§ 5 Choosing Between Greek Thessaloníki
and Ottoman Istanbul, 1912 – 1923
Greek Thessaloníki: The Beginning of
the End for the Salonika Dönme
The end of the previous chapter explored how some vocal Muslims in
Istanbul directed harsh rhetoric against Dönme based on their role in the
political events of 1908. Only a few years after the Constitutional Revo-
lution, Ottoman Salonika fell to Greece. Were similar concerns voiced
there? How did the new Greek administration view the Dönme, espe-
cially those in local politics? What was the economic and political situa-
tion of the Dönme during this period, and the fate of Dönme institutions
and leaders? As supporters of Ottomanism, how did the Dönme position
themselves in the nation-state of Greece, which was diametrically opposed
to a political philosophy of imperial inclusion?
The web site of the municipality of Thessaloníki displays a symbolic
photograph from soon after the city became part of Greece.^1 The photo-
graph, taken on the street before the government mansion (konak), was
snapped on the date in the calendar reserved for the Orthodox Christian
saint of the city, St. Demetrius, in 1913. It shows two men shaking hands.
The stiff man in dress military uniform—striped pants, short coat, epau-
lets—on the left appears to be receiving the tall man on the right, wear-
ing a fez, round glasses and a long black overcoat, who bends slightly as
he offers his hand. The men are King Constantine of Greece and Mayor
Osman Said, and the photograph captures the transfer of power from the
Ottomans, represented by the mayor, who was the son of Yakubi Hamdi
Bey, to the Greeks, represented by the king. During the first several years