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Cypriana22
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Posts: 9256
(6/10/04 11:15 pm)
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Ayvalik: Greeks'
indelible memory
Turkey's well-guarded secret - and once the Aeolian capital -
still holdsits charm, with many Greek nuances
ALEX PENMAN
The
tall chimneys of once Greek factories rise above most of Ayvalik's
buildings
THE NAME Ayvalik is quite familiar to Greeks. As
with Constantinople and Smyrna, it is associated with drama and
disaster. In the serene beauty of the town's cobbled streets and
mansions, its ruined churches and surrounding gulf, a Greek can
still sense the desperate cries of those uprooted and exiled. Here
is the heart of Ilias Venezis' Aeolian Land... To Turks, Ayvalik is
simply a town associated with Mediterranean culture. To other
nationalities, it is an unheard-of spot on the Aegean coast of Asia
Minor, devoid of connotations. Unknown to, and unspoiled by, mass
tourism, Ayvalik is one of Turkey's best guarded secrets.
The town's Greek name is Kydonies (quince-trees) and Ayvalik
the Turkish translation. It is not particularly old. About 400 years
ago people fleeing from continuous pirate raids on Lesvos and other
Aegean islands judged that the gulf, surrounded by land on all
sides, was safe enough to settle in. The town soon became one of the
most prosperous Greek settlements of its time - due to sheer luck.
Grand Vizier and Captain of the Ottoman fleet Cezayirli Hasan PaIa,
shipwrecked, was saved by local Greeks after a disastrous defeat by
the Russians.
Grateful, he secured special privileges for
the town: exemption from most taxes, self-government and a law
banning Muslim families from settling in the region. Despite
massacres following the Greek Revolution in 1821, the town soon
recovered to become a major oil and soap producer, keeping up with
the trends set by cosmopolitan Smyrna in education, art and society.
It boasted an academy, a printing house, renowned hotels and cafes
and more than two dozen churches and monasteries.
Oddly
enough, an exclusively Greek population until the Asia Minor
Destruction (1922) for the most part used the Turkish name,
hellenised as Ayvali. Today, though there are no Greeks left, little
has changed since turn-of-the-century photos. Minarets may stand
beside the much higher chimneys of old Greek factories, as most
churches were converted to mosques. A horrendous building, the army
headquarters, may dominate the hill above the town, the site of a
demolished church. And a Turkish flag may be carved on the hillside
- a custom in former Greek towns. But the waterfront is still
dominated by impressive stone buildings of late 19th-century Greek
factories, identical to the ones in Mytilene, Kavala, Piraeus. The
old Greek schools are now used as Turkish schools or government
offices. Ayvalik is a quaint little neoclassical town living with
its memories.
Architecture and atmosphere
Greek
cafe in Ayvalik
Abandoning persistent efforts to erase the
country's non-Turkish past, many Turks began to take pride in their
country's cosmopolitan heritage. Ayvalik's Greek architecture -
typical of Asia Minor - is widely acclaimed as one of its jewels. As
in parts of Istanbul, Greek urban architecture of the 1870-1910s is
in a much better state than in most Greek towns. Together with
Syros' Ermopouli, Ayvalik is the best preserved neoclassical
commercial town in the Aegean.
Its heart is eskele Meydanu,
a small square by the port bearing Ataturk's bust. At the end of a
pier stands Ayvalik's most famous landmark, Cafe Kanelo.
Immortalised in hundreds of photos, it was once the favourite
hangout for Asia Minor Greeks (after those on Smyrna's illustrious
promenade) - the Quay. The honey-coloured stone building is a marvel
of Asia Minor neoclassicism. Nearly a century past its prime, the
cafe serves beverages and the famous Ayvalik toast, the local
speciality. From the terrace one can enjoy the magnificent sunsets
in the gulf, sipping Turkish apple tea. A line of outrageously
priced restaurants of mediocre quality precedes the cafe: they are
to be avoided.
Ayvalik's main street passes through Iskele
Meydani. Most banks and other offices are located here. From it
depart several "kaldirims", cobbled streets that either ascend
towards the hills or end at the shore. One leads to Agios Ioannis,
now the Saatli Cami or Mosque with the Clock. The original church
was transformed into a mosque with the addition of a minaret, but it
kept its belfry and clock. Its frescoes were whitewashed and the
icons disappeared. The minaret collapsed in a storm last autumn, and
the site is now closed for restoration. A few yards away stands
Ayvalik's most impressive church, Agios Georgios, blending
neoclassicism with Byzantine tradition - a typical mix for the rich
commercial towns of Asia Minor Greeks. Once richly decorated and now
carefully restored, it has an impressive iconostasis and ceiling.
The icons have been removed, something to upset any Greek, but the
pulpit or amvon and throne have been kept.
A third church,
Taksiarhis, is also nearby inside a small yard, separated from the
street by an ornate porch. As it was not converted into a mosque,
most of its decoration survives - including an original icon of Adam
and Eve. But this Ayvalik treasure is in a state of decay. Some of
the icons are said to be painted on fish skin. Many have been
stolen, as has been a famous Gospel, also covered in painted fish
skin. This led the municipality to lock the church, and its
guardians now require a permit to be produced before they allow
anyone in. But say you are "an Exchange" child from Greece, ie the
descendant of local Greeks driven out in 1922, and this will help
you bypass all such obstacles in Ayvalik, human compassion taking
precedence. Don't, though, try this if you don't speak good Greek -
most of the guardians do.
There is no point in asking
directions to the churches - use the minarets to guide you. Most of
the street names are not noted anyway, and the chaotic warren of
cobbled roads and tiny alleys deserves meticulous exploration. Some
are covered with pergolas. Walking, one has the impression of
entering the past. There is a parade of brightly painted houses with
"djumbas" (the covered projections characteristic of Ottoman
architecture), wrought-iron window grilles in the most diverse
patterns and doorways with opulently carved decoration. Their dates
show that most of the houses were built in the period 1880-1913.
Occasionally, a fountain stands at a crossroads; through an open
window, one may admire the frescoes on a ceiling; outrageously
painted horsecarts race down the "kaldirims". In the evening, the
alleys are virtually deserted, even in summertime. There are hardly
any cars, few tourists and absolutely no crowds. The only busy spots
are the fish restaurants by the port and the old-style cafes
scattered around the old town: impressive stone buildings with
columns, meanders and huge rounded windows, identical to those found
on Lesvos, a few miles away. Inside some, iron-and-marble tables
survive. Turkish coffee and preserves are served to an exclusively
male clientele of idle youth or pensioners chatting the evening
away.
The islands and Moshonissi (Djunda)
Cafe
Kanelo
Ayvalik is termed "the island town of Turkey". A
visitor must join one of the boat tours of the gulf and its many
islets. Boats from various companies depart from Iskele Meydani (the
one with the best reputation is called Jale). The six-hour tour
includes stops for swimming, sightseeing in the town on Moshonissi
(now Djunda - the largest and the only inhabited island), riotously
kitsch entertainment and a tasty lunch of fried fish and salad. All
this is on offer for 7,500,000 turkish liras, ie less than 5 euros!
It is great fun and it is likely you will be the only tourist
aboard. The waters are cool and transparent, the array of islands
with their ruins of churches and monasteries very scenic and the
gulf itself is acknowledged to be an underwater photographer's
paradise.
Moshonissi is worth spending time on. Ferries
connect it to Ayvalik every half hour, from early morning until
midnight. Unfortunately, a bridge also now connects the island with
the shore, making it easily accessible for cars during the summer.
Ignoring the thousands of villas constructed in a style that aspires
to fuse the baroque with Las Vegas, the visitor should concentrate
on the old parts of the town, a tribute to Asia Minor neoclassicism.
Some mansions were left to collapse; many more have been taken up by
wealthy people from Istanbul and been beautifully restored.
Moshonissi is built on the slopes overlooking Ayvalik and
the gulf. The promenade is lined with cafes and eateries. Food on
offer is cheaper and much better than in Ayvalik's mediocre
establishments. Of the cafes, the most exciting is the old TaI Cafe
(Stone Cafe), a beautiful Greek coffee-shop. Its enormous doors and
windows with coloured glass panes and nostalgic decor inside make
the difference. The largest building, in the centre of town, is the
impressive church of Taksiarhis. This also escaped conversion, like
its Ayvalik namesake, but - victim of an earthquake and prolonged
abandonment - it is also decaying rapidly. Despite its depressing
state, the frescoes barely visible, the interior still enchants with
the ingenious use of colours, lines and curves. Steep cobble ascents
lead from the town to the hills and the ruins of two Greek chapels,
both used as olive and wood storehouses for decades. The view over
the town, the gulf and Ayvalik is breathtaking. The rest of the
island, with its steep slopes, ruined monasteries and deserted
beaches is a paradise for trekking and the best hangouts for those
wanting to avoid the crowds on the beaches close to Ayvalik. The
beach of Pateritsa, on the other side of Moshonissi, is the most
obvious choice.
The inhabitants
The
picturesque quay
The population that replaced the Greeks in
Ayvalik and Moshonissi will be of particular interest to anyone
coming from Greece. Greeks have left but some of their language
survived: an odd Greek dialect is still spoken in alleys and
squares.
It is Cretan. The newcomers were Muslims, mostly
from Crete and Lesvos. Those of the original refugees who survive
are now in their eighties and nineties but their offspring still
make up the majority of the population in the region.
Those
forced out of Christian Greece, considered Turks just because they
were Muslim (Tourkokritikoi), didn't speak a word of Turkish. They
stuck to their mother tongue, passing it on to their children and
grandchildren. It is a paradox of history that today, the purest
Cretan - uncorrupted by the unifying tendencies of modern Greek - is
spoken in Ayvalik.
You will hear to kopeli mou (my son), na
smiksume (let's meet), to deili (the sunset); and a lot of men go
about in typical black Cretan headgear. Coming from Greece, you are
guaranteed a warm reception.
They will want to complain
about the Exchange, tell you how difficult it was to get used to
Turkey and how happy they would be to return to Hania or Rethymno.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://p205.ezboard.com/bcyprianascorner73624
Edited by: Cypriana22
at: 6/10/04 11:22 pm
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PenelopeR
Forum Veteran
Posts: 3093
(6/11/04 1:16 am)
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Re: Ayvalik:
Greeks' indelible memory
Quote:
You will hear to kopeli mou (my son), na smiksume (let's meet), to
deili (the sunset);
typical Cypriot
dialect.. 
Quote:
They will want to complain about the Exchange, tell you how
difficult it was to get used to Turkey and how happy they would be
to return to Hania or Rethymno.
i bet they would....
|
ymanatos
Registered User
Posts: 1426
(6/11/04 1:22 am)
Reply
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Re: Ayvalik:
Greeks' indelible memory
I think that the Cypriot dialect is very similar with the Cretan,
much more than with the dialects of the other islands...
Or am I
wrong?
Well, if I am not, then I wonder why...
|
PenelopeR
Forum Veteran
Posts: 3095
(6/11/04 1:30 am)
Reply
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Re: Ayvalik:
Greeks' indelible memory
actually, (correct me if i am wrong) those quoted expressions are
typical Greek too... so ...
the difference is in the spoken
language.. i mean the intonation and the phonetics...
Let's take the Cypriot phrase "Ειν' ταμ' που
καμνεις"....
It is i think the abbreviation of "ειναι τι που
καμνεις"...
(but i could be wrong..
)
|
ymanatos
Registered User
Posts: 1427
(6/11/04 1:57 am)
Reply
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Re: Ayvalik:
Greeks' indelible memory
Sometimes different words are also used, besides to the
sound...
For example, I dont think that the word "kopeli" is
used everywhere for "son"...
But it is used especially in Cyprus
and in Crete very much, and not only there ofcourse!
|
Othellos
Mavros !
Posts: 4630
(6/11/04 2:15 am)
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Re: Ayvalik:
Greeks' indelible memory
Quote:
I think that the Cypriot dialect is very similar with the Cretan,
much more than with the dialects of the other islands...
The dialect in some
Greek islands in the Dodecanese like Nisiros is even more similar to
the Greek we speak oer here.
O.
|
Eros247
Forum
Veteran
Posts: 5971
(6/11/04 10:22
am)
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Re: Ayvalik:
Greeks' indelible memory
to my knowledge, noone outside Crete (and maybe some islands around
there) says kopeli meaning a guy/son in Greece.
Most people,
I think, would say "na synantithoume" meaning "let's meet" rather
than "na smixoume", which is usually used in a different
context.
And as far as I can judge, Greece seems to say
"deilino".
Greece European Football Champion 2004 |
ymanatos
Registered User
Posts: 1432
(6/11/04 10:47 am)
Reply
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Re: Ayvalik:
Greeks' indelible memory
Crete and the islands around it was also my impression...
Maybe
at more places, but I cannot really tell.
The Dodecanesian
dialect makes more sense I think, because its much closer to
Cyprus.
|
ymanatos
Registered User
Posts: 1433
(6/11/04 10:50 am)
Reply
|
Re: Ayvalik:
Greeks' indelible memory
Besides the "synantithoume" and "smixoume", there is also the "n'
antamothoume" etc etc.
Sometimes they are all used in a different
context as you said, but sometimes it is also depended and in the
dialect...
"deilino" and "deili" are both used anyway at
many/most areas around greece...
|
Romanos
Forum Veteran
Posts: 941
(6/12/04 5:14 am)
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Re: Ayvalik:
Greeks' indelible memory
will the entry of Turkey in the EU signal the return of Greeks to
their motherland after 100 years?
And does anyone know wether
there's a case pending in the European Court of Greeks against
Turkey for their fortunes and land in Constantinople?
|
Cypriana22
Mama Forum
Posts: 9272
(6/12/04 9:59 am)
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Re: Ayvalik:
Greeks' indelible memory
Quote:
And does anyone know wether there's a case pending in the European
Court of Greeks against Turkey for their fortunes and land in
Constantinople?
Remember Romane...Greeks
in Konstantinoupoli are a minority and have no rights. The Turks
only recognize minorities if they are their own in Greece or Cyprus.
Other than that, minorities such as Greeks and Kurds in Turkey are
second class citizens. Even if they have a claim ,with the unjust
ways UN operates don't be surprised if they are buried in a dust bin
somewhere.
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