Names of 12,211 Villages Were Changed in Turkey

[Tigran of Sasoun]

http://www.bianet.org/english/minori...nged-in-turkey

Turkification

According to Tunçel’s study, many villages in the Trabzon and Rize provinces of the Black Sea had their names changed from Armenian, Laz or Georgian into Turkish. In the East and Southeast of Turkey, names were mostly changed from Armenian, Kurdish and Arabic.

Village names have been changed since the first decade of the 20th century, but especially since the 1940s.

As an Armenian I know what this means, as do Pontic Greeks and Anatolian Greeks. We already know how our churches were converted to mosques.

"Greeks, Armenians, Kurds lived here? This has always been Turkish villages"



Edit: Can a moderator change the title of the thread to read Names of 12,211 Villages Were Changed in Turkey.

I copied and pasted the title and got more then I wanted.

[Sidmen]

Title Changed

Personally, I can understand changing names to the national language.

For instance, I would hate trying to pronounce German names in an english-speaking country, so they're converted.

[Tigran of Sasoun]

Title Changed

Personally, I can understand changing names to the national language.

For instance, I would hate trying to pronounce German names in an english-speaking country, so they're converted.

I understand. But if those people that lived there were still around you would not need to change them.

The way I see it is that this is just another way to change history, forget what happened on those lands without confronting to their history.

Its like changing the name of Auschwitz

[Junius]

Its like changing the name of Auschwitz

Auschwitz is actually not it's proper name. It was changed from the unpronouncable (for Western Europeans at least) Polish of Oświęcim. Auschwitz is it's German name, so if you were being incredibly pedantic about it, you would call it Oświęcim, and get rid of the 'oppressive' imposed western name.

[clandestino]

This is typical thing for usurpers and occupators, recently I was surfing the Wikipedia and find out, at my disgust, that Albanians started to change names of places in Kosovo ( all of them of Serbian origine ) to Albanian:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istok
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suva_Reka
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srbica
As for the Serbian mediaeval churches in Kosovo, they are not turning them into the mosques they are burning them to the ground...

[Fibur]

Were they given totally different turkish names or were the names "translated" into Turk?
If the latter, it makes sense for administrative purposes, even if I believe it's wrong to erase a region's cultural heritage.

[Ahlerich]

that happened all the time during history.

towns in upper slesia for example have german and polish names that changed with the occupiers. not worth mentioning at all in my book

[Yosemite]

that happened all the time during history.

towns in upper slesia for example have german and polish names that changed with the occupiers. not worth mentioning at all in my book

here it's different because it's the evil empire of babby eaters that do it, so it's extremely evil

[jankren]

Seriously, big deal ...

[Viking Prince]

In the USA, tribal place names have always been turned into English. Also the French, Spanish, Dutch, and German place names have been 'Americanized' over time.

I suspect this will turn into another nationalist oppressor vs. victim rant thread with notes and infraction points flowing like the blood from Rovespierre's guilotine. Please disappoint me and behave.

[mrcrusty]

I suspect this will turn into another nationalist oppressor vs. victim rant thread with notes and infraction points flowing like the blood from Rovespierre's guilotine. Please disappoint me and behave.

Good one.

Seriously, I don't get the big deal, changing/translating the names of towns has been a common occurrence for the ease of the people now living in the area.

I suppose you're against the Turks calling Constantinople, Istanbul right?

Because it's the exact same logic.

[chamaeleo]

In the USA, tribal place names have always been turned into English.

What state do you live in, again? Isn't it the one bordering Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas...starts with an M...

The US actually did an OK job co-opting native or Old World place names for our own use. With so much territory to conquer, who has time to think up new names?

I suspect this will turn into another nationalist oppressor vs. victim rant thread with notes and infraction points flowing like the blood from Rovespierre's guilotine. Please disappoint me and behave.

Yep, pretty much.

Place names always change, but to me it's just another token of our history. I can see why an oppressed people would be offended, but then again it can also serve as a reminder of your "just" cause!

[Erik]

As pointed out: this happens all the time.

And not just by occupiers, native populations also change the name of their village/city sometimes.
I would be living in "Mokum" or "Amstelredamme" if Amsterdam never changed its name.

[Ishoss]

Your point is? My town has changed name numerous times the past four centuries, latest in 1900 from Saude to Sauda.

[Gromovnik]

It's a form of genocide, a culturocide to be precise.

[The Noble Lord]

It's a form of genocide, a culturocide to be precise.

Unfortunately, it is. That way you are destroying the evidence that those people existed there before you did and by erasing the names of the villages you are making sure that previous "owners" would not return even if they wanted to.

[Copperknickers II]

Edit: Can a moderator change the title of the thread to read Names of 12,211 Villages Were Changed in Turkey.

I copied and pasted the title and got more then I wanted.

You know you can change it yourself by clicking on it in the mudpit section?

[dogukan]

This happened...what is the point of this thread? Should I suicide now for being a Turk?

[Azog 150]

For instance, I would hate trying to pronounce German names in an english-speaking country, so they're converted.

Well it happens in Wales (Obviously Celtic rather then German). But as much as I hate trying to pronounce or spell Aberyswyth (Is that right?), it is part of Wales heritage and culture and I wouldn't like to see it changed, so I can see why Armenians etc would be unhappy about this.

[Nikos]

There are no more Armenians/Greeks etc. living in the territories. Why would the Turks use antiquated names for their cities? When the demographics change, so does the nomenclature.