Γεωγραφική Θέση Northeast Asia Minor. Ιστορική Περιοχή Cilicia

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1 Περίληψη : Mersin was one of the most significant trade centers of Cilicia during the 19th century. It became an important export centre of Cilicia, as most of the exported products of the area were brought to Mersin, and also all the imported products were transported from Mersin to the interior of the country. It was the terminal station of the railway line Mersina-Tarsus-Adana that crossed the area of Cilicia. Mersin was in a significant economic position until the signing of the Lausanne Treaty, when the remaining Greek-orthodox populations were forced to leave the area. Γεωγραφική Θέση Northeast Asia Minor Ιστορική Περιοχή Cilicia Διοικητική Υπαγωγή Seat of the kaza of Mersin, which belonged to the sancak (mutasarrıflık) of Adana and the vilayet of Adana until 1889; later on it was the seat of the sancak of Mersin, which in turn belonged to the vilayet of Adana. 1. The development of the town Mersin was one of the most significant trade centers of Cilicia during the 19 th century. Located at the east end of the coastal zone of the Mediterranean sea, it developed into a major export centre of the Cilicia area, as the largest part of the exported products of the area were brought to Mersin, and also all the imported products were transported from Mersin to the interior of the country. In the Antiquity and the Roman era, the area was known with the name Zephyrion, whilst the town took its name from the myrtle, a shrubby plant that thrived in the area. In contrast to other urban centres of Cilicia, Mersin was a contemporary city which was build almost from the beginning, at a site where there was no organized historical settlement until the 19 th century, apart from a few fishing houses. The town was built at a coastal location. The shallow and protected seashore was initially considered to be a good alternative anchorage, compared to Alexandretta which was exposed to the strong wind. In the 1840s the new settlement commenced to be build around this natural anchorage and the modern city of Mersin sprang up rapidly. Besides the propitious geographical location of the town, the development of the town was favoured by other factors as well. The first one was related to the fast expansion of the cotton cultivation in the sancak of Adana and its exporting orientation. The Mersin port, of a total size of 60 hectares, was rapidly developed into the major-if not the single- export centre. The second factor is related to the administrative reorganization of the area; the new vilayet of Adana emerged after the detachment of the sancak of Adana and Cebelibereket Kozan from the Chalepi (Aleppo) vilayet and the İcel sancak from the Ikonio (Konya) vilayet. Mersin was the seat of the kaza, administrative sub-unity of the sancak of Adana. The sancak of Adana was the administrative and economic centre of the Adana vilayet, as it comprised the three urban centres of the district, Adana, Tarsus and Mersin. In 1889 Mersin was administratively upgraded, as it became the seat of the administration unit that included Tarsus. The third factor that affected positively the rapid development of Mersin, was the migration movement in the interior of the Ottoman Empire, towards the vilayet of Adana. This movement was partly directed to Mersin, leading to a population increase of the town within a few decades. 2. The development of the transport network The significant location of Mersin is reflected on the fast development of the city s transportation and infrastructure. The city was constructed in parallel to the coast according to the modern urban planning views and new public buildings were erected. The streets were stone-paved and later on asphalt-paved. The shallow seabed of the port prevented the ship from running ashore. The transportation of the cargo took place on four large docks that started from the piers of the port and ended at the location where the ship docked, more than five hundred meters of the beach. The very large ships did not reach the docks, but unloaded the cargo off Δημιουργήθηκε στις 6/10/2017 Σελίδα 1/6

2 shore on smaller boats, which were driven ashore. Despite the shallow waters of the port and the difficulties in the loading and unloading of the cargo- mainly during wintertime- Mersin was rapidly developed into one of the biggest ports in the east Mediterranean with hundreds of ships docking in the port every year. For example, 322 steamships and 453 sailing-boats of total transport capacity tons sailed into the port of Mersin in 1887; 383 steamships and 355 sailing-boats of total transport capacity of tons sailed into the port in 1896, while in 1908 the number reached 522 sailing-boats and 538 steamships of tons. Mersin was the terminal station of the railway-line from Mersin to Tarsus and Adana, which crossed the district of Cilicia. The railway line, which was 67 km long, was constructed in the 1880s by an Anglo-French company, in order to guarantee the unhindered export of cotton and was expected to be connected with the railway of Bagdad, something which was not achieved. Although the railway line was profitable, the earnings were not sufficient for the interests of the bonds. It was only after 1900 that the company was able to pay the dividend. 3. Economy The financial activity in Mersin was all along related to the prospects of the local cotton cultivation. The cotton that was cultivated in the plain of Adana, was transported to Mersin in order to be exported. The same occurred for other cultivations of the area as well, like grain and animal products. The following table presents the trade activity in the area of Mersin for the period Year Imports in sterling Exports in sterling Because of the special financial interest of the town of Mersin, a number of establishments were assembled in the port. The Ottoman Bank, Deutche Orient Bank, the Bank of Anatolia, the Bank of Athens had opened branches in order to respond to the growing commercial activity. The Sub-Consulates of Great Britain, France, Germany and Greece, operated also in Mersin. 4. The city and its population Mersin, because of its location and activity, was established as one of the most significant centers of the Adana vilayet. The increasing population was indicative of the rapid development of the city, and furthermore it contributed to its development. Because of the recent construction of the city, comparisons with the past would not be correct. It is certain that the population of the city increased very rapidly during the second half of the 19 th century. There are no exact census numbers and important variations are observed in Δημιουργήθηκε στις 6/10/2017 Σελίδα 2/6

3 the existing data; nonetheless, a powerful, increasing tendency can be established. According to Cuinet, Mersin in the early 1890 numbered approximately people. The British Consulate estimates that there were more than inhabitants in the town in 1908, whilst according to the Journal of the Orthodox Christian fraternity "Orthodoxia", during the same period (1910) people lived in Mersin. 1 These variations are due to our inability to determine the precise number of migrants that arrived everyday by sea, or on the train from the interior of Cilicia and other areas of Asia Minor. The comments on the data are indicative of the continuing population increase. 2 It is certain that the dynamic increase of the population potential of the town, led to establish the town as more powerful in demographic terms than Tarsus, a town which was inhabited uninterruptedly since the Antiquity. We come across similar problems regarding the determination of the population synthesis concerning the different religious groups. According to the same estimates, the majority of the inhabitants were muslims, while the largest non-muslim community was the christian-orthodox, which numbered The ratio of non muslim and muslim population was visibly smaller, in comparison to Adana and Tarsus. The town on Mersin was developed around the port area, which was relatively large. The city s modern character influenced negatively the formation of separate residence areas for the muslim and christian-orthodox populations. The rapid development of the port was connected to the construction of large warehouses and new buildings that housed the commercial, insurance, maritime and banking activities. Soon enough, the city developed the industrial sector as well. According to the existing data, in the 1900s, there were four textile factories, two large mills, one ice factory and one brick factory, and also a number of smaller industrial units. The rapid urban development of the city and its special geographical location did not guarantee good quality of public health conditions in the city. The climate was humid and pestiferous, because of the coastal location of the town and the proximity with marshy areas, while the arrival of migrants and the overcrowding of people in the city amplified the problem of public health. However, in the beginning of the 20 th century, the gradual drainage of the marsh area situated around the city for the purpose of the construction of new residences had a positive effect and caused the climate to improve. 5. The orthodox community of Mersin Mersin was a town of migrants that received a great number of orthodox populations who settled in this area since the 1840s, coming from Cyprus, Cappadocia, Syria, Chios and the islands of the Aegean. The orthodox inhabitants of the town were primarily Greekspeaking, but there were a number of Turkish-speaking and Arab-speaking among them. Although the existing information regarding these groups is scarce, it seems that the settlement of the inhabitants followed a common model based on the family networks. The successful settlement of one or more members of a family in the town created the basis for the settlement of the younger members of the family; hence, a regular migration movement towards Mersin was preserved. The οrthodox populations of Mersin were not in close contact when they first settled in the town, as the migrant groups were of different geographical origin. In some cases, the migrants of the same origin, tended to assemble in the same area of the city, forming separate quarters, like the Kypriotika quarter. The city itself and the rhythms of development counterbalanced this tendency. The financial activities, the competitive trade and the cosmopolitan character of Mersin allowed the establishment of relations, beyond the context of the family and the locality factor. Intermarriages between orthodox inhabitants of different geographical origin were not rare. The formation of communal institutions and establishments broadened the networks of horizontal communication, without cancelling the powerful aspect of the family relations. Regarding the number of the orthodox inhabitants of Mersin, the existing data is scarce. According to a general estimate the population numbers ; however, this number could be increased in certain periods, if we also took into consideration the floating number of the migrants who did not live in the city or did not manage to settle permanently in the city. Arab-speaking orthodox populations are usually included in this social group, as they differentiated from the rest of the community during the crisis caused by the Antioch Question. Given the financial operation of the city of Mersin, it was expected that the orthodox populations would engage themselves almost exclusively in trade, shipping, industry and the services sector. The formation of the community is directly connected to the economic Δημιουργήθηκε στις 6/10/2017 Σελίδα 3/6

4 anticipations that the Cilicia plain offered. The companies that orthodox inhabitants operated in the trade, industrial and banking sector, were in a prominent position. According to the index of the Greek Commercial Chamber of Constantinople (Istanbul) of 1812, there were 26 commercial companies operating in the sectors of trade and export of cotton, the import of european products, the whole sale and retail sale commerce, which were owned by Greeks. 4 However, if we take into consideration the archival data of the Centre for Asia Minor Studies where other companies names are registered as well, this number is higher. Most of these companies are registered as operating in other sectors-other than trade- the insurance and banking sector in particular. The Mavrommatis firm was the largest firm of Greek interests operating in the sectors of commerce and banking. The Mavrommatis family, came from Cyprus and was early on engaged in the trade, the banking services and the industry. Constantinos Mavrommatis founded in Tarsus a large spinning and flour industrial unit. It is said that during the Abdul Hammid period the family s influence in Mersin and especially the influence of Antonios Mavrommates was strong, due to the relations of the family with the Ottoman state and also his position as sub-consulate of Russia. Nonetheless, other powerful entrepreneurs, like industrialist Lykiardopoulos, Simeonoglou and Bodossakis, who was the owner of the factory that supplied the Ottoman army with flour and munitions during the First World War. Moreover, there were a number of lawyers and doctors who lived and worked in Mersin, and found opportune place for activity in this commercial centre. This thriving community developed its own shops and its own institutions. The magnificent church of St.Georgios was built in 1875 at the expenses of the Mavrommatis family; it was the boast of the orthodox population of the town and it offered the members of their continuously broadening community to attend the mass. In the past, the orthodox inhabitants of the town used to attend the mass at the small church of Archangel Michael, which was used solely by the Arab-speaking population after the erection of the new church. The community founded new schools in the 1890s, one primary school for boys and one for girls; these two schools were reorganized in The boys school numbered approximately 120 pupils in 1910 and they were allocated in seven classes, with five teachers and one surveillant, while in the girls school there were 200 pupils and four teachers. The expenses for the operation for the boys school reached 360 lira in 1910, a sum which the community tried to cover by the income from the theatrical plays and other events. In support of the boys school, the fraternity Orthodoxia was founded. On the contrary, the expenses of the girls school were covered by the Mavrommatis family, who had also covered the fees for the construction of the modern building housing the school. The community schools had to face the competition of the western religious missions, which operated in the town since The protestant and two catholic schools of Mersin were addressed to the Christian inhabitants of the city, orthodox and Armenian; over 200 students coming from Christian families were registered at these schools. The missionary education created the fear of proselytism and the community and church authorities openly confronted them with hostility, supported by the action of the orthodox and Greek societies, and primarily the Club of Anatolian Greek Anatoli. The community of Mersin was administered by a council of elders (dimogerontia), whose members were regularly elected. The council was working in collaboration with the ecclesiastical committee and the school board for the educational, ecclesiastical and communal issues. The council of elders called for general assemblies for the resolution of direct problems that were related mainly with the education and the increased school expenses. The community books, written in the Caramanli script (Caramanlidika) and in Greek, have been conserved at the State General Archives of Greece. In the 1990 s the community and the authorities of Mersin were actively involved in the Antioch Question, as they denied to comply with the indications of the Antioch Patriarchate regarding the installation of the new metropolitan of Adana and Tarsus. Metropolitan Germanos was opposed to the election of the Arab-speaking Antioch Patriarch Meletios and turned to Constantinople, leaving his diocese acephalous. In 1903 Patriarch Meletios installed the new metropolitan Alexander Tachan, but it was impossible for him to settle in Mersin, as the day of his arrival a large crowd of Christians was gathered in the port, to prevent him from disembarking. Two years later, a second attempt to install metropolitan Tachan was made. The Patriarchate sent metropolitan of Tyre and Sidon Elias as the patriarchate exarch to Mersin, nevertheless, his did not receive a particularly warm welcome, despite the fact that he settles in the town. The Antioch Question divided the orthodox community of the town in two. The Greek-speaking and Turkish-speaking members of the community sided with the opponents of Meletios, while the Arab-speaking minority apparently supported him. The Antioch Question acted as a catalyst for the politicization of cultural characteristics that until that time were considered as insignificant, and the formation of two different groups based on ethnic difference. The ethnic discriminations between Greek and Arabs within the Mersin community were based on this. On the other hand, the level of contribution of the less eminent orthodox inhabitants still remains undetermined. The dispute was organized by the community authorities, namely that small social group that was dealing with the council of elders, who were responsible for the Δημιουργήθηκε στις 6/10/2017 Σελίδα 4/6

5 political mobilization of the community, with prominent members Dimitrios Satir and Lykiardopoulos. It must be noted that Antonios Mavrommatis, the Consul of Russia who was favourably disposed towards metropolitan Meletios, was against the dispute with the Antioch Patriarchate, which was supported by the majority of the council and assembly members. The Greek sub-consulate played an active role in this dispute by influencing the members of the council of elders to oppose to the Antioch throne. The Mersin community maintained its powerful financial position until the signing of the Lausanne Treaty, when due to the population exchange the remaining orthodox inhabitants were forced to leave the area. A part of the community had already left the town earlier, after the signing of the Treaty of Ankara in 1921; the Treaty was signed between France and Kemalist Turkey and based on its terms France was to leave the Cilicia area, acknowledging the Turkish sovereignty. 1. «Ο νομός Αδάνων», in Ημερολόγιον Ορθοδόξου Χριστιανικής Αδελφότητος Μερσίνης «Ορθοδοξία» (Μερσίνα 1911). 2. [...] la population de Mersine tend s augmenter chaque jour [...] : Cuinet, V., La Τurquie d'asie. Géographie administrative. Statistique descriptive et raisonée de chaque province de l'asie Mineure 2 (Paris 1891), p. 50 Mersina a fast growing town [...] : Accounts & Papers, Turkey. Report on the Trade of the Province of Adana for the Year 1908 (Annual Series 4235). 3. According to Kontogiannis, the greek-orthodox population numbers 4.000, see Κοντογιάννης, Π., Γεωγραφία της Μικράς Ασίας. Φυσική σύστασις της χώρας, πολιτική γεωγραφία, φυσικός πλούτος (Αθήνα 1921), p Δελτίον του εν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ελληνικού εμπορικού επιμελητηρίου. Ευρετήριον εμπορικών οίκων (Κωνσταντινούπολη 1912). Βιβλιογραφία : Αντωνόπουλος Σ., Μικρά Ασία, Αθήναι 1907 Κοντογιάννης Π., Γεωγραφία της Μικράς Ασίας. Φυσική σύστασις της χώρας, πολιτική γεωγραφία, φυσικός πλούτος, Αθήναι 1921 Γεωργιάδης Μ., "Περί της Κιλικίας Καθόλου και Αδάνων", Ξενοφάνης, Α, 1896 Δελτίον του εν Κωνσταντινουπόλει Ελληνικού Εμπορικού Επιμελητηρίου, Ευρετήριον Εμπορικών Οίκων, Κωνσταντινούπολη 1912 Εξερτζόγλου Χ., "Η διάχυση της εθνικής ταυτότητας στις ορθόδοξες κοινότητες της Κιλικίας", Δελτίο Κέντρου Μικρασιατικών Σπουδών, ΙΑ, , Karpat K., Ottoman Population, Demographic and Social Characteristics, Madison 1985 Καταπότης Μ., "Ο Ελληνισμός εν Μερσίνη", Ελληνισμός, Ιανουάριος 1899 "Ο Νομός Αδάνων", Ημερολόγιον Ορθοδόξου Χριστιανικής Αδελφότητας Μερσίνης «Ορθοδοξία», Μερσίνα 1911 Pamuk S., The Ottoman Empire and European Capitalism, Trade, investment and production, Cambridge University Press 1987 "Περί του Νομού Αδάνων", Ξενοφάνης, Δ', 1907 Δημιουργήθηκε στις 6/10/2017 Σελίδα 5/6

6 Verney N., Dambmann G., Les Puissances Etrangères dans le Levant, en Syrie et en Palestine, Paris 1900 Cuinet V., La Turquie d Asie. Géographie administrative. Statistique descriptive et raisonnée de chaque province de l Asie Mineure 2, Paris 1891 Γλωσσάριo : board of schools The board of schools (ephoreia) consisted of members either elected by the community or nominated by a commission. They were authorized to supervise the proper functioning of the educational institutions. dimogerontia Communal authority consisting of the elected community officials, known as archontes (potentates), proestoi (notables), epitropoi (wardens), dimogerontes or simply gerontes (elders). kaza The basic grade of the Ottoman provincial administration. It included the surrounding region of a city or a town. During the late Ottoman Period it is identified with the kaymakamlık. sancak (liva) Medium sized unit of provincial administration of the Ottoman state, throughout its history. A subdivision of the early Ottoman eyalet (or beylerbeylik) and the later Ottoman vilayet. In the late Ottoman Period it was known also as mutasarrıflık. vilayet (valilik) The larger administrative unit in the Ottoman provincial administration system. The large provinces of the Ottoman Empire were previously called eyalet. The new regulation of 1864 introduced the vilayet as an equivalent of the French départment - albeit of smaller size. The governor of the vilayet was called vali and had extensive authority. Πηγές Δελτίον του εν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ελληνικού εμπορικού επιμελητηρίου. Ευρετήριον εμπορικών οίκων (Κωνσταντινούπολη 1912). «Ο νομός Αδάνων», στο Ημερολόγιον Ορθοδόξου Χριστιανικής Αδελφότητος Μερσίνης «Ορθοδοξία» (Μερσίνα 1911). «Περί του Νομού Αδάνων», Ξενοφάνης Δ (1907). «Ο Ελληνισμός εν Μερσίνη», Ελληνισμός (Ιανουάριος 1899). Δημιουργήθηκε στις 6/10/2017 Σελίδα 6/6