Άλλες Ονομασίες Biga, Boğa şehir, Viga of the Dardanelles. Γεωγραφική Θέση North-western Asia Minor. Ιστορική Περιοχή Mysia

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1 Περίληψη : Town with a significant Greek-Orthodox population close to the Dardanelles and Propontis. It was the capital of an administrative district and an important junction in the area. The developed silkworm rearing business played an important role in the local economy. Άλλες Ονομασίες Biga, Boğa şehir, Viga of the Dardanelles Γεωγραφική Θέση North-western Asia Minor Ιστορική Περιοχή Mysia Διοικητική Υπαγωγή Independent mutasarrıflık of Biga, kaymakamlik of Biga Γεωγραφικές Συντεταγμένες 1. Human Geography The country town lay on the edge of the plain and in the valley of the unnamed right tributary of Vakacik dere, left tributary of Kocabaş gay (i.e. the Granicus River). The small river flowed through the town. More precisely, Bığa was located between a hill called Balik kaya (balik means fish and kaya means rock: a fossilized fish had been discovered there) and the river Granicus. Bığa was situated at a distance of 73km N NE of Adramyttion, 73km E NE of Çanakkale, 84km NW of Balikesir and 155km W NW of Bursa. Its distance from the Sea of Propontis was approximately 20km. The settlement s name, Bığa, was taken from the official Ottoman state documents. The name with which it was known to the people was Boğa şehir. In Turkish, Boğa şehir means the City of the Bulls (boğa= bull, şehir= city). Indeed, every year on the 25th of May a large fair was held in Bığa, during which the nearby Turkish tsifliks took there large animals, oxen and bulls, which they sold to butchers who travelled there from Constantinople. The records of the diocese mention the city as Viga of the Dardanelles. The names Bığa and Viga, a refinement of Bığa, originate from the settlement s ancient appellation, Pegai. 1 Contrary to the regions of Bursa and Mikalits, for the 16th century the region of Bığa is not included in the villages that contained Christian populations. 2 The settlement of Christians in this region and more specifically in the city of Bığa must have occurred after the 18th century. It is reported that a part of the Greek Orthodox population of Bığa were once shepherds and carpenters of the Turks. 3 In 1914 Bığa featured 2,500 Greek Orthodox, 5,000 Muslims, 750 Armenians and 25 Jews. 4 Apart from the local Turks, the Muslim population also included Circassians, as well as Bulgarian Turks that had been forced to relocate, probably because of the Balkan Wars. The Turkish immigrants from Bulgaria were called Pomaks by the inhabitants of Bığa (it is unclear, however, whether these were Bulgarian speaking Muslims or Turks). Furthermore, the Muslim population included families of Greek origin, which had apparently embraced Islam to retain their privileges (these were normally wealthy families), yet nevertheless retained a vivid memory of their origins. Δημιουργήθηκε στις 5/2/2017 Σελίδα 1/5

2 Most of Bığa s Greek Orthodox population were considered locals. There were also emigrants from Macedonia (Florina), Thessaly (some which originated from the guerrilla bands of this are, like kapetan (=chief) Manolis), Thrace (Ganochora) and Epirus. There were also Greek citizens from Syros, who were in the timber trading business. The Granicus River carried down from Mt Kaz Dağı selected tree trunks to the port of Karabığa (the harbour of Bığa which was situated close to the ruins of the ancient city of Priapus); these were then loaded by Syrian merchants on ships and transported to their island where they were used for shipbuilding. The local Greek Orthodox groups were Turkish speaking, while the immigrants spoke Greek. At any rate the latter represented only 5% of the Greek Orthodox population. At school, however, the younger generations were taught Greek, at home, though, they continued to speak Turkish. In church, the liturgy was sung in ancient Greek, thus the priest was often forced to explain the Gospel in Turkish. The first persecution of the Greek Orthodox inhabitants of Bığa occurred in 1914 when World War I broke out. Bığa, as well as Karabığa, belonged to the British zone of influence (Following the Armistice of Mudros, October 1918). The British retained control over the area until September 1922, when following the retreat of the Greek Army they were limited to controlling the Dardanelles region. Following the Exodus families originating from this settlement relocated to Edessa, Komotene, Nea Lampsakos of Euboea, Florina and Athens. 2. Administrative and religious subsumption - Religion - Education According to the evidence available for the early 20th century, Bığa was the administrative seat of a kaymakamlik, which belonged to the mutasarrıflık or sanjak of Çanakkale (or of Bığa, as it was also known). 5 To the kaymakamlik of Bığa also belonged the mudurluk of Karabığa, Bazarkioi, and Demetoka. Bığa was a municipality. The mayor was always a Muslim. The municipal council, however, included two representatives of the city s Greek Orthodox community. Representatives of the Greek Orthodox, as well as of the Armenians, were also included in the kaymakam s council. There was also a muhtar who represented the Greek Orthodox element, as well as muhtars responsible for the Muslim population, while the Armenians also had their own muhtar. The Greek Orthodox muhtar was aided in his work by five advisors. There was also an ecclesiastical and a school committee both of which had four members each. Ecclesiastically Bığa belonged to the diocese of the Dardanelles and Lampsacus which was based in Çanakkale (Dardanelles). 6 In Bığa there was an prelatic commissioner (representative of the metropolitan), usually one of the clerics of the country town, who was responsible for issuing marriage, baptism and other licences. The settlement s only church was dedicated to St Athanasius (in earlier times there was a second church as well, dedicated to the Mother of God, but it was destroyed in the fire of 1900). This church was made of timber and the Turkish speaking inhabitants of Bığa called it, Ai Tanas. On the eve of the saint s feast day the ecclesiastical committee visited the houses of the Greek Orthodox and collected grain (from the farmers) and animals (from the stock breeders). On the saint s feast day cauldrons were set up in the church s courtyard and pilaf rice was prepared. In 1922, the Turks set fire to the church and destroyed it. Outside the village, at a short distance, there stood two chapels dedicated to St Paraskevi and St Anne. These two chapels featured roofed holy water basins. In Bığa there was a nursery school as well as a six grade primary school, where a boys only school with two teachers and a girls only school with a teacher and an assistant were housed together. In 1905, there were 110 male students at Δημιουργήθηκε στις 5/2/2017 Σελίδα 2/5

3 the school and 50 female students. The annual budget for the two schools amounted to 5,500 grosia, which was obtained from the ecclesiastical fund and collected from the rents paid on the income from the ecclesiastical lands. In the last grades of the elementary school the students receiving instruction in Turkish (reading and writing) and French. 3. Residential structure data Bığa lay at an important junction and for this reason its road network was in good condition. It was connected to Karabığa via a paved road. Carts and caravans were always on the move on this road which, as a result, was always full of commercial traffic. All the internal and external trade of Bığa was conducted via this road. Bığa was also connected via road to Panormos, Çanakkale, Gunen, the mines of Balia et al. The Granicus River flowed 100m east of the city. Its sources were located on Kara Dağı and it flowed into the Propontis. First it passed outside the Turkish and the Armenian mahalle (quarter) and then it flowed towards the Greek mahalle. Every May it overflowed due to the snow melting on Mountai Kaz Dağı. The river s waters streamed into the plain and the mud functioned as a natural fertilizer for the cereal fields and the apple orchards. The river was also rich in carp. In 1900, as well as two years after this date, in 1902, parts of Bığa were destroyed by fire. The houses were made of wood and caught fire easily. In earlier times the roads were narrow, but after the successive fires and the reconstruction of the residences they were made wider. They were paved with cobblestones. They were not planted on their flanks, but at night they were lit by petroleum lamps. Following the fires people begun building stone houses. Bığa also featured two inns which belonged to Turks. These caravanserais were used by travellers on their way to the port of Karabığa. These were usually coach drivers and mule drivers who transported merchandise. There were also two baths, also owned by Turks, which were, however, also frequented by Greek Orthodox and Armenians of the country town. 4. Economy The majority of Bığa s inhabitants were involved in the silkworm rearing business. All the houses were large and spacious, precisely to allow for silkworm rearing; the courtyards of the houses were planted with mulberry trees, essential for the rearing of silkworms. Τhe work of this business reached its peak during the months of April, May and June. A bidding followed immediately after, during which the merchants purchased the cocoons and resold them at Brusa, which featured many silk processing factories. The Greek Orthodox inhabitants of Bığa were practitioners. They owned grocery stores, butcher shops, bakeries etc. They controlled a large proportion of the commercial activities of Bığa s district. They gathered the grain from the Turkish villages of the region and loaded them onto ships which transported them to Constantinople and the opposite coasts of Thrace. They also sold dried broad beans to Mytilene and Chios. Most of the Armenians were artisans (ironsmiths, tinkers, carpenters etc.). The Turks were mostly farmers (most of them grew grain), while several were rentiers (they owned property houses, shops etc which they leased). Finally, the few Jews were peddlers. Once a week Bığa hosted a large bazaar, in which agricultural produce coming from the nearby Turkish villages was sold. The merchants of Bığa purchased their merchandise from Constantinople. This merchandise arrived in ships and was unloaded at the port of Karabığa. The Greek Orthodox inhabitants of the settlement also traded with the Greek villages of Thrace Myriophyton and Peristase: from which they purchased various earthenware which they sold in the Turkish Δημιουργήθηκε στις 5/2/2017 Σελίδα 3/5

4 villages of the Bığa region. These trades were done in kind: They filled the tsanak (a type of clay pot) with grain and as payment they kept its contents (these villages in Thrace produced no grain). In May an animal fair was also held in Bığa; it lasted 15 days and it attracted people from Artaki and Panormos as well as butchers from Thrace. 1. See Κοντογιάννης, Π., Γεωγραφία της Μικράς Ασίας. Φυσική υπόστασις της χώρας, πολιτική γεωγραφία, φυσικός πλούτος (Αθήνα 1921), p. 209, where it is claimed that Bığa is the ancient city of Pege or Pegai which is also mentioned by Anna Komnene. It was probably a Megarian colony. See also Ν.Κ.Σ., under entry Βίγα, Μεγάλη Ελληνική Εγκυκλοπαίδεια, vol. Ζ (Athens 1929), p Barkan, O.L., "Osmanh Imparatorlugun'da toprak isgiliginin organizasyonu sekilleri; A: Istanbul Haslar Kazasindaki ortakgi kullar; B: Bursa civarindaki kulluklar", Istanbul Universitesi Iktisat Facultesi mecmuasi 1 ( ), pp Αρχείο Προφορικής Παράδοσης Κέντρου Μικρασιατικών Σπουδών, folder 21. See also Αναγνωστοπούλου, Σ., Μικρά Ασία, 19ος αι, Οι ελληνορθόδοξες κοινότητες: από το Μιλλέτ των Ρωμιών στο Ελληνικό Έθνος, (Αθήνα 1997), p Αρχείο Προφορικής Παράδοσης Κέντρου Μικρασιατικών Σπουδών, folder 21. According to a statistic of the early 20th century published in the journal Ξενοφάνης [Anonymous, Στατιστικός πίναξ της Επαρχίας Κυζίκου, Ξενοφάνης 3/1 (1905), pp ) Bığa was inhabited by 2,500 Orthodox Greeks while no Muslims are reported. The respective statistic of the Ecumenical Patriarchate also for 1905 (Εθνικά Φιλανθρωπικά Καταστήματα Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Ημερολόγιον έτους 1905 [Κωνσταντινούπολη 1904], p. 184) does not specifically mention the number of inhabitants. Π. Κοντογιάννης reports for Bığa the figure of 2,000 Greek Orthodox out of a total population of 10,000 people, with very few Armenians and Jews. See Κοντογιάννης, Π., Γεωγραφία της Μικράς Ασίας Φυσική σύστασις της χώρας, πολιτική γεωγραφία, φυσικός πλούτος (Αθήνα 1921), p See also Ν.Κ.Σ., under entry Βίγα, Μεγάλη Ελληνική Εγκυκλοπαίδεια, vol. Ζ (Αθήνα 1929), p. 233, where a total population of 5,000 inhabitants is reported. 5. The mutasarrıflık of Çanakkale was independent, i.e. it did not belong to any administrative district (valilik), but instead it belonged directly to the Ministry for the Interior at Constantinople. In earlier times it did belong to the valilik of Prusa. 6. In earlier times Bığa belonged to the diocese of Cyzicus which was based in Artaki. Following the establishment of the diocese of the Dardanelles and Lampsacus in 1913, and with the detachment of regions that used to belong to the diocese of Cyzicus, Bığa became part of the new diocese. Βιβλιογραφία : Κοντογιάννης Π., Γεωγραφία της Μικράς Ασίας. Φυσική σύστασις της χώρας, πολιτική γεωγραφία, φυσικός πλούτος, Αθήναι 1921 Αναγνωστοπούλου Σ., Μικρά Ασία, 19ος αι Οι Eλληνορθόδοξες Κοινότητες. Aπό το Μιλλέτ των Ρωμιών στο Ελληνικό Έθνος, Ελληνικά Γράμματα, Αθήνα 1997 Σγουρίδης Γ., Η Πέραμος της Κυζίκου. Ιστορία Λαογραφία Χρονικά Αναμνήσεις, Σύλλογος Περαμίων-Κυζικηνών, Αθήνα 1968 Barkan Ö.L., "Osmanlı Imparatorluğun da toprak isçiliğinin organizasyonu sekilleri; A: Istanbul Haslar Kazasindaki ortakçi kullar; Β: Bursa civarindaki kulluklar", Istanbul Universitesi Iktisat Facultesi Μecmuasi, 1, , 29-74, Σ. Ν., "Βίγα", Μεγάλη Ελληνική Εγκυκλοπαίδεια, τόμ. Ζ, Αθήνα 1929, 233 Γλωσσάριo : kaymakam Δημιουργήθηκε στις 5/2/2017 Σελίδα 4/5

5 An Ottoman official, governor of the administrative unit that succeeded the kaza in the late Ottoman period. kaymakamlık Ottoman administrative unit that replaced the kaza during the late Ottoman Period, after the administrative reforms of müdürlük Small administrative unit in the late Ottoman Empire, subdistrict of a kaymakamlık, under the jurisdiction of a müdür. muhtar Elected communal official, head of a quarter or a village community. mutasarrıflık A medium-sized Ottoman administrative unit that replaced the sancak during the Late Ottoman Period, after the administrative reforms of Πηγές Αρχείο Προφορικής Παράδοσης Κέντρου Μικρασιατικών Σπουδών, folder Μ 21 Εθνικά Φιλανθρωπικά Καταστήματα Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. Ημερολόγιον έτους 1905 (Κωνσταντινούπολη 1904) Anonymous, Στατιστικός πίναξ της Επαρχίας Κυζίκου, Ξενοφάνης 3/1 (1905), pp Δημιουργήθηκε στις 5/2/2017 Σελίδα 5/5