] Deniz Kandiyoti. (citation and first page) "Sex roles and social change: A comparative appraisal of Turkey's women" (http:/ / links. jstor. org/ sici?sici=0097-9740(197723)3:12. 0. CO;2-A). The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1977. (citation and first page). Retrieved 2007-04-30.

Cretan Turks[11] Ferhat Kentel - M. Ragp Zk. (full text) "Giritli Mbadillerde Kimlik Oluumu ve Toplumsal Hafza: Gndelik hayatn sosyolojisi" (http:/ / www. lozanmubadilleri. org/ ragip_zik. htm) (in Turkish). Bilgi University, Istanbul. (full text). Retrieved 2007-04-30. [12] Yiannis Papadakis, Echoes from the Dead Zone: Across the Cyprus Divide, 2005, ISBN 1-85043-428-X, p. 187; [13] Peter Loizos, "Are Refugees Social Capitalists?" in Stephen Baron, John Field, Tom Schuller, eds., Social Capital: Critical Perspectives, Oxford 2001, ISBN 0-19-829713-0, p. 133-5 [14] Soner Cagaptay, "Race, Assimilation and Kemalism: Turkish Nationalism and the Minorities in the 1930s", Middle Eastern Studies 40:3:95 (May 2004) doi:10.1080/0026320042000213474 [15] Fatma Mansur, Bodrum: A Town in the Aegean, 1967, ISBN 90-04-03424-2 [16] A Greek point of view on Cretan Turks (http:/ / www. cretan-music. gr/ index. php?option=com_content& task=view& id=251& Itemid=36) [17] Greek-Speaking Enclaves of Lebanon and Syria (http:/ / webs. uvigo. es/ ssl/ actas2002/ 05/ 08. Roula Tsokalidou. pdf) by Roula Tsokalidou. Proceedings II Simposio Internacional Bilingismo. Retrieved 4 December 2006 [18] Greene, pp. 39-44 [19] Greene, pp. 52-54 [20] Macrakis, p. 51 [21] Demetres Tziovas, Greece and the Balkans: Identities, Perceptions and Cultural Encounters Since the Enlightenment; William Yale, The Near East: A modern history Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1958) [22] List of Ambassadors "Tuerkische Botschafter in Berlin" (http:/ / www. tuerkischebotschaft. de/ de/ index. htm) (in German). Turkish Embassy, Berlin. List of Ambassadors. [23] (http:/ / anopolis72000. blogspot. com/ 2009/ 09/ salih-zeki. html) Salih Zeki [24] (http:/ / anopolis72000. blogspot. com/ 2009/ 09/ 3. html) Karagioules [25] [Interview with Aye Cebesoy Saralp, Ali Fuat Pasha's niece http:/ / www. aksiyon. com. tr/ aksiyon/ haber-13538-37-ataturk-ile-pasalarin-arasini-acmak-istediler. html] Karagioules [26] Yeni Giritliler (http:/ / www. lozanmubadilleri. org/ 2003_-. htm) Article on the rising interest in Cretan heritage (Turkish)

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External links Project film: Benim Giritli limon aacm - My Cretan lemon tree (http://www.benimgiritlilimonagacim.com/ default.asp?page=1) Lozan Mbadilleri: The Association of Turks exchanged under Lausanne Treaty (http://www.lozanmubadilleri. org) Testimonials by Greeks from Ayvalk and Turkish Cretans from Rethymno (http://www.fhw.gr/films/index. php?view=details&erg_id=5)


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Article Sources and ContributorsCretan Turks Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=480502356 Contributors: Absar, Adoniscik, Alexander Domanda, Alexikoua, Apcbg, Artaxiad, Avienus, Baristarim, Behemoth, BlueEyedCat, Bobblehead, Bogdangiusca, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, Canterbury Tail, Chevymontecarlo alt, CommonsDelinker, Cplakidas, Crackerjackal, Cretanforever, Denizz, Dirak, DivineIntervention, Doktor Gonzo, Ettrig, Eugene-elgato, Fang Aili, FayssalF, Fleshedovert2, Foufoulitsa, Future Perfect at Sunrise, Good Olfactory, Goustien, Hectorian, Hugo999, Igiffin, J04n, JanCeuleers, Jonxwood, Kariola, Khoikhoi, Macrakis, Makalp, Mardavich, Metb82, Miskin, Moriscoinegipto, Nick Number, Nigel Campbell, NikoSilver, Ninio, Nscheffey, Oatmeal batman, Palindrome75, Paxse, Pearle, Pembeana, Pezanos, Phuzion, Ploutarchos, RafaAzevedo, Ramsso, Reddi, Rjwilmsi, Sammd, Superk1a, Supreme Deliciousness, Sv1xv, Takabeg, Tekleni, Telex, Thetruthonly, TimBentley, Torebay, Tuiryie, Turco85, VirtualSteve, Vyruss, Xenovatis, YUL89YYZ, Yoram Inger, , 87 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:Giritli Ali Aziz Efendi.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Giritli_Ali_Aziz_Efendi.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Beria, Cretanforever, Ecummenic, Frank C. Mller, Kramer Associates, Mattes, Takabeg, TomasoAlbinoni, Ulf Heinsohn, Warburg File:Ismail Fazil Pasha.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ismail_Fazil_Pasha.jpg License: unknown Contributors: Takabeg File:Mustafa Ertugrul.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Mustafa_Ertugrul.jpg License: unknown Contributors: Takabeg Image:Crete - ethnic map, 1861.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Crete_-_ethnic_map,_1861.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Ethnographie de la Turquie d'Europe par G.Lejean, Gotha: Justus Perthes


Al-Hamidiyah

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Al-HamidiyahAl Hamidiyah

Al Hamidiyah Location in Syria Coordinates: 3443N 3556E Country Governorate District Population (2008) Total Time zone Summer(DST) 8000 est. EET (UTC+2) +3 (UTC) Syria Tartus Governorate Tartus District

Al Hamidiyah (Arabic: )is a town on the coastal Syrian line about 3km from the Lebanese border. The town was founded in a very short time on direct orders from the Turkish Sultan Abdul-Hamid II circa 1897, to serve as refuge for the Muslim Cretans, be they Muslim Greeks or Cretan Turks, who were forced to leave Crete when the island stop being a part of the Ottoman Empire. The town is home to about 8.000 people, with the majority still speaking Cretan Greek in their daily lives.

References


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Article Sources and ContributorsAl-Hamidiyah Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=465665694 Contributors: Alborztv, Baristarim, Betacommand, Cretanforever, Dr. Blofeld, Euchiasmus, Foufoulitsa, George Al-Shami, Greeksyrian, Hectorian, Ithinkhelikesit, JenLouise, John Carter, Kariola, Khoikhoi, Onorem, Parishan, Paxse, Rjwilmsi, Sammd, Supreme Deliciousness, TimBentley, Xenovatis, Zozo2kx, 31 , anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributorsfile:Syria location map2.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Syria_location_map2.svg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: User:NordNordWest File:Red pog.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Red_pog.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Anomie File:Flag of Syria.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_Syria.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: see below


Afro-Turks

1

Afro-TurksAfro-Turks

1st row: Defne Joy Foster Mehmet Aurlio Ahmet Ali elikten Bashi-bazouk Regions with significant populations Mula Izmir Antalya Languages Turkish Religion Islam

Afro-Turks, African Turks, or Turkish Africans are people of African descent in Turkey. "Afro-Turk" is a neologism; they have been colloquially named as Arap (Arab) or zenci in Turkish, and are now also referred to as Afrika kkenli Trkler (Turks with African roots).

HistoryBeginning several centuries ago, a number of Africans, usually via Zanzibar and from places like Niger, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Kenya and Sudan.[1] came to the Ottoman Empire settled by the Dalaman, Menderes and Gediz valleys, Manavgat, and ukurova. African quarters of 19th century zmir like Sabrta, Dolapkuyu, Tamaalk, kiemelik, and Ballkuyu have mention in contemporary records.[2] Some came from Crete following the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923. They settled on the Aegean coast, mainly around zmir.[3] Afro-Turks in Ayvalk declare that their ancestors from Crete spoke Greek when they came to Turkey and learned Turkish later.[4] Afro-Turks living in zmir had celebrated the traditional spring festival Dana Bayram ("Calf Festival") until the 1960s. Dana Bayram is currently revived among the younger generation of Afro-Turks.[2] Ulcinj in Montenegro had its own black community descendent of the Ottoman slave trade that had flourished here.[5] As a consequence of the slave trade and privateer activity, a considerable number of Ulcinj inhabitants until 1878 were black.[6] The Ottoman Army counted thousands of Black African soldiers in its ranks. The army sent to Balkans during the Austro-Turkish War of 171618 included 24,000 men from Africa.[7]

TodayAreas with significant populations are in the Aegean Region, especially zmir, Aydn, and Mula. At the time of Barack Obama's inauguration, a group of Afro-Turks from the districts Ortaca, Dalaman, and Kyceiz gathered in Ortaca for celebration.[8] There are also people of African ancestry living in some villages and municipalities of Antalya and Adana provinces.[9] Some of the descendants of African settlers remain, mixed with the rest of the population in these areas, and many migrated to larger cities.[3] These factors make it difficult to guess the number of Turks of African ancestry.[10]

Afro-Turks

2

Notable Afro-TurksArts Defne Joy Foster, television presenter (African American father) Nee Sayles, actress (Jamaican father) Esmeray, singer Tue Gder, adopted by Turkish parents, model and actress Kuzgun Acar, sculptor Mansur Ark, musician Safiye Ayla, musician Yasemin Esmergl, actress Ahmet Kostarika, actor Dursune irin, actress brahim irin, classical Ottoman musician Sait Skmen, ballet dancer, choreographer (Guinean mother) Melis Skmen, actress, musician (Guinean grandmother) Cenk Skmen, musician Sibel Srel, ballerina

Tuncay Vural, choreographer Sports Alemitu Bekele Degfa, Naturalized, Ethiopian long distance runner Elvan Abeylegesse, Naturalized, Ethiopian long distance runner Fercani Bey, footballer mer Besim Koalay, athlete, journalist Vahap zaltay, footballer Hadi Trkmen, former vice-president of the Turkish Football Federation Sadri Usuolu, football manager Mustafa Yldz known as "Arap Mustafa", wrestler Marco "Mehmet" Aurlio, naturalized, Brazilian born footballer Gkek Vederson, naturalized, Brazilian born footballer

Literature Mustafa Olpak, writer and activist Politics Zenci Musa, Tekilt- Mahssa member Military Ahmet Ali (Arap Ahmet), Ottoman military pilot

Afro-Turks

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Notes[1] (http:/ / www. todayszaman. com/ tz-web/ detaylar. do?load=detay& link=141522) [2] Afro-Trklerin tarihi, Radikal, 30 August 2008, retrieved 22 January 2009 (http:/ / www. radikal. com. tr/ Default. aspx?aType=Detay& ArticleID=896230& Date=30. 08. 2008& CategoryID=79) [3] Turks with African ancestors want their existence to be felt, Today's Zaman, 11 May 2008, Sunday, retrieved 28 August 2008 (http:/ / www. todayszaman. com/ tz-web/ detaylar. do?load=detay& link=141522) [4] Yerleim Yerleri ve G: Balkesir/Ayvalk, afroturk.org, retrieved 25 January 2009 (http:/ / www. afroturk. org/ balikesir. aspx) [5] Yugoslavia Montenegro and Kosovo The Next Conflict? (http:/ / www. cyber-adventures. com/ yugo. html) [6] ULCINJ HISTORY (http:/ / www. visit-montenegro. com/ cities-ulcinj-h. htm) [7] African Slave Trade in Russia (http:/ / www. cwo. com/ ~lucumi/ russia2. html), By Dieudonne Gnammankou in La Channe et le lien, Doudou Diene, (id.) Paris, Editions UNESCO, 1988 [8] Afro-Turks meet to celebrate Obama inauguration, Today's Zaman, 20 January 2009, retrieved 22 January 2009 (http:/ / www. todayszaman. com/ tz-web/ detaylar. do?load=detay& link=164554) [9] Yerleim Yerleri ve G, afroturk.org, retrieved 25 January 2009 (http:/ / www. afroturk. org/ yasam_alanlari. aspx) [10] Afrika'nn kaplar zmir'e alyor, Yeni Asr, 21 November 2008, retrieved 25 January 2009 (http:/ / www. yeniasir. com. tr/ haber_detay. php?hid=13561)

External links (Turkish) Afro-Turk (http://www.afro-turk.org) Website of the Afro-Turks' association in Ayvalk (Turkish) Sessiz Bir Gemiten Sesler (http://www.afroturk.org/) Website of a research project on Afro-Turks (English) Turks with African ancestors want their existence to be felt (http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/ detaylar.do?load=detay&link=141522), Today's Zaman, 25 June 2008


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Article Sources and ContributorsAfro-Turks Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=473139060 Contributors: Afroturkleton, AlecTrevelyan402, AllstonTMitchell, Arman88, Ayasi, Bart133, Bcorr, Behemoth, Belovedfreak, Blackdoom77, CanuckAnthropologist, Cretanforever, Crystalclearchanges, Denizz, Devran d, Dogfacebob, Drilnoth, Ecsperto, Edelweipiraten, Ezeu, Foxj, Futurebird, GirasoleDE, Grenavitar, Grey Shadow, Gyrofrog, Hittit, Hmains, Jefjire, Jonxwood, JumboJetty, Kerem Ozcan, KillaShark, MBisanz, Malcolmo, Malizengin, Marek69, MatthewVanitas, Medicineman84, Middayexpress, Mttll, Neilbeach, Olahus, OrionBoreas, Rangond, Redman19, Rjwilmsi, RoboRanks, SAMSUNGF3, Saimdusan, Sardanaphalus, Sad6390, Schwindp, Scoops, Scythian1, Sillyfolkboy, Sluzzelin, Soupforone, Takabeg, Thetruthonly, Toussaint, Tukes, Vidimian, Washingtongff, Winter Gaze, Wobble, Woohookitty, Xaghan, 133 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:Flag of Turkey.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_Turkey.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: David Benbennick (original author) File:Defne Joy Foster Izmir Fatih College Graduation Ceremony Pic.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Defne_Joy_Foster_Izmir_Fatih_College_Graduation_Ceremony_Pic.JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: copyright held by zmir zel Fatih College. File:Aurelio in Turkey Jersey.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Aurelio_in_Turkey_Jersey.JPG License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors: Umi1903 File:DenizTayyareMektebi.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DenizTayyareMektebi.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Ottoman Empire File:Grme-Black Bashi-Bazouk-c. 1869.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Grme-Black_Bashi-Bazouk-c._1869.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Frank C. Mller, Grendelkhan, Gryffindor, Gumruch, Kimse, Mattes, Origamiemensch, Shakko, nfoCan


Greek Muslims

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Greek MuslimsGreek Muslims

"Young Greeks at the Mosque" (Jean Lon Grme, oil on canvas, 1865); this oil painting portrays Greek Muslims at prayer in a mosque. Total population 1.4 million Regions with significant populations Turkey Syria Lebanon Cyprus Greece Languages Greek (Pontic Greek, Cretan Greek, Cypriot Greek etc.) Religion Sunni Islam

Greek Muslims, also known as Greek-speaking Muslims, are Muslims of Greek ethnic origin, nowadays found mainly in Turkey, although migrations to Lebanon and Syria have been reported.[1] Historically, Greek Orthodoxy has been associated with being Romios, i.e. Greek, and Islam with being Turkish, despite ethnic or linguistic references. Most Greek-speaking Muslims in Greece left for Turkey during the 1920s population exchanges under the Treaty of Lausanne (sometimes in return for Turkish-speaking Christians), with the exception of the Muslims in Thrace, who are officially recognized as a minority. In Turkey, where most Greek-speaking Muslims live, there are various groups of Greek-speaking Muslims, some autochthonous, some from parts of present-day Greece and Cyprus who migrated to Turkey under the population exchanges or immigration.

Greek Muslims

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Reasons for conversion to IslamAs a rule, the Ottomans did not require the Greeks to become Muslims, although many did so in order to avert the socioeconomic hardships of Ottoman rule,[2] take advantage of greater employment prospects and possibilities of advancement in the Ottoman government bureaucracy and military, or simply because of the corruption of the Greek clergy.[3] Thomas Walker Arnold noted that the Greek Church hierarchy burdened Christians with extraordinary tax, and made them purchase, at high rates, the right of a Christian burial as well as other sacraments.[3]

Pontic Greek MuslimsMuslims of Pontic Greek origins, speakers of the Pontic language (named Romika, not Pontiak as it is in Greece), which is spoken by some people in Tonya, Maka, Srmene, aykara, the Dernekpazar districts of Trabzon and the province of Kars. Due to mass migration from the region, high linguistic assimilation to Turkish, and the fact that the language has no official status, the total number of the speakers may be guessed; roughly 2,000 mainly elderly speakers. According to Heath W. Lowry's[4] great work about Ottoman tax books[5] (Tahrir Defteri) with Halil nalck it is claimed that most Turks of Trabzon city are of Greek origin. The community is usually considered deeply religious Sunni Muslims of Hanafi madh'hab. Sufi orders such as Qadiri and Naqshbandi have a great impact.

Cretan MuslimsCretan Turks (Turkish: Girit Trkleri, Greek: ) or Cretan Muslims (Turkish: Girit Mslmanlar) cover Muslims who arrived in Turkey after or slightly before the start of the Greek rule in Crete in 1908 and especially in the framework of the 1923 agreement for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations and have settled on the coastline stretching from the anakkale to skenderun. Today, only elderly women may be found to be fluent in Cretan Greek and only estimates can be made regarding their number. They often name the language as Cretan (Kritika () or Girite) instead of Greek. The Cretan "Turk" (i.e., Greek Muslim) are Sunnis of the (Hanafi) rite with a highly influential Bektashi minority that helped shape the folk Islam and religious tolerance of the entire community. Significant numbers of Cretan Muslims were re-settled in other Ottoman controlled areas around the eastern Mediterranean by the Ottomans following the re-conquest of Crete by the Kingdom of Greece in 1898. Most ended up in coastal Syria, particularly the town of al-Hamidiyya (named after the Ottoman sultan who settled them there), where many continue to speak Greek as their mother tongue. Others were resettled in Ottoman Libya especially in the east side cities like Susa and Benghazi, where they are distinguishable by their Greek surnames. Many of the older members of this community still speak Cretan Greek in their homes.

Greek Muslims

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Epirote MuslimsMuslims from the region of Epirus, known collectively as Yanyallar (Yanyal in singular, meaning "person from Ioannina") in Turkish and Turkoyanytes in Greek ( Turkoyanytis in singular, meaning "Turk from Ioannina"), who had arrived in Turkey in two waves of migration in 1912 and after 1923. Although majority of the Epirote Muslim population was of Albanian origin, Greek Muslim communities existed in the towns of Souli,[6] Margariti (both majority-Muslim),[7][8] Ioannina, Preveza, Louros, Paramythia, and Konitsa.[9] Hoca Es'ad Efendi, a Greek-speaking Muslim from Ioannina who lived in the eighteenth century, was the first translator of Aristotle into Turkish.[10] The community now is fully integrated into Turkish culture.Ethnographic map of Macedonia (1892). Muslim Greek areas are shown in yellow.

Macedonian Greek MuslimsMuslims living in Haliacmon valley of Central Macedonia were Greek-speaking.[11] They were known collectively as Vallahades. They arrived in Turkey after 1923 and became gradually assimilated into Turkish Muslim mainstream. According to Todor Simovski's assessment (1972), in 1912 in the region of Macedonia in Greece there were 13,753 Muslim Greeks.[12]

Cypriot MuslimsIn 1878 the Muslim inhabitants of Cyprus (constituting about 1/3 of the island's population, which then numbered 40,000 inhabitants) were classified as being either Turkish or "neo-Muslim." The latter were of Greek origin, Islamised but speaking Greek, and similar in character to the local Christians.The last of such groups was reported to arrive at Antalya in 1936. These communities are thought to have abandoned Greek in the course of integration.[13]

CrimeaIn the Middle Ages the Greek population of Crimea traditionally adhered to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, even despite undergoing linguistic assimilation by the local Crimean Tatars. In 17771778, when Catherine the Great of Russia conquered the peninsula from the Ottoman Empire, the local Orthodox population was forcibly deported and settled north of the Azov Sea. In order to avoid deportation, some Greeks chose to convert to Islam. Crimean Tatar-speaking Muslims of the village of Kermenchik (renamed to Vysokoe in 1945) kept their Greek identity and were practising Christianity in secret for a while. In the nineteenth century the lower half of Kermenchik was populated with Christian Greeks from Turkey, whereas the upper remained Muslim. By the time of the Stalinist deportation of 1944, the Muslims of Kermenchik had already been identified as Crimean Tatars, and were forcibly expelled to Central Asia together with the rest of Crimea's ethnic minorities.[14]

Greek Muslims

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Lebanon and SyriaThere are about 7,000 Greeks living in Tripoli, Lebanon and about 8,000 in Al Hamidiyah, Syria.[15] The majority of them are Muslims of Cretan origin. Records suggest that the community left Crete between 1866 and 1897, on the outbreak of the last Cretan uprising against the Ottoman empire, which ended the Greco-Turkish War of 1897.[15] Sultan Abdul Hamid II provided Cretan Muslim families who fled the island with refuge on the Levantine coast. The new settlement was named Hamidiye after the sultan. Many Greek Muslims of Lebanon somewhat managed to preserve their identity and language. Unlike neighbouring communities, they are monogamous and consider divorce a disgrace. Until the Lebanese Civil War, their community was close-knit and entirely endogamous. However many of them left Lebanon during the 15 years of the war.[15] Greek Muslims constitute 60% of Al Hamidiyah's population. The percentage may be higher but is not conclusive because of hybrid relationship in families. The community is very much concerned with maintaining its culture. The knowledge of the spoken Greek language is remarkably good and their contact with their historical homeland has been possible by means of satellite television and relatives. They are also known to be monogamous.[15]

Central AsiaIn the Middle Ages, after the Seljuq victory over the Byzantine Emperor Romanus IV, many Byzantine Greeks were taken as slaves to Central Asia. The most famous among them was Al-Khazini, a Byzantine Greek slave taken to Merv, then in the Khorasan province of Persia but now in Turkmenistan, who was later freed and became a famous Muslim scientist.[16]

Notable Muslims of partial Greek descent (non-conversions) Ahmed I - (15901617), Ottoman sultan, Greek mother Handan Sultan (originally named Helena (Eleni)) - wife of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed III Ahmed III - (16731736), Ottoman sultan, Greek mother (Emetullah Rabia Gln Sultan), originally named Evemia, who was the daughter of a Greek Cretan priest Bayezid I - (13541403), Ottoman sultan, Greek mother (Gulcicek Hatun or Gliek Hatun) wife of Murad I Bayezid II - (14471512), Ottoman sultan, Greek mother (Amina Gul-Bahar or Gulbahr Khtun, tr:I. Glbahar Hatun), a Greek Orthodox woman of noble birth from the village of Douvera, Trabzon Hasan Pasha (son of Barbarossa) (c. 1517-1572) was the son of Hayreddin Barbarossa and three-times Beylerbey of Algiers, Algeria. His mother was a Morisco. He succeeded his father as ruler of Algiers, and replaced Barbarossa's deputy Hasan Agha who had been effectively holding the position of ruler of Algiers since 1533. Hayreddin Barbarossa, (c. 14781546), privateer and Ottoman admiral, Greek mother, Katerina from Mytilene on the island of Lesbos Ibrahim I, (16151648), Ottoman sultan, Greek mother (Mahpeyker Ksem Sultan), the daughter of a priest from the island of Tinos; her maiden name was Anastasia and was one of the most powerful women in Ottoman history Muhammad al-Mahdi ( ) also known as Hujjat ibn al-Hasan, final Imm of the Twelve Imams Shi'a, Greek mother, Her Greatness Narjis (Melika), was a Byzantine princess who pretended to be a slave so that she might travel from her kingdom to Arabia Murad I, (13601389) Ottoman sultan, Greek mother, (Nilfer Hatun (water lily in Turkish), daughter of the Prince of Yarhisar or Byzantine Princess Helen (Nilfer)) Murad IV (16121640), Ottoman sultan, Greek mother (Valide Sultan, Kadinefendi Ksem Sultan or Mahpeyker, originally named Anastasia) Mustafa I - (15911639), Ottoman sultan, Greek mother (Valide Sultan, Handan Sultan, originally named Helena (Eleni))

Greek Muslims Mustafa II - (16641703),[17][18][19][20] Ottoman sultan, Greek Cretan mother (Valide Sultan, Mah-Para Ummatullah Rabia Gl-Nush, originally named Evemia) Oru Reis, (also called Barbarossa or Redbeard), privateer and Ottoman Bey (Governor) of Algiers and Beylerbey (Chief Governor) of the West Mediterranean. He was born on the island of Midilli (Lesbos), mother was Greek (Katerina) Osman II - (16041622), Ottoman sultan, Greek mother (Valide Sultan, Mahfiruze Hatice Sultan, originally named Maria) Selim I, Ottoman sultan, Greek mother (Gulbahar Sultan, also known by her maiden name Aye Hatun); his father, Bayezid II, was also half Greek through his mother's side (Valide Sultan Amina Gul-Bahar or Gulbahar Khatun - a Greek convert to Islam) - this made Selim I three-quarters Greek Suleiman I (Suleiman the Magnificent), Ottoman sultan, his father Bayezid II was three-quarters Greek; (Suleiman's mother was of Georgian origin). Shah Ismail I, the founder of Turkic-Persian Safavid Dynasty of Iran: Ism'il's mother was an Aq Qoyunlu (Turkmen) noble, Martha, the daughter of Turkmen Uzun Hasan by his Pontic Greek wife Theodora Megale Comnena, better known as Despina Hatun. Theodora was the daughter of Emperor John IV of Trebizond whom Uzun Hassan married in a deal to protect Trebizond from the Ottomans. Kaykaus II, Seljuq Sultan. His mother was the daughter of a Greek priest; and it was the Greeks of Nicaea from whom he consistently sought aid throughout his life. Osman Hamdi Bey - (1842 24 February 1910), Ottoman statesman and art expert and also a prominent and pioneering painter, the son of Edhem Pasha,[21] a Greek[22] by birth abducted as a youth followong the Massacre of Chios. He was the founder of the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul.[23] Ibn al-Rumi - Arab poet was the son of a Persian mother and a half-Greek father. Sheikh Bedreddin - (13591420) Revolutionary theologian, Greek mother named "Melek Hatun".

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Notable Muslims of Greek descent (non-conversions) Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt (Arabic: 9871( ) November 10, 1848), a 19th century general of Egypt. He is better known as the (adopted) son of Muhammad Ali of Egypt. Ibrahim was born in the town of Drama, in the Ottoman province of Rumelia, currently located in Macedonia to a Greek Christian woman and a man named Tourmatzis. Hussein Hilmi Pasha - (18551922), Ottoman statesman born on Lesbos to a family of Greek ancestry[24][25][26][27] who had formerly converted to Islam.[28] He became twice Grand vizier[29] of the Ottoman Empire in the wake of the Second Constitutional Era and was also Co-founder and Head of the Turkish Red Crescent.[30] Hseyin Hilmi was one of the most successful Ottoman administrators in the Balkans of the early 20th century becoming Ottoman Inspector-General of Macedonia[31] from 1902 to 1908, Ottoman Minister for the Interior[32] from 1908 to 1909 and Ottoman Ambassador at Vienna[33] from 1912 to 1918. Ahmet Vefik Paa (Istanbul, July 3, 1823-April 2, 1891), was a famous Ottoman of Greek descent[34][35][36][37][38][39][40]Hseyin Hilmi Pasha (18551922/1923) was born into a Muslim family of Greek descent on Lesbos.

Greek Muslims (whose ancestors had converted to Islam).[34] He was a statesman, diplomat, playwright and translator of the Tanzimat period. He was commissioned with top-rank governmental duties, including presiding over the first Turkish parliament.[41] He also became a grand vizier for two brief periods. Vefik also established the first Ottoman theatre[42] and initiated the first Western style theatre plays in Bursa and translated Molire's major works.

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Ahmed Vefik Pasha (1823-1891) Ottoman statesman, diplomat and playwright of Greek ancestry who presided over the first Turkish parliament

Notable Greek converts to Islam Al-Khazini - (flourished 11151130) was a Greek Muslim scientist, astronomer, physicist, biologist, alchemist, mathematician and philosopher - lived in Merv (modern-day Turkmenistan) Atik Sinan or "Old Sinan" - Ottoman architect (not to be confused with the other Sinan who's origins are disputed between Greek or Armenian (see below)) Carlos Mavroleon - son of a Greek ship-owner, Etonian heir to a 100m fortune, close to the Kennedys and almost married a Heseltine, former Wall Street broker and a war correspondent, leader of an Afghan Mujahideen unit during the Afghan war against the Soviets - died under mysterious circumstances in Peshawar, Pakistan Damat Hasan Pasha, Ottoman Grand Vizier between 1703-1704.[44] He was originally a Greek convert to Islam from the Morea.[45][46] Diam's (Mlanie Georgiades) French rapper of Greek origin. Emetullah Rabia Gln Sultan (16421715) was the wife of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed IV and Valide Sultan to their sonsbrahim Edhem Pasha (18191893) was a Ottoman [43] statesman of Greek origin.

Mustafa II and Ahmed III (16951715). She was born to a priest in Rethymno, Crete, then under Venetian rule, her maiden name was Evmania Voria and she was an ethnic Greek.[47][48][49][50][51][18][52][53][54][55] She was

Greek Muslims captured when the Ottomans conquered Rethymno about 1646 and she was sent as slave to Constantinople, where she was given Turkish and Muslim education in the harem department of Topkap Palace and soon attracted the attention of the Sultan, Mehmed IV. Gawhar al-Siqilli,[56][57][58][59] (born c. 928-930, died 992), of Greek descent originally from Sicily, who had risen to the ranks of the commander of the Fatimid armies. He had led the conquest of North Africa[60] and then of Egypt and founded the city of Cairo[61] and the great al-Azhar mosque. Gazi Evrenos - (d. 1417), an Ottoman military commander serving as general under Sleyman Pasha, Murad I, Bayezid I, Sleyman elebi and Mehmed I Hamza Yusuf - American Islamic teacher and lecturer Handan Sultan, wife of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed III brahim Edhem Pasha, born of Greek ancestry[21][43][62][63][64] on the island of Chios, Ottoman statesman who held the office of Grand Vizier in the beginning of Abdulhamid II's reign between 5 February 1877 and 11 January 1878

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shak Pasha (? - 1497, Thessaloniki) was a Greek (though some reports say he was Croatian) who became an Ottoman general, statesman and later Grand Vizier. His first term as a Grand Vizier was during the reign of Mehmet II ("The Conqueror"). During this term he transferred Turkmen people from their Anatolian city of Aksaray to newly conquered stanbul to populate the city which had lost a portion of its former population prior to conquest. The quarter of the city is where the Aksaray migrants had settled is now called Aksaray. His second term was during the reign of Beyazt II. John Tzelepes Komnenos - (Greek: ) son of Isaac Komnenos (d. 1154). Starting about 1130 John and his father, who was a brother of Emperor John II Komnenos ("John the Beautiful"), plotted to overthrow h

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