CARAMANIAN ORTHODOX TURKS WHO IMMIGRATED TO GREECE FROM MUSTAFAPASHA BECAUSE OF THE POPULATION EXCHANGE

Abstract

Caramanians, who were Turkish-speaking Orthodox Christians and used Greekalphabet in their writings, lived especially in Anatolia (Karaman, Konya, Kayseri,Isparta, Nevsehir, Nigde, Aksaray, Burdur, Aydin and Karadeniz etc.), İstanbul,Syria and Balkan area. The Caramanian Orthodox Turks lived generally in the Cappadocia Region. Caramanian Orthodox Turks, who had lived in Cappadocia(Nevsehir, Urgup, Sinasos), Derinkuyu (Suvermez, Yazıhoyuk, Zile), Niğde (Golcuk,Misti/Misli Fertek, Sementra, Andaval, Haskoy, Aravan/Kumluca,Kurdanos/Hamamli, Bor), Aksaray (Guzelyurt, Uluagac), Kayseri (Incesu,Zincidere, Pinarbasi, Endurluk, Develi) were subjected to the forced emigration to Greece as of May 1st, 1923 in accordance with the "Convention and Protocol relating to Exchange of Greek and Turkish People" signed on January 30th, 1923 between the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the Greek Parliament. Today,Caramanian Orthodox Turks living in such settlements like Thessaloniki, Larissa,Eviya Island (Prokopi, Neasinasos, Neapoli, Neagelveri, Cappadocia) Athens, Preaand Halkida have rich oral and written cultural products. Mustaphapasha (Sinasos)town is one of the centers of science, art, commerce and religion of Caramanian Orthodox Turks in the Cappadocia Region. Caramanian Ortodox Turks living in this town have been settled in different regions of Greece as a result of the population exchange. This paper deals with the current social life, ways of protecting their cultures, associations and foundations, customs and traditions, folksongs, poems, lullabies, threnodies etc. by providing information about the history and anthropology of Caramanian Orthodox Turks emigrating to Greece from Mustafa pasha.