The blight of Asia : $b An account of the systematic extermination of Christian populations by Mohammedans and of the culpability of certain great powers; with the true story of the burning of SmyrnaHorton, George
History
The blight of Asia : $b An account of the systematic extermination of Christian populations by Mohammedans and of the culpability of certain great powers; with the true story of the burning of Smyrna
Horton, George
Christians -- Turkey; Fires -- Turkey -- İzmir; Greeks -- Turkey; Turkey; İzmir (Turkey) -- History
Among the first objects pointed out to the traveler on entering the bay
are the “Two Brothers,” or twin mountain peaks which are identical in
appearance. At the right is the ancient fortress bombarded by the British
fleet during the war whose guns can plainly be seen by passengers upon
steamers. Soon after passing the fortress, Smyrna appears nestling in the
arms of a long, white, semicircular bay, resembling that of Naples, to
which it is scarcely second in beauty, and climbing the slopes of Mount
Pagus, crowned by an ancient wall and fortress. The city itself, with its
suburbs, stretched far around the semicircle on both sides.
At the time of its destruction it is probable that the inhabitants
exceeded five hundred thousand in numbers. The latest official statistics
give the figure as four hundred thousand, of whom one hundred and
sixty-five thousand were Turks, one hundred and fifty thousand Greeks,
twenty-five thousand Jews, twenty-five thousand Armenians, and twenty
thousand foreigners: ten thousand Italians, three thousand French, two
thousand British and three hundred Americans.
The principal promenade was the quay, on which were located the American
theater, the prettiest building of its kind in the Ottoman Empire, many
cinemas, the best hotels, various modern and well-constructed office
buildings, besides the residences of the most prosperous merchants, among
whom were Greeks, Armenians and Dutch. On this street also were several
of the Consulates, the building owned by the French Government being an
imposing structure, suitable even for an embassy.
The residences mentioned were elegant in appearance and contained
treasures of rugs, expensive furniture, works of art and Oriental curios.
The city was divided largely into quarters, though this was not a rigid
arrangement. The Turkish lay to the east and south, and, as is usual in
all mixed Ottoman towns, occupied the highest part, extending up the
sides of Mount Pagus, (and does still, for that matter, as it was not
burned). Architecturally it is a typical jumble of ramshackle huts, with
very few, if any, buildings of a superior order. To the east are grouped
most of the Jews, while the Armenian quarter lay to the north of the
Turkish and contiguous with it. The Greek area was north again of the
Armenian.
In speaking of the population of Smyrna one should not forget to mention
the “Levantines.” There seems to be some doubt in the American mind as
to who these really are. The term is usually applied to any inhabitant
of the Near East, and is supposed to carry with it an implication of
deceit and sharpness in business. A “Levantine” is really a foreigner
whose forefathers settled in that country one or more generations ago,
who has become thoroughly versed in Oriental dealings, who speaks the
languages, and some of whose ancestors may have intermarried with Greeks
or Armenians.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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