Karamanlides

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Not to be confused with Karamanids, a Turkic group from the same area.
Karamanlides
Καραμανλήδες
Karamanlılar
Karamanlidika.jpg
Karamanlidika inscription found on the door of a house in İncesu, Turkey
Regions with significant populations
Greece
Languages
Originally Karamanli Turkish, now predominantly Modern Greek
Religion
Orthodox Christianity

The Karamanlides (Greek: Καραμανλήδες; Turkish: Karamanlılar), or simply Karamanlis, are a Greek Orthodox, Turkish-speaking people native to the Karaman and Cappadocia regions of Anatolia. Today, a majority of the population live in Greece, though there is a sizeable diaspora in Western Europe and North America.

Etymology[]

Karamanlides were Orthodox Christians in Central Anatolia who spoke Karamanli Turkish as their primary language. The term is geographical, derived from the 13th century Kingdom of Karaman. Originally the term would only refer to the inhabitants of the town of Karaman or from the region of Karaman.

Language[]

An inscription in Karamanlı Turkish on the entrance of the former Greek Orthodox church of Agia Eleni in Sille, near Konya.
Main article: Karamanli Turkish

Karamanlı writers and speakers were expelled from Turkey as part of the Greek-Turkish population exchange of 1923. Some speakers preserved their language in the diaspora. The writing form stopped being used immediately after the Turkish state adopted the Latin alphabet.

A fragment of a manuscript written in Karamanlı was also found in the Cairo Geniza.[1]

Origins[]

The origins of the Karamanlides have long been disputed, there being two basic theories on the subject. According to one, they are the remnants of the Greek-speaking Byzantine population which, though it remained Orthodox, was linguistically Turkified. The second theory holds that they were originally Turkish soldiers which the Byzantine emperors had settled in Anatolia in large numbers and who retained their language and Christian religion after the Turkish conquests.[2]

There is historical accounts of settled Turks living in Byzantine Anatolia converting to Christianity, Karamanlides are also often thought to be the Christian Turkish converts who maintained their religion after Byzantines were defeated.[3]

Evliya Çelebi, Ottoman explorer, who visited Karamanlides and experienced their lifestyle first hand on the other hand writes that Karamanlides were of Turkish origin and that their Turkish accent was no different than the local Muslim Turks'. They printed books, particularly the bible, in Turkish language and chanted hymns in Karamanlidika despite their neighbourhoods also having Greek-speaking communities.[4][5]

Upon seeing Karamanlides' requests to stay in Turkey, the Turkish government tried to cut a deal for them to be exempt from the population exchange however this was not accepted.[6] Only Papa Eftim (born: Pavlos Karahisarithis), who was a bishop was allowed to remain in Anatolia. Papa Eftim, along with the majority of Karamanlides, supported the Turkish army during the Greco-Turkish war. He was quoted as saying ''I am not Turks' friend Eftim, I am a Turk who is the son of a Turk Eftim. I have always clarified my Turkish identity. Foreigners can be friends to Turks'. However, a Turkish citizen like me being shown as a foreigner, questioning my people, hurts me deeply. I will never forgive people who do not call me a Turk but friend of Turks.''[7]

The range of the ancestral homeland of the Karamanlides.

Population[]

Many Karamanlides were forced to leave their homes during the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Early estimates placed the number of Turkish-speaking Orthodox Christians expelled from central and southern Anatolia at around 100,000.[8] However, Stevan K. Pavlowitch says that the Karamanlides were numbered at around 400,000 at the time of the exchange.[9]

Culture[]

The distinct culture that developed among the Karamanlides blended elements of Orthodox Christianity with a Turkish-Anatolian culture that characterized their willingness to accept and immerse themselves in foreign customs. From the 14th to the 19th centuries, they enjoyed an explosion in literary refinement. Karamanli authors were especially productive in philosophy, religious writings, novels, and historical texts. Their lyrical poetry in the late 19th century describes their indifference to both Greek and Turkish governments, and the confusion which they felt as a Turkish-speaking people with a Greek Orthodox religion.[10] [11] [12]

Upon arrival in Greece, Karamanlides faced many instances of discrimination by the local Greek population. They were called 'tourkosporos', a slur meaning Turkish seed.[13] During Metaxas' rule, they were punished for speaking and identifying as Turkish, the use of languages other than Greek were banned.

References[]

  1. ^ Julia Krivoruchko Karamanli – a new language variety in the Genizah: T-S AS 215.255 http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/Taylor-Schechter/fotm/july-2012/index.html Archived 2016-10-27 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Vryonis, Speros. Studies on Byzantium, Seljuks, and Ottomans: Reprinted Studies. Undena Publications, 1981, ISBN 0-89003-071-5, p. 305. "The origins of the Karamanlides have long been disputed, there being two basic theories on the subject. According to one, they are the remnants of the Greek-speaking Byzantine population which, though it remained Orthodox, was linguistically Turkified. The second theory holds that they were originally Turkish soldiers which the Byzantine emperors had settled in Anatolia in large numbers and who retained their language and Christian religion after the Turkish conquests..."
  3. ^ Shukurov, Rustam (2016). "The Byzantine Turks, 1204-1461". The Byzantine Turks, 1204-1461: 223.
  4. ^ Hayati Develi, Osmanlı'nın Dili, Kesit Yayınları, İstanbul 2010, s. 26. ISBN 978-605-4117-33-8
  5. ^ "Ekrem Buğra Ekinci - THE KARAMANLIDES: A TURKISH-SPEAKING GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY IN ANATOLIA". www.ekrembugraekinci.com. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  6. ^ "TLS - Times Literary Supplement". TLS. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  7. ^ Çetintaş, Cengiz (2019-11-18). Cumhuriyet'in Kuruluş Yılı 1923: TBMM Tutanakları Yıllığı (in Turkish). Cengiz Çetintaş. ISBN 978-605-81170-6-8.
  8. ^ Blanchard, Raoul. "The Exchange of Populations Between Greece and Turkey." Geographical Review, 15.3 (1925): 449-56.
  9. ^ Pavlowitch, Stevan K. (1999). A history of the Balkans, 1804-1945. London: Addison-Wesley Longman. p. 36. ISBN 0-582-04585-1. OCLC 39936266. The Karamanlides were Turkish-speaking Greeks or Turkish-speaking Orthodox Christians who lived mainly in Asia Minor. They numbered some 400,000 at the time of the 1923 exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey.
  10. ^ Aytac, Selenay; Constantinou, C. (2016). "Discovery of Karamanlidika Cultural Artifacts via Social Media Tools: Towards a Digital Repository for Karamanli Memories". Undefined. S2CID 52060689.
  11. ^ Ekin, Cemal (2017). "KARAMANLILARIN SOY KÜTÜKLERİ: KARAMANLICA (GREK HARFLİ TÜRKÇE) KİTABELİ MEZAR TAŞLARI". ResearchGate.
  12. ^ Irakleous, Stelios (January 2013). ""On the development of Karamanlidika Writing Systems Based on Sources of the Period 1764–1895", Mediterranean Language Review (20) 2013". ResearchGate.
  13. ^ Mackridge, Peter (2010-11-18). Language and National Identity in Greece, 1766-1976. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-959905-9.
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