Mega Dereio () is a village in the central part of the
Evros regional unit in Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of
Orfeas
Orfeas (), named after the mythical musician Orpheus, is a former municipality in the Evros regional unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Soufli, of which it is a munici ...
within the municipality of
Soufli
Soufli () is a town in the Evros (regional unit), Evros regional unit, Greece, notable for the silk industry that flourished there in the 19th century. The town stands on the eastern slope of the twin hill of Prophet Elias, one of the easternmost s ...
. Together with 6 other villages, it forms the community of
Mikro Dereio. It is situated near the upper course of the river
Erythropotamos
The Erythropotamos (, meaning "red river") or Luda reka (, meaning "mad river") is a river in southern Bulgaria (Haskovo Province) and northeastern Greece ( Evros regional unit). Its Turkish name was ''Kızıldelisu''. Its source is near Mega Der ...
, in the Eastern
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes (; , ; , ''Rodopi''; ) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak ...
. The
Greek National Road 53
Greek National Road 53 (abbr: EO53) is a national highway of Greece. It connects Alexandroupoli with Ormenio on the Bulgarian border, passing through Aisymi, Mikro Dereio, Metaxades and Kyprinos
Kyprinos () is a town and a former municipality ...
(Alexandroupoli – Mikro Dereio – Kyprinos – Ormenio) passes through the village.
Population
History
The village was founded by the
Ottoman Turks in the 14th century. It was known as ''Büyük Dervent'' in Turkish, and Голям Дервент ''Golyam Dervent'' in Bulgarian. According to Anastas Razboynikov, in 1830 the village numbered 700 Bulgarian and 50 Turk houses, in 1878 400 Bulgarian and 80 Turks houses and in 1912 420 Bulgarian and 80 Turk houses. According to professor
Lyubomir Miletich
Lyubomir Miletich (; 14 January 1863 – 1 June 1937) was a Bulgarian linguist, ethnographer, dialectologist and historian, as well as the chairman of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences from 1926 to his death.
Biography
Lyubomir Miletich ...
, the 1912 population had around 300 Bulgarian families and 100 Turk families.
In August 1913 the village was attacked by Turkish troops and irregulars and despite the resistance of the local Bulgarians the bigger part of Golyam Dervent was burned. Many of the villagers were killed, many women were raped. Some residents found shelter in
Doganhisar,
Dedeagatch or Bulgaria.
After a brief period of Bulgarian rule between 1913 and 1919, it became part of Greece. As a result, its Bulgarian and Turkish population was exchanged with Greek refugees, mainly from today's Turkey. 300 Bulgarians moved northward into
Burgas
Burgas (, ), sometimes transliterated as Bourgas, is the second largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in the region of Northern Thrace and the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, fourth-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, Plovdiv, an ...
,
Mokren (4 families),
Zagortsi (4 families),
Veselie, Mamarčevo,
Sokolentsi (2 families) and other villages in Bulgaria.
[Райчевски, Стоян. Източна Тракия. История, етноси, преселения XV-ХХ век, С. 2002, с. 246, 251–252, 267] The name of the village was translated into Greek and became Mega Dereio.
See also
*
List of settlements in the Evros regional unit
This is a list of settlements in the Evros regional unit, Greece:
* Aisymi
* Alepochori
* Alexandroupoli
* Amorio
* Ampelakia
* Antheia
* Ardani
* Arzos
* Asimenio
* Asproneri
* Asvestades
* Avas
* Chandras
* Dadia
* Didymoteicho
* ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Mega Dereio at liternet.bg
Populated places in Evros (regional unit)
Soufli