Dumanlı

Coordinates: 40°40′49″N 39°47′3″E / 40.68028°N 39.78417°E / 40.68028; 39.78417

Dumanlı (Greek: Σάντα, Santa) was formerly a mid-size community in Gümüşhane Province of Turkey, close to its border with Trabzon Province. Established by the Greeks in the 17th century.[1]

Today it is a sparsely populated district in the far north of Gümüşhane province, consisting of seven villages:[2]

  • Piştofandon (Greek: Πιστοφάντων): 400 houses, St. Kyriake, St. Panteleimon, St. Christophoros churches, a primary school and fountain of Christoforos. Etymology: pishtof, "gun" + anton toponomical suffix in Greek
  • Zurnaciandon (Greek: Ζουρνατσάντων): 120 houses, St. Georgios, St. Constantine, St. Kyriake churches and a primary school. Etymology: Zurnaci, "zurna player", a reed woodwind instrument + anton
  • Çakalandon (Greek: Τσακαλάντων): 53 houses, Zoodohu Pigis and St. Georgios churches and a primary school. Etymology: Çakal, "jackal" + anton
  • Ishanandon (Greek: Ισχανάντων): 150 houses. St. Kyriake, St. Georgios churches. 2 primary school (one of them only for girls). Etymology: Işhan, meaning "prince" in Armenian + anton
  • Cozlorandon (Greek: Κοζλαράντων): 60 houses. St. Apostles Petros and Pavlos churches and a primary school
  • Pinetandon (Greek: Πινετάντων): 30 houses. Prophet Elias and St. Georgios churches and a primary school
  • Terzandon (Greek: Τερζάντων): 200 houses. St. Theodoros and Metamorfosis churches. Etymology: Terzi, meaning "tailor" in Turkish + anton

Before 1856, the inhabitants of Dumanlı were recorded as Christian (51%) and Crypto-Christian (49%).[3] After 1856, with the Ottoman Reform Edict of 1856 that equalized all citizens regardless of religion (removing the "first citizen" status of the Muslims), they changed their status to Christian instead of Crypto-Christians, as pretending to be Muslim was no longer necessary to receive equal rights.

Some 5,000 people lived in Santa.[1] Their primary language was Pontic Greek and they lived in the region up until the population exchange.

During World War I, the Greeks of Santa tried to organize armed resistance against the Turkish army. Pontian guerrilla bands appeared in the mountains of Santa as early as 1916 with leadership Euklidis Kourtidis and successfully resisted against a Turkish attack on September 6, 1921. After population exchange, they settled in Macedonia and Thrace. The town of Nea Santa was founded by them in the Kilkis regional unit in Central Macedonia.

The Santa ruins were declared an archaeological natural site in 1999.[1]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Works initiated for concrete structures in Santa ruins
  2. Özhan Öztürk. Karadeniz Ansiklopedik Sözlük. 2005. Istanbul pp.1009-10011
  3. Bryer, A. (1988), People and Settlement in Anatolia and Caucasus 800-1900. Variorum Reprintis. London

See also


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