I would like to know what you think about my website. Please leave your comments in this public guestbook so I can share your thoughts with other visitors.
Please be kind not to post comments that are obscene, vulgar, hateful, threatening, or otherwise violative (You will only insult yourself if you do so).
The aim of this site is to precent a part of the Greek history as I, a humble Greek, see it, and hopefully by doing so to contribute to mutual understanding and reapproaching between the Peoples of the area.
I believe that denial, ignorance, blindness and hate, is not the right way to go.
Thank you.

Your Web-Page Byzantinos is very good because few people know of the terrible Arminian genocide I was one of them). As you can read I am of Greek blood. My family left Constantinopoli by end of the 16th C first settling in Venice and later in Dalmatia: blood is thicker than water!! My parents met in Istambul for my grand faher was a Spanish diplomat in Turkey during Atta Turk. Strange enough, my Spanish family had mixed with the Lascari of Sicily who had come from Albania after that country fell in Ottoman hands..so anything Greek comes deep into my heart! I am planning to open business in Cyprus: that is why I found your Web-Page. In spite of all I would show the Turkish how GENEROUS THE GREEKS ARE!! May I remind you that GREECE IS THE MOTHER OF EUROPE! and CONGRATULATIONS!! Best regards

Thank you for this website. As my grandparents were deceased by the time I was born, I have limited information regarding my ancestors. It is surmised that both, my grandfather and grandmother, fled Greece to escape the atrocities happening during the time of the genocides. This must have been a very difficult time in their lives, for they never spoke to my father (their son) about their life before coming to America.

You aproach with prejudice to Turkish people. When people read your passages they will imagine Turkey as a place that is full of violence and killers. Then people have ideas about Turkey without seeing here or without any search.You musnt impose people bad things.

Well, This web site is certainly resourceful. I'm one of Greek Inhabitants from old Constantinople, but sadly almost everything in Greek has taken by our city and our ancestors under Turkish influence. There is no way to undo this but there is still a way to recognize our roots of Roman/Byzantine heritage. It gives me a great pride to remember the culture in my living space built by our emperors. This web site is an inspiration to hold what we got, realize what we got. Whole world has been controlled by my city by two empires. The word is 'unity' and if we ever get truly united, our victories are not tied or bound to any limit. This is the portrait of the future of Constantinople. Will Greeks cling to the past or can they see through the situation of today?

Dear Friends, The more I read about 20th century Turkish History, the more I get ashamed. With all due respect, even though I did not commit any of those shameful crimes we children or grandchildren are the ones that pay the price. We turks have more in common with greeks than greeks have with any other western society which makes this hatred meaningless. I do admit that there are narrow minded people in both sides.(Unfortunately that number is higher in east side). Now is time for tolerance, respect and apology. I want to do my part by apologizing to all those people who suffered and still suffer from these inhuman acts. I dream not only greek and turkish but also jewish and armenian spoken culture as it used to be in my beloved Turkey.

This passed summer I was visiting the Dodecanese Greek archipelago. I spent 3 hours in the Turkish coastal city called Kas. I found Turkish people extremely nice. One young turk invited me to photograph the interior of his house. 'What is so special about it ? ' I asked. 'It is an original traditional greek house', he replied. He explained to me that this city used to be Greek and its name was Antiphillos (renamed Kas by the Turks). Intrigued, I asked him: 'What happened to the Greeks of Antiphilos?'. He replied: 'During our Turkish war of independance, we threw them out'. I must confess that his comment puzzled me for the following reason: During a war of independance, one would imagine that independance fighters aim at chasing away the invaders. In Anatolia (Asia Minor) Greek presence (also Armenian, Assyrian, Kurdish etc..) far preceeds chronologically the arrival of the various waves of turkish tribes (starting in the 9th century till the fall of Constantinople) . How can you therefore justify one's war o

Well it is important for all people to remember their ancestors who died during those terrible times, but you should remember that our grandfathers and mothers died too. My family had to escape from Albania during WWI and had to come to Turkey because of the ethnic problems in Balkans. As a region we are troubled, we should focus on the loss rather than finding a scapegoat for all the terrible events of the period. Otherwise it will be meaningless to even mention your loss at all.

I am making a video in order to pass along the Greek history (and curse) to my Son and Grandson. The downside of this project is that I get upset and angry at times. My father nearly died in Mikrasiatiki Katastrofi. I spent many days hunting for info. Your site is truly among the best ones I found. Very nicely done. Thak you very very much for the time you put into it in order for me to extract what i need.

I was aware of the rape of Smyrna but had never heard of the pogrom in 1955. Someone needs to make a film about this tragedy.

The most important website on the internet! We will never forget! I pray for a a renewal of Byzantium!

I was born in Imvros island (Under Turkish juristiction since 1923). My family's property was confiscated and my father, who served in the Turkish army, was forced to flee. The Imvrian people always respected the law but never enjoyed their rights according to The Treaty of Lausanne, article 14. My father's fields were given to The Board of Education to build villas. The Turkish Prime Minister who visited the Island suggested that we go back and buy our fields providing we are still Turkish citizen. He didn't say until when before they confiscate them again. We don't hate anyone, we just hate injustice and barbarim.

I hope other greeks will do the same, and tell watt happend that nite, in izmir turkey, 1955 i was one of them. keep the good work, if you need info please let me know, i may provide information. the destruction of the greek pavilion,the consulate, the churche,and our home. thank you for the good work.
Christos Bastas

Thank you for keeping the facts and truths alive about the Tourkokratia. Your website is an important resource for Greeks and Turks to visit and study. Many people simply don't know about our painful history, especially in modern times. Your extensive research and photo collection bring the reality to the reader. Now that the Turkish government has restarted its oppression of the Greeks in Turkey, especially of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, one prays the international community finds your site and sees first hand what was the glory of our Hellenic communities in Constantinople, and the pogrom of today.

My Great Grandparents were thrown into a church and burned alive in Pergamos....thank God my Yia Yia made it out and lived to tell of the horrors. Turkey is still occupied by animals.......I encourage everyone to boycott Turkey; spend your tourist dollars elsewhere. Thank you for posting this information on the internet.

What books can I get my hands on that will tell me the story of how Greeks lived from 1453 up till the 1900's?
(Try the works of Vasili Arvaniti and Niko Kazantzaki)

My family lived in Constantinople before it was taken by the Turks. When they were expelled for being Orthodox, they fled to mainland Greece, where they were poor 'pondios' until my father's generation. My father and his parents and sister immigrated to the USA, and as a first-generation Greek American, the history of the Greeks (especially the Orthodox) has always been close to my heart. When asked to do a project on a spinoff of the Holocaust, I decided on the Turkish purge of Constantinople. When I found your site, I realized just how deep our history of suffering has gone. You have put everything in perspective for me. Efgaristo.

A great site almost everything in there! There will be big payback! It aint over...Ellada gia panta!!

My father, a boy of seven, witnessed the slaughter of his people as his family was expelled from their homeland in the 1920's. The photos on this website have provided a visual reminder of that time long ago and yet forever in our midst and in our souls. From Asia Minor, to Greece, and then on to Australia. I am reminded of my Grandmothers words. When I was a child she would chastise me about my 'Australianness'. "We are a people dispossessed". Throughout her entire life my Grandmother believed that she, and each member of her family, could be dispossessed of their 'new' land at any time. Again and always the memories surface. We can never forget.

Thank you for keeping the truth alive! My Grandfather was murdered that night in Uskudar, Turkey

I can't admit that the Turkish presence in Anatolia has been that good for Greeks. But in history such things have always happened. Even today England still occupies Northern Ireland, the whole american continent is envaided by latins and people of europeen origin whereas you merely see any native people there. If you say things that happened in 1921 in Smirni were actually a genocide than I would like to ask you why after the war ended the Greek generals were found guilty and condamned to death penalty by the Greek courts? If all that was a genocide attempting to erase the greek population of minor asia so why your courts reached this verdict? On my personal account, I so much wish if we still shared our cities with greeks. I have many greek friends even cipriot ones for whom I care so much. Your web site contains issues that are very sensitive ones which certainly require milder approaches rather than agressive ones and they are in the study area of history. Best regards.

We know still very little about Turkey. Unfortunately the EU industries invited the least educated people to work here. That makes their picture even more grim. Would be nice to make a survey of Turkish activities - achievements based on good culture, science and education in Europe, US, and in Turkey herself. The Turkish language is truly beautiful. Very few are ready to have a look at it, while everybody knows Turkey as being an EU candidate for decades. We cannot make a progress in the good intentions of this website, if we are not able to appreciate this or that as well. Would be nice to bring links in our languages and Turkish to get further. As free Westerners we should not waste our time on the hopeless topic of islam, we should focus on secular Turks with clear mind and sense of humour. I think only independent common people like us can do this job. No government or well financed think-tank... We should know lot of facts about Turkey, which by itself is a gesture of our appreciation, This will make our critical points very friendly and powerful at the same time. They can see our mutual respect in Europe in spite of many historical controversies in the past and start loving the common cultural heritage of Greeks, Jews, Turks, Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds, Persians...espec. young people might learn very fast. We should involve Europeans with knowledge of Turkish.

Hi! Nice info, big thx.

Very informative site. In northern Europe there are not many how know about the Byzantine Empire or the Ottoman for that manner. (No lessons in school). I have never heard of the Istanbul Pogrom either. No wonder that you Greeks have reservations over the Turks.

Awesome content. Thanks for giving such a useful information :). I hope that there will be new updates...

The way I love Constantinople is indescribably ! When I read all the storys about this town I feel like my heart is there... not here in Germany or in Athen in Greece. It´s at the Bosporus and it isn´t Istanbul ... it´s Konstantinopoulis ! And in every Greek heart it will be Constantinople and not Istanbul till all Greeks are dead ! Ego Sagapo Konstantinopoulis .. Poso Sagapo !

It is nice to read historical facts that Europe and US try to underestimate. This site has no intention to raise hate against the turkish people but intends to raise consciousness about the fate of the people who lived and died in Minor Asia just because they wanted to preserve their faith and their language.

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