I. THE RESEARCH TOPIC
The topic of this PHD research project is about the Urban Architecture of Pontos during the period of mid 19th Century until 1922. Main emphasis was given to the three biggest cities of Pontos (Black Sea), Trabizon, Samsun (Amisos) and Giresun (Kerasous). The date 1922 is an important date because the Pontic renaissance was to come to a cruel and abrupt end as a result of events which transpired in rapid sequence in the period 1908-1922. The Pontic homeland of 3000 years was to be lost forever. Over 350.000 Pontians were to be massacred or to die of disease and starvation as a result of the mass and inhuman deportations imposed upon them by the Turks.
II. THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE
The region of which Pontos is stretching is the south-eastern shore of the Black Sea (Pontos Euxine) from Batoum in the east to Sinopi in the west. Its depth varies considerably from 48 to 128 kilometers. The area of Pontos is estimated to 78.000 square kilometers. The Greek origin people were roughly 1.500.000 persons. Greeks who belong to the Greek Orthodox church were about 1.000.000 people the rest were either cryptochristians or muslims.
The region is mountainous in the east and south, while in the center and west it stretches out in a rather flat land. The place is full of beautiful green forests plenty of water in the form of rivers and creeks presenting a panorama that delights the eye. The climate differs from place to place but it is very pleasant.
The chief products in order of their importance are: tobacco, hazelnuts, beans, maize, crude skins, timber, wax etc. The country was also very rich in mining products such as lead, copper, manganese, silver and allumina. The seaports of the cities of Pontos possessed large fleet of sail-boats which brought large amount of assets.
In the year 1919 the total value of the exports amounts approximately to 6.000.000 sterling pounds per annum. The value of the import products is about the same.
Commerce, trade, and banking are entirely in the hands of the Greeks, as they have been in the area from classical times. The bulk of the people live in the country and pursue agriculture.
The Greek community is closely knit together by a common racial heritage and a common language and faith. There are altogether more than 1800 churches scattered over the country. These places of worship serve as a magnet to hold the Greek element together.
In towns and villages alike the government has neglected education the Greek society alone maintained economically schools and institutions by electing representative committees to run smoothly these schools. For the amount of work they did I would like to give an example, that 2650 teachers were given employment.
In Trebizond alone, there was a Greek Chamber of Commerce, and several newspapers such as: The Echo of Pontos, National Action and Komnenoi.
Geographic, economic and historical factors all combined to enable the Pontians with unparalleled persistence through the ages to preserve their social cohesion, their ethnic traditions and their distinctive language and culture. Indeed, Pontos constituted the single most important segment of native Hellenism that had survived from the Middle Ages, creating a profoundly conservative civilization, clinging to its Classical, Hellenistic and Byzantine traditions, and maintaining intact the fundamental values of an integral and unique cultural identity.
For the purpose of this research, a few words concerning developments in the Pontos in the nineteenth century are very much in order. The nineteenth century was a period of a remarkable revival of Pontic Hellenism.
The oppressive and ruthless rule of the Muslim derebeys or Lords of the Valley, which prevailed since the late seventeenth century along the south – eastern littoral of the Black Sea, came to an end by 1840 as the central government finally moved to assert its control and authority.
The Ottoman reform period of Tanzimat, beginning with the Edict of Gulhane in 1839 and reaching its high point with the Hatti Humayun of 1856, provided relief for non-Muslims and an improved environment for Muslims and non- Muslims alike. The new security along with the new economic opportunities, as the Ottoman Empire entered the world economy, contributed significantly to the revival of Pontic Hellenism.
Of major importance was the re-opening of the historic Trebizond – Tabriz trade route, 1829-1869; the extension of international markets for the Turkish tobacco of the Pontos; and the new trade route connecting the port of Samsoun in the 1860s with the cities and towns of the interior, extending to Baghdad.
These new developments, including the decline and closing of the mines of Argyroupolis (Gumushane) region of Pontos, led to a large scale Greek migration. From the Pontic highlands, where in earlier centuries the Pontians had sought relief and security from the Ottoman state and reinforced their sense of community, thousands of Pontians moved to the coast and from eastern to western Pontos. New settlement were established and old ones again reinforced.
In the same period, there was also a mass external migration, of well over 250.000 Greeks from Pontos to the nearby Russian-held Caucasus and to the newly acquired Russian territories along the Black Sea. This movement was the result of Russian-Turkish wars in 1768-1774, 1828-1829, 1853-1856, and 1877-1878. These military campaigns, often ending in humiliation for the Ottoman – Turks, were invariably followed by reprisals and persecution, compelling Pontians to flee in waves to Russia. In addition, the Russians also encouraged the Greeks of Pontos to emigrate in order to populate and develop their newly acquired territories.
III. THE URBAN ARCHITECTURE
Trabizond was the largest city and in 1919 had a population of about 50.000 people, the next largest city was Samsun (Amisos), its population before the hostilities commenced was approximately at 40.000 people and follows Giresun (the most beautiful city on the Black Sea) with 26.000 people mostly Greeks.
The landscape of the region plays the most important physical factor which is closely associated with the urban areas of each city. Due to this physical importance the cities of Pontos are extremely beautiful.
Pontos used to be an important strategic region that all the cities are situated on the seashore and used to have important ports from the ancient times through the Byzantine times.
The urban cities of Pontos have been influenced to a large extent by the Byzantine architecture because of the capital city Konstantinoupoli which was the Metropolis of Byzantium. There was always a close relationship between Pontos and Konstantinoupoli in many fields particularly in the trade by which architectural elements have been “imported” into Pontos. Of great importance was also the Technical School of Konstantinoupoli where a lot of Pontians have studied there for one or two years. Returning to Pontos they used to bring with them architectural prototypes from Byzantium.
The traditional ways of living was one of the factors that determined the spirit and form of urban architecture in the Pontos. Popular urban architecture as well as the transformation of the urban environment were not always works of architects, instead they were creations of local skilled building technicians. The local skilled builders had a good knowledge of the materials and the traditional building rules that allowed them to construct simple and aesthetic beautiful buildings, which are in a total assimilation with the local environment and climate.
The morphology and construction of the urban house of Pontos, had been influenced strongly by the climate of the area and the nature of the landscape. The size of the house, the number of floors and the rooms, as well as the richness of the decorations were characteristics according the social and economic status of the owner. Thus in Argyroupoli, which had silver mines, the inhabitants spent great sums of money for the building of their homes. The same is observed in Trabizon which was a great trading center.
The basic materials they used in their construction were usually masonry for the ground floor and timber in the upper floor. In the Black Sea there were an abundance of forests which permitted the large scale use of timber. The basic advantage of timber is that it permits the rapid construction. There are also houses in the cities which are all of solid masonry. They are large and spacious, and in the ground floor of almost all urban homes and villas there was a central reception area and other supplementary rooms. On the upper floor there are the bedrooms, living room “sofa”, for the members of the family and a room for the visitors.
The climate influenced dramatically the house in Pontos. The rain, heat and snow influence the different areas accordingly.
According to the type of every building, from the richer to the modest, there is a decrease in the use of morphological details and a simplification of architectural synthesis. For this reason a differentiation has been introduced among the houses, those in which prevail simplified characteristics and those in which one ascertains formal architectural study as found in urban mansions and villas.
In the construction, the materials that are used in Pontos are masonry, brick, timber. In the survey that was contacted in this thesis showed that 2% are single level, most 55% were double levels, 36% three level and only 4% four level buildings. Buildings that had basements are 27%.
The synthetic element of the floor plan of the “ottoman” buildings is the “sofa”, the number of rooms, and the staircase. The “sofa” is the equivalent of the modern living room where all the family gathers for everyday social activity. The “sofa”, is always planned in the most advantageous side of the house, thus influencing the overall internal architectural form.
All the houses had a fireplace, torches were used for house lighting at the beginning, later candles and finally oil lamps. Up until the beginning of the 20th century the houses didn’t have plumbing or drainage and sewerage inside the house, water supply was done from wells. The toilet was usually outside the house.
In closing this survey I would like to emphasize that the buildings of Pontos haven’t yet been studied to the extent they deserve. Many studies must be done more in the fields of traditional and formal architecture, urban and public buildings. This study attempts at giving a first general account and an on the site survey of the legacy of the Greeks of Pontos. In order to depict the diachronic monumental existence of the Greek architecture from the mainland Greek borders to the distant Greek colonies and communities on the Black Sea.
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