“Mersina is the port of Tarsous; this small city was called Zephirium in ancient times. There are many ancient remains in the area: sculptures, pottery and medals.”[1] Toponym The city’s name derives from the aromatic plant genus Myrsine (Grk.: Μυρσίνη – Mirsini) in the family Primulaceae, a myrtle that grows in abundance in the area. In antiquity, during the Ancient Greek period, the city bore the name Zephyrion (Grk.: Ζεφύριον). Zephyrion, whose name was Latinized to Zephyrium, was renamed as Hadrianopolis in honor of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Population According to the Armenian Patriarchate in Constantinople, the pre-war Armenian population of sancak Mersin was [...]
Archives: Regions
Our CPT for the regions
Sancak of Dedeağaç / Αλεξανδρούπολη – Alexandroupoli
Administration Existing from 1878 until 1912, this Ottoman sancak comprised the three kazas of Dedeağaç, Sofulu (Grk. Σουφλί – Soufli), and Enez. Population The Greek Orthodox Diocese of Ainos (Αίνος; Trk.: Enez) was divided into two parts — that of Ainos proper and the kaza of Alexandroupoli (Αλεξανδρούπολη; Trk.: Dedeağaç). The diocese comprised seventeen communities and had a population of 10,057 Greeks.[1] Town of Enez / Αίνος – Ainos Toponym In antiquity, the place was called Ainos/Aenus. The mythical and eponymous founder of the ancient Greek city of Ainos/Aenus was said to be Aeneus, a son of the god Apollo and father of Cyzicus. Presumably [...]
Sancak of Üsküdar / Σκουτάριον – Skutàrion / Scutari
Tower of Leander (late 18th century; Trk: Kız Kulesi; photographed in 2013 by Arild Vågen; source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leanderturm#/media/Datei:K%C4%B1z_Kulesi_February_2013_01.jpg) The town Chrysopolis was an ancient place on the eastern shore of the Bosphorus opposite Constantinople. Its port had great importance in ancient times, as well as in the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, as one of the most important crossings between Asia Minor and Europe. Although it was called ‘the greatest city of the Occident’ by Emperor Justinian I, it was never a polis despite this designation, but a part of the city of Chalcedon. William Henry Bartlett: General view of Constantinople from Scutari, c1850 Toponym In ancient [...]
Kaza of Kale-I Sultaniye / Çanakkale
Canakkale (source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Canakkale) Population According to official Ottoman statistics, in 1914 the kaza’s overall population was 22,252; of these, 13,596 were Muslims, 4,358 Greek Orthodox Christians, 1,269 Armenians, 2,961 Jews, and 68 “others”.[1] History The region of Çanakkale came under the rule of Lydians in the 7th century B.C. Persian domination began in the region in the middle of the 6th century B.C. Darius and Xerxes, one of the important ancient Persian emperors, saw the region as a strategic point and aimed to keep it in their hands. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, it was Xerxes I who built the first bridge to [...]
Sancak Biga
The sancak of Biga is a notable region for viticulture and winemaking. Administration Biga joined the Ottoman state in the fourteenth century and was ruled as a district until the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent. It was then connected to the eyalet of Cezayir-i Bahr’i Sefid (Mediterranean Islands) under the name of Biga Sancak, with its administrative seat in Gallipoli. At that time, Biga Sancak covered the Anatolian parts of today’s Çanakkale province, and even included the parts of Balıkesir province. The affiliation of Biga Sancak to the eyalet of Cezayir-i Bahr’i Sefid lasted until the middle of the 19th century. In [...]