Character and Manners of the modern Greeks - 1797

[Bratot]

1. The Greeks differ very little from the Turks in their manners; but fall infinitely short of them in point of sincerity and fidelity.
2. The only difference in their dress is that the Greeks are not premitted to wear green, or yellow.
3. The Greeks very often give their daughters in marriage to Turks; but it must be on condition that the children of these Grecian ladies shall be brought up in the Mahommetan religion.


Buck Whaley's Memoirs: including his journey to Jerusalem
Written in 1797 & Published 1906

http://books.google.com/books?id=3tI_q8MrgkQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Buck+Whaley%E2%80%99s+Memoirs+including+his+journey+to+Jerusalem&source=bl&ots=LWvCMd-GV0&sig=w5hPxprNZoM5uyMOzRQ6h4pjZyo&hl=en&ei=Z4c7TNpTjJayA4zg_doK&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

[Bratot]

In this book we can find differentiation of Macedonians apart from Bulgarians and Greeks:

page 153

[TrueMacedonian]

Bratot you're an ace. Thanks for posting this.

[Onur]

I know that many westerners wrote the memoirs for Ottoman Empire without even coming to Turkey but I read all the visible parts of the book in google and i can confirm that his descriptions about Izmir and Istanbul is true. He mentions about some small details for the cities.

In the era of the Ottoman Empire, both clothing style and the colors of the dresses was representing the social status of the person and it was possible to distinguish a person`s marital status and profession by only looking at his clothing style. Green clothing was the color of Muslim clerics, so it was even forbidden for regular muslims too unless if they were clerics.


I think the author describes the marriages in the Cyprus. Now, fastforward for 150 years to 1975 and see the grandsons of these Cypriot Greeks who were indistinguishable from the Turks. This is a documentary made by a Greek at 1975;

YouTube - Attila '74

Watch the interview with the EOKA terrorists from start to 6:30min. 1800s indistinguishable Cypriot Greeks talks about having hellenic blood and being the sons of the Alexander the Great!(tough they look like gypsies to me) and they "proudly" express their bloody actions vs the Turks. Quite a turn from the times of their grandparents, right? So, we understand that the author was right about their infidel and insincere nature at 1797.

[Soldier of Macedon]

Quite a turn from the times of their grandparents, right?

Indeed, perhaps a truly united Cyprus was possible once upon a time.

[Onur]

Indeed, perhaps a truly united Cyprus was possible once upon a time.

Yes ofc, otherwise how come these people lived together for 500+ years? No one can manage to keep people and land together for that long, only by force. Like you said, it was "once upon a time" tough, like a fairytale today and it is not possible anymore.



British author`s description of an ordinary street in Ottoman Empire is so funny. Probably he never saw something like that before in western Europe and he says that the streets looks like a parade of a masquerade

Page 46

[Risto the Great]

Interesting text Onur. The Englishman had no comprehension of this society which strangely seemed to work. It was far from an integrated and fair society but people did maintain their culture.