What was the population exchange in Sille, Konya?

Sille was a unique historical village near Konya where a Greek-speaking Orthodox Christian community lived peacefully alongside Turks for over eight centuries. Following the compulsory 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey, all remaining Greek residents were forced to leave. Most of these displaced villagers relocated to a new settlement called Nea Silata in Chalkidiki, Greece.

What we know

• Sille was inhabited by an Orthodox Christian population that spoke the Cappadocian Greek language until 1922, forming part of the broader Cappadocian Greek communities across the region. [2, 4]
• The Greek villagers of Sille preserved their native language and religion for over eight centuries due to a long-standing peaceful coexistence with nearby Turks. [2]
• Under the terms of the 1923 population exchanges between Greece and Turkey, Christian and Muslim populations were expelled to the other country, leading to the departure of all Greeks from Sille. [2, 5]
• After 1924, all Greeks had left Sille, and the majority relocated to the village of Nea Silata in Chalkidiki, Greece. [2]

Where to go next

• what caused itWhy did Sille's Greeks and Turks live in peace?
• what followedWhere did the expelled residents of Sille resettle?
• the bigger pictureWhat was the Greek-Turkish population exchange of 1923?
• how it workedWhat is Karamanli Turkish writing?
• a case in pointHow does Sille look today after recent renovations?
• an unexpected connectionWhy did Sille's Greek villagers write Turkish in Greek letters?While maintaining their Orthodox Christian faith and Greek linguistic roots, the community famously wrote the Turkish language using the Greek alphabet in a style known as Karamanli.

Sources

• [1]Sille (Wikidata Q4994437) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Sille, Konya · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Konya · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Cappadocian Greeks · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Karamanlides · CC BY-SA 4.0