The Gordian Knot of Trabzon

The History of the Gordian knot

The history of the Gordian Knot begins with mythology, highlighting it as a symbol of complex and unsolvable problems. Legend has it that Gordius, a simple Phrygian peasant, was proclaimed king thanks to a bond that tied the yoke of his chariot with an extremely complicated knot. The prophecy held that the man who could untie the knot would succeed in conquering Asia. Centuries later, Alexander the Great simply cut the knot with his sword, indicating a radical solution to a seemingly unsolvable riddle.

Now you will ask me what is the connection between the Gordian kno and the vilayet of Trebizond, the part we are used to call Pontus. It is really crystal clear that within a century they managed to bind Trabzonıans in an unsolvable Gordian Knot that no one can or simply does not want to untangle.

The unsolved riddle of Trebizond

The Gordian Knot in Greek-Turkish nationalism represents the permanent impasses and perennial conflicts between the two states. The Greco-Turkish confrontation, with its roots in the Ottoman Empire and continuing in the cultural conflicts of the 20th century, created a modern Gordian Knot concerning the national identity of people whıch divided on the basis of religion and responsible for this mess are the Great Powers also and United Nations because they preferred to sacrifice them for a few barels of Mosul’s oil.

The Role of Nationalism in relation to Trabzon

Nationalism is a complex and multi-layered phenomenon, which deeply affects the contemporary situation of the region and the people who are scattered around the earth. Greek-Turkish nationalism continues to influence social and political developments to this day.

The nationalist rhetorics from the two sides differ but have the common goal of strengthening national identities and cultural dominance. Several times, the political leaderships of both countries use historical memories and ethno-religious symbols to cultivate citizens’ patriotic feelings, and by extension achieve political benefits. The systematic use of religion to strengthen nationalistic sentiment is a frequently observed practice.

An important element of this rhetoric is also the questioning of common history and the claiming of cultural heritages, which often leads to social conflicts. Greek-Turkish nationalism kept Trabzonians divided through political polarization.

Younger generations are growing up in an environment where nationalist tensions are a constant source of worry and animosity.

The political elite and the mass media play a key role in fueling these tensions. State and religious institutions direct the public debate by choosing which parts of history will be shown and which will remain in the shadows. Images of ancient citadels and Byzantine monasteries are often used to highlight Greek heritage, while the Ottoman past is brought up in Turkish discourse to support Turkey’s territorial and cultural claims.

The role of the Pontic lobby

In theory a lobby works to support the rights of a community. In practice, the Pontic lobby cannot function independently of Greek nationalism and thus we see that its actions and movements bring the opposite results from what they should bring by holding an entire people captive to the corruption of Greece and essentially forgetting that Greece objectively it is a place of exile for the Christian people of the vilayet of Trebizond.

A question to which we should be called to answer is whether and to what extent Greece, a place of exile for the Christian people of the vilayet of Trebizond, is our motherland. And if Greece is our motherland within a century and 3 – 4 generations then, what was the Ottoman Empire that we lived for more centuries in our own land was?

Of course, for many of us, today’s Greece is also our motherland, since due to the exile of our ancestors in Greece, mixed marriages took place and our DNA was essentially altered.

We are one step before the zero point and the actions of the Pontic lobby encourage our complete disappearance and assimilation rather than prevent it.

And to paraphrase the poet Varnalis…
Thus in the dark tavern “The beautiful Greece”, we drink always stooping down on us. Like worms, every heel that finds us treads upon us. Cowardly, fatal and unwilling, we wait, perhaps, for some miracle!

Perhaps the most difficult question for a Pontian with greek passport would be to be called upon to answer the question of whether Turkey is his motherland. Today’s Turkey is considered the creation of Kemal Atatürk who, in collaboration with Eleftherios Venizelos and with the consent of the Great Powers, essentially sent us into exile in Greece.

I was somehow called to answer this question inside a police station in Trabzon. My motherland was the Ottoman Empire to which my ancestors paid taxes for centuries and before the Ottoman Empire, my motherland was the Trebizond Empire. Kemal and I had no relationship and neither did he had anything to do with my land before 1919.

Objectively, the geographical area of ​​today’s Turkey is indeed my motherland and not Kemal’s. If you think about it he had nothing to do with the area. Yes, he too belonged to the Ottoman Empire, but not to the land of today’s Turkey. Objectively, it altered the population composition of present-day Turkey and I somehow found myself to grow to his motherland Thessaloniki. I even study one km away of his village Chrysavgi at some point for 2 years.

Prospects for the Future and cutting the Gordian knot

The prospects for the future reconciliation of Christians and Muslims of Trebizond are not even visible at the moment.

The two communities are under the nationalist rule and propaganda of two countries that like to maintain a hostile attitude towards each other for so many years that it has now become tradition and everyday life, thus keeping the people of Pontus hostage.

But someone has to cut the Gordian Gnot of Trabzon finally and place things in their right place and its people in their right motherland if this is what they want.