Farewell to Salonika

 Modern Thessaloniki (commonly called Salonika in English) is the second-largest city in Greece and the administrative capital of Greek Macedonia. Today, it is a typical Greek city, but it was not always so. In 1430, the city was captured by the Ottomans, who would hold it for nearly 500 years, establishing it as an important port city (known in Turkish as Selânik) that played a key role in the empire. Probably its most famous son was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the modern republic of Türkiye, born in the city in 1881.

In the early 16th century, nearly 20,000 Sephardic Jews immigrated to Greece from the Iberian Peninsula following their expulsion from Spain. The city became a magnet for Jews fleeing persecution, and by 1900, they constituted half the city's population. The only city in Europe where the Jews were a majority of the total population.

This is the backdrop to Leon Sciaky's memoir, Farewell to Salonika. It has been in my reading pile for a while, and covers the period around the turn of the century in the run-up to WW1. His family were prosperous Jewish grain merchants, with farms in the countryside. Their farm workers were Bulgarians, they traded with Turks, and the streets included Greeks and just about every nationality in the Balkans and beyond. His memoir vividly describes his upbringing in this thriving multi-cultural city, if somewhat chaotic as well.

The memoir largely covers his childhood, with vivid descriptions of daily life and the community he lived in. While the different peoples retained their language and customs, they generally got on and supported each other. However, by the end of the 19th century, society was coming under pressure from natural disasters like drought and the rise of nationalism. The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (IMRO) was formed in Salonika in 1893 and would develop into one of the fiercest terrorist/liberation organisations in the region. Salonika was the scene of various attacks, including the blowing up of the Ottoman bank and the sinking of the French steamer Guadalquivir. They also dynamited the gas and water mains. Leon describes these events and their impact on the city and its community. He also describes more peaceful developments, such as railways, trams, and street lighting, as well as just everyday events. 

Sadly, most of the old city is long gone. Mostly during the Great Fire in 1917, when Salonika was an Allied base for the Macedonian campaign. The population is almost entirely Greek, after the Jews were murdered during the Holocaust in World War II, and the Turks left after the Balkan Wars and the later population exchanges. The White Tower is probably the best-known remaining feature of the earlier period. The tourist is reminded that the city was founded by the Macedonians, with a massive statue of Alexander the Great on the promenade. The city was named after Thessalonike, his half-sister.  There is also an excellent army museum.

This is a personal and cultural memoir, which only touches on the military events. For a full history of this fascinating city, I would recommend Mark Mazower's Salonika, City of Ghosts.

The White Tower

I am 6'-2", standing in front of the statue to give an idea of how big it is.

Inside the military museum.