East Thrace or Eastern Thrace ( tr, Doğu Trakya or simply ''Trakya''; el, Ανατολική Θράκη, ''Anatoliki Thraki''; bg, Източна Тракия, ''Iztochna Trakiya''), also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
that is geographically a part of
Southeast Europe. It accounts for 3.4% of Turkey's land area but comprises 15% of its total population. The largest city of the region is
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
, which straddles the
Bosporus
The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...
between Europe and Asia. East Thrace is of historic importance as it is next to a major sea trade corridor and constitutes what remains of the once-vast
Ottoman region of
Rumelia
Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians from the Byzantine rite, was the name of a hi ...
. It is currently also of specific
geostrategic importance because the sea corridor, which includes two narrow straits, provides access to the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
from the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
for the navies of five countries:
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
, and
Georgia. The region also serves as a future connector of existing Turkish, Bulgarian, and Greek
high-speed rail networks.
Population
In East Thrace, the majority of the Muslim Populations are descendants of the
Muhacir like
Balkan Turks,
Bulgarian Turks in Turkey,
Amuca tribe
The Amuca tribe ( tr, Amuca Kabilesi) is one of the nomadic Yörüks who belong to the Oghuz Turks tribesKlyashtorny, S.G. (1997"The Oguzs of the Central Asia and The Guzs of the Aral Region"in ''International Journal of Eurasian Studies'' 2 of ...
,
Albanians in Turkey,
Bosniaks in Turkey
Bosniaks in Turkey refers to citizens of Turkey who are, or descend from, ethnic Bosniak people, originating in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sandžak and other former Yugoslav republics.
The Bosniak community in Turkey has its origins predominantly ...
,
Gajal,
Pomaks in Turkey,
Megleno-Romanians
The Megleno-Romanians, also known as Meglenites ( ruq, Miglinits), Moglenite Vlachs or simply Vlachs ( ruq, Vlaș), are a small Eastern Romance people, originally inhabiting seven villages in the Moglena region spanning the Pella and Kilkis ...
,
Vallahades,
Crimean Tatars in Turkey
Crimean Tatars in Turkey refers to citizens and denizens of Turkey who are, or descend from, the Tatars of Crimea.
Numbers
History
Before the 20th century, Crimean Tatars had immigrated from Crimea to Turkey in three waves: First, after the Rus ...
,
Circassians in Turkey
Circassians in Turkey ( East Circassian and West Circassian: Тыркуем ис Адыгэхэр, ''Tırkuyem yis Adıgəxər''; tr, Türkiye Çerkesleri) refers to people born in or residing in Turkey who are of Circassian origin. The Cir ...
, and
Romani people in Turkey live there.
Definition
East Thrace sometimes refers to the eastern part of the historical region of
Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
. It is also used for the parts of
Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
that is inside
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
. The area includes all the territories of the
Turkish provinces of
Edirne,
Tekirdağ and
Kırklareli, as well as those territories on the
European continent of the provinces of
Çanakkale and
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
. The land borders of East Thrace were defined by the
Treaty of Constantinople (1913)
The Treaty of Constantinople (Treaty of İstanbul) was a treaty between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Bulgaria signed on 29 September 1913 after the Second Balkan War at the Ottoman capital Constantinople, modern İstanbul.
Background
...
and the
Bulgarian-Ottoman convention (1915), and were reaffirmed by the
Treaty of Lausanne. The term is usually opposed by the Turkish People since the country is seen European as a whole usually, the ongoing debate shows that a large majority of people in Turkey classify the country as European, while almost none describes is as Western Asian.
Climate
East Thrace has a hybrid
mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
/
humid subtropical climate on the Aegean Sea coast and the Marmara Sea coast, an
oceanic climate on the Black Sea coast and a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...
in the interior. Summers are warm to hot, humid and moderately dry whereas winters are cold and wet and sometimes snowy. The coastal climate keeps the temperatures relatively mild.
Geography
East Thrace has an area of 23,764 km
2 (3.4 percent of Turkey's land area), slightly smaller than
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, aft ...
; the population density is around 430 people/km
2, compared to about 80 people/km
2 for Asiatic Turkey, which is also called
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
or Asia Minor. However, densities are skewed by the metropolis of Istanbul. The two continents are separated by the
Dardanelles, the
Bosphorus (collectively known as the
Turkish Straits) and the
Sea of Marmara, a route of about 361 km. The southernmost part of Eastern Thrace is called the
Gallipoli peninsula. European Turkey is bordered on the west by
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
for 212 km and on the north by
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
for 269 km, with the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi ( Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
to the south-west and the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
to the north-east.
*
** Disclaimer: Sources may modify and/or release updated data, this will not be automatically reflected in these tables, additionally the refugee crisis' vast floating migrants have seriously complicated data collection, especially since 2013. Estimates and Census use different methodology and are not directly comparable. Source
Citypopulation.de
mirroring data from: State Institute of Statistics, Republic of Turkey (web).
History
East Thrace was the setting for several important events in history and legend, including:
* In 1000 BCE, Thracian tribes found the settlements of Lygos and Semistra; Plinius mentions the founding of Semistra in his histories and traces of Lygos remain near Seraglio Point.
* The Greek myth of
Hero and Leander takes place in the ancient city of
Sestus
Sestos ( el, Σηστός, la, Sestus) was an ancient city in Thrace. It was located at the Thracian Chersonese peninsula on the European coast of the Hellespont, opposite the ancient city of Abydos, and near the town of Eceabat in Turkey.
In G ...
.
*
Aeneas
In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas (, ; from ) was a Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy (both being grandsons ...
founded the city of
Aenus while trying to find new lands during his mythological travels.
* After the death of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
, in the period called the
Diadochi
The Diadochi (; singular: Diadochus; from grc-gre, Διάδοχοι, Diádochoi, Successors, ) were the rival generals, families, and friends of Alexander the Great who fought for control over his empire after his death in 323 BC. The War ...
, Alexander's general
Lysimachus (360-281 BC) became king of Thrace and established his capital in
Lysimachia.
* The
Battle of Adrianople in 378 was an important turning point in the decline of the Roman Empire.
*
Çimpe Castle Çimpe Castle ( ota, جنبی, ''Cinbi''; el, Τζύμπη, ''Tzympē'') was a medieval fortification on the Gallipoli peninsula in modern Turkey. Its site is located along the Istanbul Caddesi between Bolayir and Gallipoli, commanding the narrowe ...
was the first European territory held by the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
, dating back to 1352.
*
Edirne was the second capital of the Ottoman Empire after
Bursa
( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...
.
* The
Gallipoli Campaign, one of the most important campaigns of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, was fought on the
Gallipoli peninsula.
The
mass killings and displacement of
Thracian Bulgarians in 1913 and the 1923
population exchange between Greece and Turkey
The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey ( el, Ἡ Ἀνταλλαγή, I Antallagí, ota, مبادله, Mübâdele, tr, Mübadele) stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at ...
ethnically cleansed the Orthodox populations. Jews were ethnically cleansed as a result of
1934 Thrace pogroms.
During the
Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) and the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and def ...
(1912–1913), Muslim
Muhacir of various ethnic groups from the former Ottoman territories in the Balkans, were forced to flee toward Eastern Thrace through
expulsions, violence and
massacres, followed by further emigration caused by the 1923-24
Population exchange between Greece and Turkey
The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey ( el, Ἡ Ἀνταλλαγή, I Antallagí, ota, مبادله, Mübâdele, tr, Mübadele) stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at ...
.
Prior to that the distribution of ethnoreligious groups in the local ''sanjaks'' was as follows:
The Muslim ''
millet'' was recorded as Turkish, while the church members of the Ecumenical Patriarchate were recorded as
Greek.
In the past century, modern East Thrace was the main component of the territory of the
Adrianople Vilayet, which excluded the
Constantinople Vilayet, but included
West Thrace
Western Thrace or West Thrace ( el, �υτικήΘράκη, '' ytikíThráki'' ; tr, Batı Trakya; bg, Западна/Беломорска Тракия, ''Zapadna/Belomorska Trakiya''), also known as Greek Thrace, is a geographic and historic ...
and parts of the
Rhodopes and
Sakar. A publication from December 21, 1912 in the Belgian magazine ''Ons Volk Ontwaakt'' (‘Our Nation Awakes’) estimated 1,006,500 inhabitants in the vilayet:
[Published on December 21, 1912 in the Belgian magazine ''Ons Volk Ontwaakt'' (Our Nation Awakes) - view the table of Vilajet Manastir]
Skynet GodsdBalkan
21st century East Thrace constitutes what remains of Turkish
Rumelia
Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians from the Byzantine rite, was the name of a hi ...
, which once stretched as far north as Hungary and as far west as Bosnia. Rumelia was lost piecemeal from 1699 onwards, until in 1912 the bulk of it was lost in the
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
. Some small regains were made during the
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies ...
. The current borders were set forth in the
Treaty of Constantinople (1913)
The Treaty of Constantinople (Treaty of İstanbul) was a treaty between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Bulgaria signed on 29 September 1913 after the Second Balkan War at the Ottoman capital Constantinople, modern İstanbul.
Background
...
and the
Bulgarian-Ottoman convention (1915), and were reaffirmed in the
Treaty of Lausanne.
Attractions and Festivals
Some tourist attractions are the
Edirne Museum,
Complex of Sultan Bayezid II Health Museum,
Treaty of Lausanne Monument and Museum
The Treaty of Lausanne Monument and Museum ( tr, Lozan Anıtı ve Müzesi) are a monument and a museum dedicated to the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923. The monument, opened in 1998, is located at Karaağaç, Edirne in Turkey, and the museum is next t ...
,
Kırklareli Museum, and the
Edirne Palace. There are several historical religious buildings, such as the
Selimiye Mosque,
Üç Şerefeli Mosque
The Üç Şerefeli Mosque ( tr, Üç Şerefeli Camii) is a 15th-century Ottoman mosque in Edirne, Turkey.
History
The Üç Şerefeli Mosque was commissioned by Ottoman sultan Murad II (1421–1444,1446– 1451), and built between 1438 and 1447 ...
,
Old Mosque,
Muradiye Mosque, and the
Grand Synagogue of Edirne
Grand Synagogue of Edirne, aka Adrianople Synagogue (Hebrew: , tr, Edirne Büyük Sinagogu) is a historic Sephardi synagogue located in Maarif Street of Edirne, Turkey. It was designed in the Moorish Revival style and restored in 2015.
History
T ...
. There are also historical bridges, such as the
Fatih Bridge,
Meriç Bridge
Meriç Bridge ( tr, Meriç Köprüsü), ''Yeni Köprü'', meaning New Bridge or Mecidiye Bridge, after Sultan Abdülmecid I, is a historic Ottoman bridge in Edirne (formerly Adrianople), Turkey. It crosses the Meriç river, carrying the state r ...
, and
Uzunköprü Bridge.
Natural attractions include the
Lake Gala National Park,
İğneada Floodplain Forests National Park,
Lake Saka Nature Reserve, and
Dupnisa Cave.
Since 1360, the
oil wrestling tournament
Kırkpınar is held annually near Edirne; usually in late June. The
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
festival
Kakava is held annually in Edirne and
Kırklareli.
Gallery
Image:Etty William Hero and Leander 1828.jpg, Hero and Leander
Image:LysimachusCoinWithHornedAlexander.jpg, Coin of Lysimachus
Image:Selimiye Mosque.png, Selimiye Mosque, Edirne
Image:V Beach Helles Gallipoli.jpg, Cape Helles during the Gallipoli Campaign
Literature
* ''The Yurta-Stroyno Archaeological Project. Studies on the Roman Rural Settlement in Thrace''. P. Tušlová – B. Weissová – S. Bakardzhiev (eds.). Prague: Charles University, Faculty of Arts, 2022. ISBN 978-80-7671-068‑9 (print),
ISBN 978-80-7671-069-6 (online: pdf)
See also
*
Geography of Turkey
The Anatolian side of Turkey is a large, roughly rectangular peninsula that bridges southeastern Europe and Asia. Thrace, the European portion of Turkey comprises 3%The Dorling Kindersley World Reference Atlas. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 20 ...
*
Northern Thrace
Northern Thrace or North Thrace ( bg, Северна Тракия, as opposed to Western Thrace and East Thrace to the south; tr, Kuzey Trakya; el, Βόρεια Θράκη), also called Bulgarian Thrace, constitutes the northern and largest pa ...
*
Upper Thracian Plain
*
Western Thrace
Western Thrace or West Thrace ( el, �υτικήΘράκη, '' ytikíThráki'' ; tr, Batı Trakya; bg, Западна/Беломорска Тракия, ''Zapadna/Belomorska Trakiya''), also known as Greek Thrace, is a geographic and historica ...
References
{{Authority control
Geography of Turkey
Bulgarian-speaking countries and territories
Greek-speaking countries and territories
Turkish-speaking countries and territories
Peninsulas of Turkey
Geography of Europe
Geography of the Middle East