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The Ottoman Turks (or Osmanlı Turks) were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı (corrupted in European languages as "Ottoman"), from the house of Osman I (reigned ca. 1299-1326), the founder of the dynasty which ruled the Ottoman empire during its 620-year history. After the expansion from its home in Bithynia, the Ottoman principality began incorporating both other Turkish-speaking Muslims and non-Turkish Christians, becoming the Ottoman Turks and ultimately the Turks of the present. The Ottoman Turks blocked all land routes to Europe by conquering the city of Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire. Hence the Europeans had to find other ways to trade with Eastern countries.

Brief history[link]

The "Ottomans" became first known to the West in 1227 when they migrated westward into the Seljuk Empire, in Anatolia. However, the Ottoman Turks would create a state in Western Anatolia under Ertugrul, the capital of which was Sögüt; near Bursa to the south of the Marmara, the body of water between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. Ertugrul established a principality, as part of the decaying Seljuk empire. His son Osman expanded the principality; and for him, both the empire and the people were named by Europeans as "Ottomans". Osman's son Orhan expanded the growing empire, taking Nicaea, present-day Iznik, and crossed the Dardanelles strait, in 1362. But the Ottoman Empire came into its own when Mehmed II captured the Byzantine Empire's capital, Constantinople (Istanbul), in 1453.

The Ottoman Empire would come to rule much of the Balkans, the Fertile Crescent, and even Egypt, over the course of several centuries; with an advanced army and navy. The Empire lasted until the end of the First World War, when it was defeated by the Allies and was succeeded by the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923. Not all Ottomans were Muslims and not all Ottoman Muslims were Turks, but by 1923, the majority of individuals residing within the borders of the new Turkish Republic identified as Turks. (Notable exceptions were the Kurds and the few remaining Armenians and Greeks).

Culture and the arts[link]

The conquest of Constantinople began to make the Ottomans the rulers of one of the most profitable empires on earth, connected to the flourishing Islamic cultures of the time, and at the crossroads of trade into Europe. The Ottomans would grow and make major developments in calligraphy, writing, law, architecture, and military science, and would become the standard of opulence.

Ottoman calligraphy[link]

Because Islam is a religion which focuses very heavily on learning the central text of the Qur'an, and because Islamic culture has historically tended towards discouraging or prohibiting figurative art to a greater or lesser degree, calligraphy became one of the foremost of the arts.

The early Yâkût period was supplanted in the late 15th century by a new style pioneered by Seyh Hamdullah (1429–1520) which became the basis for Ottoman Calligraphy. Focusing on the nesih version of the script, which became the standard for copying the Qur'an (See Arabic Calligraphy).

The next great change in Ottoman calligraphy comes from the style of Hâfiz Osman (1642–1698), whose rigorous and simplified style found favor with an empire at its peak of both territorial extent, and governmental burdens.

The late calligraphic style of the Ottomans was created by Mustafa Râkim (1757–1826) as an extension and reform of Osman's style, and placing greater emphasis on technical perfection which broadened the calligraphic art to encompass the sülüs script as well as the neish script which had been the dominant standard script.

Ottoman poetry[link]

Ottoman poetry produced epic length verse, but is better remembered for shorter forms, such as the gazel. The epic poet Ahmedi (-1412), for example, is remembered for his Alexander the Great. His contemporary Sheykhi wrote verses on love and romance. Yaziji-Oglu produced a religious epic on Mohammed's life, drawing from the stylistic advances of the previous generation and Ahmedi's epic forms.

Ottoman painting[link]

By the 14th century the Ottoman Empire's prosperity made manuscript works available to merchants and craftsman, and produced a flowering of miniatures which depicted pagentry, daily life, commerce, cities and stories, as well as chronicling events. While initially is illuminated manuscript work.

By the late 18th century European influences in painting are clear, with the introduction of oils, perspective, figurative paintings, use of anatomy and composition.

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ottoman Turks

• Ottoman Empire
• Osmanli dynasty
• Turkish people

Murad V
Ottoman Sultan
Caliph
Reign	1876
Period	Decline of the Ottoman Empire
Full Name	Murad V
Born	(1840-09-21)21 September 1840
Died	29 August 1904(1904-08-29) (aged 63)
Predecessor	Abdülaziz
Successor	Abdülhamid II
Consort to	Eleru Mevhibe Kadın Efendi Reftaridil Kadın Efendi Sahcan Kadın Efendi Meyliservet Haseki Kadın Efendi Rezan Haseki Kadın Efendi Cenaniyar Kadın Efendi Filizten Kadın Efendi Gevheri Kadın Efendi Teranidil Kadın Efendi
Offspring	Prince Şehzade Mehmed Selaheddin Efendi Prince Şehzade Suleiman Efendi Princess Hadice Sultan Prince Şehzade Seyfeddin Efendi Princess Fehime Sultan Princess Fatma Sultan Princess Aliye Sultan
Royal House	House of Osman
Dynasty	Ottoman Dynasty
Father	Abdülmecid I
Valide Sultan	Shevkefza

Murad V (Ottoman Turkish: مراد خامس) (September 21/22 1840 – 29 August 1904) was the 33rd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire who reigned from 30 May to 31 August 1876.

He was born at Istanbul (Istanbul),^[1][2] Topkapı Palace. His father was Abdülmecid I. His mother, whom his father married in Constantinople on 1 August 1839, was Valide Sultan Shevkefza, (Poti, 12 December 1820 - Constantinople, Ortaköy, Çırağan Palace, 17 September 1889), originally named Vilma, a Mingrelian. He was born at Çırağan Palace, Ortaköy, Constantinople.

Reign[link]

Murad became the Sultan when his uncle Abdülaziz was deposed. He was highly influenced by French culture. He reigned for 93 days before being deposed on the grounds that he was supposedly mentally ill, however his opponents may likely have used those grounds to stop his implementation of democratic reforms.^[3] As a result, he was unable to deliver the Constitution that his supporters had sought. The ensuing political instability caused by his ousting moved the empire closer to the disastrous war with Russia, then-ruled by Alexander II.

He died at Çırağan Palace, Ortaköy, Constantinople, and was buried in Constantinople on 30 August 1904. His brother, Abdul Hamid II, ascended to the throne on 31 August 1876.

Marriages and children[link]

He married firstly at Istanbul, Beşiktaş, Beşiktaş Palace, on 2 January 1857 to Georgian HH Eleru Mevhibe Kadın Efendi (Tbilisi, 6 August 1835 – Chichli, 21 February 1936), and had one child.^{[citation needed]}

He married secondly at Istanbul, Beşiktaş, Beşiktaş Palace, on 4 February 1859 to Azerbaijani HH Reftaridil Kadın Efendi (Ganja, 5 June 1838 – Istanbul, Ortaköy, Ortaköy Palace, 3 March 1936), and had one child.^{[citation needed]}

He married thirdly at Istanbul, Beşiktaş, Beşiktaş Palace, on 5 February 1869 to Caucasian HH Sahcan Kadın Efendi (Hopa, Caucasus, 4 January 1853 – Ortaköy 15 March 1945), and had two children.^{[citation needed]}

He married fourthly at Istanbul, Ortaköy, Ortaköy Palace, on 8 June 1874 to Georgian HH Meyliservet Haseki Kadın Efendi (Batumi, 21 October 1854 – Constantinople, Ortaköy, Ortaköy Palace, 9 December 1903), and had one child, HIH Princess Fehime Sultan.^{[citation needed]}

He married fifthly at Istanbul, Ortaköy, Ortaköy Palace, on 2 November 1877 to Georgian HH Rezan Haseki Kadın Efendi (Artvin, 28 March 1860 – Istanbul, Ortaköy, Ortaköy Palace, 31 March 1910), and had two children.^{[citation needed]}

He also married HH Cenaniyar Kadın Efendi, HH Jahvar-riz Kadin Efendi (1862–1940), HH Filizten Kadın Efendi (1865–1945), HH Gevheri Kadın Efendi and HH Teranidil Kadın Efendi, a sister of his second wife HH Reftaridil Kadın Efendi, without children.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

External links[link]

•  "Murad V.". Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921. 

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Pontian Greeks
Έλληνες του Πόντου (Ρωμιοί)

Pontian Greek man in traditional clothes.
Total population
c. 3,000,000
Regions with significant populations
Greece, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Armenia, Cyprus
Languages
Predominantly Modern and Pontian Greek. Also the languages of their respective countries of residence.
Religion
Greek Orthodox Christianity, Sunni Muslim (Only in Turkey)

Pontus region.

The Pontic Greeks of the Pontians (Greek: Πόντιοι, Turkish: Pontus Rumları) are an ethnic group traditionally living in the Pontus region, the shores of Turkey's Black Sea. They consist of Greek descendants and speak the Pontic Greek dialect, a distinct form of the standard Greek language which, due to the remoteness of Pontus, has had a process of linguistic evolution different from that of the rest of the Greek world.

Population[link]

Nowadays, due to extensive intermarriage (also with non-Pontic Greeks), the exact number of Greeks hailing from the Pontus, or people with Greek descent living there, is unknown. After 1988, Pontian Greeks in the Soviet Union started to migrate to Greece settling in and around Athens and Thessaloniki. They are known as "Russian Pontians" (Ρωσσοπόντιοι) by fellow Greeks. The largest communities of Pontian Greeks (or people of Pontian Greek descent) around the world are^[1]:

Country / region	Official data	Estimation	Concentration	Note(s)	Article
Greece		over 2,000,000	Athens, Macedonia, Thrace
USA		200,000			Greek American
Germany		100,000			Greeks in Germany
Russia	97,827 (2002)		34,078 in Stavropol Krai 26,540 in Krasnodar Krai		Greeks in Russia
Ukraine	91,548 (2001)		77,516 in Donetsk Oblast		Greeks in Ukraine (Sometime referred to as Crimean Greeks)
Australia		56,000			Greek Australian
Canada		20,000			Greek Canadians
Cyprus		20,000			Greek Cypriots
Czech Republic		less than 3,500; 12,000 (1949–1974)			Greeks in the Czech Republic
Georgia	15,166 (2002)		7,415 in Kvemo Kartli 3,792 in Tbilisi 2,168 in Adjara		Greeks in Georgia
Kazakhstan	12,703 (2010)		2,160 in Karagandy 1,767 in Almaty 1,637 in Zhambyl		Greeks in Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan	10,453 (1989)[2]				Greeks in Uzbekistan
Armenia	1,176 (2001)[3]	2,000	655 in Lori 308 in Yerevan		Greeks in Armenia

History[link]

Antiquity[link]

In Greek mythology the Black Sea region is the region where Jason and the Argonauts sailed to find the Golden Fleece.

Mithridates VI, the King of Pontus.

The first recorded Greek colony, established on the northern shores of ancient Anatolia, was Sinop, circa 800 BC. The settlers of Sinop were merchants from the Ionian Greek city state of Miletus. After the colonization of the shores of the Black Sea, known until then to the Greek world as Pontos Axeinos (Inhospitable Sea), the name changed to Pontos Euxeinos (Hospitable Sea). In time, as the numbers of Greeks settling in the region grew significantly, more colonies were established along the whole Black Sea coastline of what is now Turkey, Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, and Romania.

The region of Trapezus, later called Trebizond, now Trabzon, was mentioned by Xenophon in his famous work Anabasis, describing how he and other 10,000 Greek mercenaries fought their way to the Euxine Sea after the failure of the rebellion of Cyrus the Younger whom they fought for, against his older brother Artaxerxes II of Persia. Xenophon mentions that when at the sight of sea they shouted "Thalatta! Thalatta!" – "The sea! The sea!", the local people understood them. They were Greeks too and, according to Xenophon, they had been there for over 300 years.^[4] A whole range of trade flourished among the various Greek colonies, but also with the indigenous tribes who inhabited the Pontus inland. Soon Trebizond established a leading stature among the other colonies and the region nearby become the heart of the Pontian Greek culture and civilization. A notable inhabitant of the region was Philetaerus (ca. 343 BC–263 BC) who was born to a Greek father^[5] in the small town of Tieion which was situated on the Black Sea coast of the Pontus Euxinus, he founded the Attalid dynasty and the Anatolian city of Pergamon in the secong century BC.^[5]

This region was organized circa 281 BC as a kingdom by Mithridates I of Pontus, whose ancestry line dated back to Ariobarzanes I, a ruler of the Greek town of Cius. The most prominent descendant of Mithridates I was Mithridates VI of Pontus, who between 90 and 65 BC fought the Mithridatic Wars, three bitter wars against the Roman Republic, before eventually being defeated. Mithridates VI the Great, as he was left in memory, claiming to be the protector of the Greek world against the barbarian Romans, expanded his kingdom to Bithynia, Crimea and Propontis (in present day Ukraine and Turkey) before his downfall after the Third Mithridatic War.

Roman Diocese of Pontus, 400 AD.

Nevertheless, the kingdom survived as a Roman vassal state, now named Bosporan Kingdom and based in Crimea, until the 4th century AD, when it succumbed to the Huns. The rest of the Pontus became part of the Roman Empire, while the mountainous interior (Chaldia) was fully incorporated into the Byzantine Empire during the 6th century.

Middle Ages[link]

Alexios III (1338–1390), Emperor of Trebizond, and his wife. Chrysobull at Dionysiou monastery, Mount Athos.

Cardinal Bessarion of Trebizond (1395–1472), a Pontian Greek scholar, statesman, and cardinal.^[6]

Pontus was the birthplace of the Komnenos dynasty, which ruled the empire from 1082 to 1185, a time in which the empire resurged to recover much of Anatolia from the Seljuk Turks.

In the aftermath of the fall of Constantinople to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the Empire of Trebizond was established by Alexios I of Trebizond, a descendant of Alexios I Komnenos, the patriarch of the Komnenos dynasty. This empire lasted for more than 250 years until it eventually fell at the hands of Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire in 1461.

During the Ottoman period a number of Pontian Greeks converted to Islam and adopted the Turkish language. This could be willingly, for example so to avoid paying the higher rate of taxation imposed on Orthodox Christians or in order to make themselves more eligible for higher level government and regular military employment opportunities within the empire (at least in the later period following the abolition of the infamous Greek and Balkan Christian child levy or 'devshirme', on which the elite Janissary corps had in the early Ottoman period depended for its recruits). But conversion could also occur in response to pressures from central government and local Muslim militia (e.g.) following any one of the Russo-Turkish wars in which ethnic Greeks from the Ottoman Empire's northern border regions were known to have collaborated, fought alongside, and sometimes even led invading Russian forces, such as was the case in the Greek governed, semi-autonomous Romanian Principalities, Trebizond, and the area that was briefly to become part of the Russian Caucasus in the far northeast.

Modern[link]

Greek population in Anatolia and Asia Minor in blue color, 1911.

In fact, the second half of the nineteenth century saw large numbers of such pro-Russian Pontic Greeks from the eastern Trebizond region resettle in the area around Kars (which together with southern Georgia already had a nucleus of Caucasus Greeks), which was ceded to the Russian Empire following the Russo-Turkish war that culminated in the 1878 Treaty of San Stefano. They had declined the expedient of conversion to Islam, abandoned their lands, and sought refuge in territory now controlled by their Christian Orthodox "protector", which used Pontic Greeks, Georgians, and southern Russians, and even non-Orthodox Armenians, Germans, and Estonians to "Christianize" this recently conquered southern Caucasus region, which it now administered as the newly created Kars Oblast (Kars Province).

On the eve of World War I, the Young Turk administration exerted a policy of assimilation and ethnic cleansing of the Orthodox Christians in the Empire, which affected Pontian Greeks too. In 1916 Trabzon itself fell to the forces of the Russian Empire, fomenting the idea of an independent Pontic state. As the Bolsheviks came to power with the October Revolution (7 November 1917), Russian forces withdrew from the region to take part in the Russian Civil War (1917–1923).

Proposed flag of the Republic of Pontus.

Pontian Greek women and children harvesting tea in the Black Sea town of Chakva, Georgia, ca. 1905–15. Photograph by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii.

In 1917–1922, there existed an unrecognized by the name Republic of Pontus, led by Chrysanthus, Metropolitan of Trebizond. In 1917 Greece and the Entente powers considered the creation of a Hellenic autonomous state in Pontus, most likely as part of a Ponto-Armenian Federation.^[7] In 1919 on the fringes of the Paris Peace Conference Chrysanthos proposed the establishment of a fully independent Republic of Pontus, but neither Greece nor the other delegations supported it.^[8]

Once the Russians had evacuated Pontus, Greeks and Armenians in the region became the targets of irregular Turkish and Kurdish militia. Seeing the fate of Armenians, Pontian Greeks were themselves forced to take up armed resistance, leading to what became known as the Pontus resistance (αντάρτικο του Πόντου in Greek), which lasted until 1923,^{[citation needed]} when the population exchange between Greece and Turkey was agreed under the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne. While most Christian Pontians were forced to leave for Greece - avoiding nearby Russia, which in the decade post-1917 was of course plunged into the chaos of revolution and civil war - those who had converted to Islam (and in accordance with historical precedent were considered to have "turned Turk") remained in Turkey and were assimilated into the Muslim population of the north and northeast, where their bi-lingual Greek- and Turkish-speaking descendents can still be found (including amongst the notoriously nationalistic Turks of present-day Trebizond).^{[citation needed]}

Rumca, as the Pontian Greek language is known in Turkey, survives today, mostly among older speakers. After the exchange most Pontian Greeks settled in Macedonia and Attica. Pontian Greeks inside the Soviet Union were predominantly settled in the regions bordering the Georgian SSR and Armenian SSR. They also had notable presence in Black Sea ports like Odessa and Sukhumi. About 100,000 Pontian Greeks, including 37,000 in the Caucasus area alone, were deported to Central Asia in 1949 during Stalin's post-war deportations. Big indigenous communities exist today in former USSR states, while through immigration large numbers can be found in Germany, Australia, and the United States.

Persecution and population exchange[link]

Like Armenians, Assyrians and other Ottoman Greeks, the Greeks of Trebizond and the short-lived Russian Caucasus province of Kars (which in 1916 fell back under Ottoman control) suffered widespread massacre and what is now usually termed ethnic cleansing at the beginning of the 20th century, first by the Young Turks and later by Kemalist forces. In both cases, the pretext was again that the Pontic Greeks and Armenians had collaborated or fought with the forces of their Russian co-religionists and "protectors" before the termination of hostilities between the two empires that followed the October Revolution. Death marches^[9] through Turkey's mountainous terrain, forced labour in the infamous "Amele Taburu" in Anatolia and slaughter by the irregular bands of Topal Osman resulted in tens of thousands of Pontic Greeks perishing during the period from 1915 to 1922. In 1923, after hundreds of years, those remaining were expelled from Turkey to Greece as part of the population exchange between Greece and Turkey defined by the Treaty of Lausanne. In his book Black Sea, author Neal Ascherson writes:

The Turkish guide-books on sale in the Taksim Meydane offer this account of the 1923 Katastrofĕ: 'After the proclamation of the Republic, the Greeks who lived in the region returned to their own country [...].' Their own country? Returned? They had lived in the Pontos for nearly three thousand years. Their Pontian dialect was not understandable to twentieth-century Athenians.^[10]

The suffering of the Pontian Greeks did not end upon their violent and forceful departure from the lands of their ancestors. Many Pontian Greek refugees perished during the voyage from Asia Minor to Greece. Notable accounts of these voyages have been included in Steve Papadopoulos’ work on Pontian culture and history. Pontian Greek immigrants to the United States from that era were quoted as saying:

Many children and elderly died during the voyage to Greece. When the crew realized they were dead, they were thrown overboard. Soon the mothers of dead children started pretending that they were still alive. After witnessing what was done to the deceased, they would hold on to them and comfort them as if they were still alive. They did this to give them a proper burial in Greece.^{[citation needed]}

Settlements[link]

Traditional rural Pontian houses.

Some of the settlements historically inhabited by Pontian Greeks include (current official names in parenthesis):

In Pontus

Amasia (Amasya), Meletios (Mesudiye), Aphene, Kerasounta (Giresun), Kissa, Kromna, Amisos (Samsun), Sinope (Sinop), Themiscyra (Terme), Trapezounta (Trabzon), Bafra, Argyroupolis (Gümüşhane), Xeroiana (Şiran), Ofis (Of), Santa (Dumanlı), Tonya, Matsouka (Maçka), Galiana (Konaklar), Sourmena (Sürmene), Imera (Olucak), Rizounta (Rize), Mouzena, Kotoiora (Ordu), Livera, Platana, Kel Kit, Nikopolis, Kakatsis, Merzifounta, Tokat, Oinoe (Ünye), Neokaisareia (Niksar), Fatsa, Tripolis (Tirebolu), Thermi (Terme), Gümüşhacıköy, Komana, Hopa, Athina (Pazar), Koloneia, Gemoura (Yomra), Akdağmadeni.

Outside Pontus

Kars Oblast, Balya, Sevasteia (Sivas), Çorum, Bayburt, Adapazarı.

In Crimea and the northern Azov Sea

Chersonesos, Kerkinitida, Panticapaeum, Soughdaia, Tanais, Theodosia.

On the Taman peninsula, Krasnodar Krai and the Colchian coast

Batis, Dioscurias, Germonassa, Gorgippa, Heraclea Pontica, Phanagoria, Phasis, Pitsunda, Sebastopolis.

On the southwestern coast of Ukraine and the Eastern Balkans

Mariupol, Antiphilos, Apollonia (Sozopol), Germonakris, Mesembria, Nikonis, Odessos (Varna), Olbia, Tira.

Culture[link]

The culture of Pontus has been strongly influenced by the topography of its different regions. In commercial cities like Trebizond, Samsunda, Kerasounda and Sinopi upper level education and arts flourished under the protection of a cosmopolitan middle class. In the inland cities such as Argyroupolis, the economy was based upon agriculture and mining, thus creating an economic and cultural gap between the developed urban ports and the rural centers which lay upon the valleys and plains extending from the base of the Pontic alps.

Language[link]

Pontic's linguistic lineage stems from Ionic Greek via Koine and Byzantine Greek with many archaisms and contains loanwords from Turkish and to a lesser extent, Persian and various Caucasian languages.

Education[link]

Close-up view of Sümela Monastery.

The rich cultural activity of Pontian Greeks is witnessed by the number of educational institutions, churches, and monasteries in the region. These include the Phrontisterion of Trapezous that operated from 1682/3 to 1921 and provided a major impetus for the rapid expansion of Greek education throughout the region.^[11] The building of this institution still remains the most impressive Pontic Greek monument in the city.^[12]

Another well known institution was the one of and Argyroupolis, built in 1682 and 1722 respectively, 38 highschools in the Sinopi region, 39 highschools in the Kerasounda region, a plethora of churches and monasteries, most notable of which are the St. Eugenios and Agia Sophia churches of Trapezeus, the monasteries of St. George and St. Ioannes Vazelonos, and arguably the most famous and highly regarded of all, the monastery of Panagia Soumela.

Music[link]

The Phrontisterion of Trapezous, early 20th century.

Pontian music retains elements of the musical traditions of Ancient Greece, Byzantium, and the Caucasus (especially from the region of Kars). Possibly there is an underlying influence from the native peoples who lived in the area before the Greeks as well, but this is not clearly established.

Musical styles, like language patterns and other cultural traits, were influenced by the topography of Pontos. The mountains and rivers of the area impeded communication between Pontian Greek communities and caused them to develop in different ways. Also significant in the shaping of Pontian music was the proximity of various non-Greek peoples on the fringes of the Pontic area. For this reason we see that musical style of the east Pontos has significant differences from the that of the west or south-west Pontos. The Pontian music of Kars, for example, shows a clear influence from the music of the Caucasus and elements from other parts of Anatolia. The music and dances of Turks from Black Sea region are very similar to Greek Pontic and some songs and melodies are common. Except for certain laments and ballads, this music is played primarily to be danced to.

An important part of Pontic music is the Acritic songs, heroic or epic poetry set to music that emerged in the Byzantine Empire, probably in the 9th century. These songs celebrated the exploits of the Akritai, the frontier guards defending the eastern borders of the Byzantine Empire.

Traditional Pontian musical instruments; Kemençe, davul, zurna. Photo from 1950s in Matzouka, Trabzon, Turkey.

The most popular instrument in the Pontian musical collection is the kemenche or lyra, which is related closely with other bowed musical instruments of the medieval West, like the Kit violin and Rebec. Also important are other instruments such as the Angion or Tulum (a type of Bagpipe), the davul, a type of drum, the Shiliavrin, and the Kaval or Ghaval (a flute-like pipe).

The zurna existed in several versions which varied from region to region, with the style from Bafra sounding differently due to its bigger size. The Violin was very popular in the Bafra region and all throughout west Pontos. The Kemane, an instrument closely related to the one of Cappadocia, was highly popular in south-west Pontos and with the Pontian Greeks who lived in Cappadocia. Finally worth mentioning are the Defi (a type of tambourine), Outi and in the region of Kars, the clarinet.

Dance[link]

Folk dances in Turkey. Horon in blue.

Pontian dance retains aspects of Persian and Greek dance styles. The dances called Horoi (Greek: Χοροί), singular Horos (Greek: Χορός), meaning literally "Dance" in both Ancient Pontian and Modern Greek languages, are circular in nature and each is characterized by distinct short steps. A unique aspect of Pontian dance is the tremoulo (Greek: Τρέμουλο), which is a fast shaking of the upper torso by a turning of the back on its axis. Like other Greek dances, they are danced in a line and the dancers form a circle. Pontian dances also resemble Persian and Middle Eastern dances because they are not led by a single dancer. The most renowned Pontian dances are Tik (dance), Serra, Maheria or Pyrecheios, Kotsari and Omal.

In popular culture[link]

• In the 1984 movie Voyage to Cythera (Ταξίδι στα Κύθηρα),^[13] directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos, the protagonist is a Pontian Greek who was deported to the Soviet Union after the Greek civil war. He returns to Greece after 32 years.

• In his 1998 movie From the Edge of the City (Από την άκρη της πόλης),^[14] the film director Constantinos Giannaris describes the life of a young "Russian Pontian" from Kazakhstan in the prostitution underworld of Athens.

• In the 1999 movie Soil and Water (Χώμα και νερό),^[15] one of the characters is a Pontian Greek from Georgia who works as a woman's trafficker for a strip club.

• In the 2000 movie The Very Poor, Inc. (Πάμπτωχοι Α.Ε.),^[16] one of the characters is a Pontian Greek from the Soviet Union named Thymios Hloridis. A mathematician with a specialty in Chaos theory, Hloridis is forced to make a living selling illegal cigars in front of the stock-market.

• In the 2003 Turkish movie Waiting for the Clouds (Bulutlari Beklerken, Περιμένοντας τα σύννεφα),^[17] one Pontian Greek woman, who didn't leave as a child with her brother during the general expulsion of Pontian Greeks to the Greek Peloponnese after the first world war and the Treaty of Lausanne's mandated Population transfer, meets Thanasis, a Pontian Greek man from the Soviet Union, who helps her to find her brother in Greece. The movie makes some references to the pontian genocide.

• In the 2008 short movie Pontos,^[18] written, produced, and directed by Peter Stefanidis, he aims to capture a small part of the genocide from the perspective of its two central characters, played by Lee Mason (Kemal) and Ross Black (Pantzo).

Notable Pontian Greeks[link]

See also[link]

• Urums
• Hamshenis
• Greek genocide
• Greek Muslims
• Chepni

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Halo, Thea. Not Even My Name. Picador. 2000. ISBN 978-0-312-26211-2.
• Hofmann, Tessa, ed. Verfolgung, Vertreibung und Vernichtung der Christen im Osmanischen Reich 1912–1922. Münster: LIT, 2004. ISBN 978-3-8258-7823-8

External links[link]

• Michel Bruneau (ed.), Grecs pontiques: Diaspora, identité, territoires, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Cnrs) Éditions, Paris, 1998 (recension and presentation)
• Nikos Doukas, The Pontian muslims at the target of Turkey
• About Pontic Culture of Anatolia
• The official web site of the Pontian Federation of Greece
• Web site of everything Pontian
• World wide Pontian Forum
• Pontian Federation of Australia
• Pontian Association in Stuttgart, Germany
• Pontian Association in South Russia
• Pontian web site catalogue
• Pontian Association in Frankfurt, Germany / Verein der Griechen aus Pontos in Frankfurt
• Pontian International site
• Internet Radio "Akrites tou Pontou"
• Pontian folk music
• Tsiambasin, traditional Pontian song
• Trebizond Greek: A language without a tongue
• All about Pontian culture
• Website with map showing colonization of the Black Sea by Greek
• The Incredible Odyssey of the Black Sea Greeks
• Greek Penetration of the Black Sea
• Matthaios Tsahouridis, A great Pontian Lyra player

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