‘The history of the indigenous Greeks and Christians of Turkey has been virtually erased by the Turkish state’

The imperative here is the same as it is in Israel, where “Palestinians” work assiduously to destroy the archaeological evidence of the Jews’ historical connection to the land. Once all traces of the Greek presence is erased from Asia Minor, the jihad and ethnic cleansing that expelled the native population appears more justified.

“Turkey: Ongoing Violations against Greek Christians,” by Uzay Bulut, European Conservative, August 30, 2024:

The Turkish government, as well as the Turkish nationalist opposition, have recently prevented an Orthodox liturgy from occurring on its traditional date at a historic monastery, Sumela, in the city of Trabzon. After discovering that the city was conquered by Ottoman Turks on August 15 (a Christian Holy Day observing the ’Dormition of the Mother of God’) in the year 1461, the Turkish government absurdly decided to impose a change to the Orthodox Christian calendar in Turkey. They advocated that, instead of August 15, the observance of the religious ceremony should take place on August 23, purely for Turkish convenience.

The worship, previously set for August 15, was thus postponed to the following week by the governor’s office of Trabzon since it coincided with the anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of Trabzon. The Dormition of the Mother of God is a High Feast Day of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. It celebrates the ’falling asleep’ of Mary the Theotokos (’Mother of God,’ literally translated as ’God-bearer’), and her ascension into heaven.

The Association of Turkish Travel Agencies announced that the liturgy would be accessible only to accredited guests who are approved by the governor’s office. After the ceremony, the site was reopened to tourists. Parallel to changing the day of the liturgy for Orthodox Christian believers, Turkish nationalist groups also pressured and threatened Christians. Consequently, they significantly reduced the number of liturgy participants. Maria Zacharaki, a journalist based in Constantinople, reported on the liturgy:

The divine service is held in an atmosphere of intense vigilance due to fear of protests from nationalist circles although the local police have taken all necessary measures to preserve order.

Instead of the usual crowd of more than 1000 people gathered every year for the divine service on the fifteenth of August, this year only 50 believers from Greece and Georgia participated in the ceremony, casting a heavy shadow on this religious event.

The security measures were particularly strict, with the Turkish authorities blocking the passage of vehicles to the monastery from 08.00 in the morning, while only visitors with special permission were allowed to attend.

The city of Trabzon was founded by the Greeks in the 8th century B.C. It is located in the historic region of Pontus. The Sumela Monastery was also established by Greeks around A.D. 386, during the reign of Roman Emperor Theodosius I (r.375-395), by two monks from Athens named Barnabas and Sophronios. Sumela thrived for centuries within Greek Orthodoxy as a prominent center for learning, worship, and artistic production.

Pontus, an ancient Greek word for sea, refers to the Black Sea and surrounding coastal areas. The presence of Greeks on the shores of the Black Sea began millennia ago. The Greek cities founded on the Anatolian shores of Pontus, beginning in the 8th century B.C., included Sinope (Sinop), Amisus (Samsun), and Trebizond (Trabzon or Trapezus), among others. Pontus was the birthplace of great thinkers such as the philosopher Diogenes of Sinope and the geographer Strabo of Amasia. Today, these are important Turkish cities. In fact, most cities in Turkey were founded by Greeks….