BUCA VILLAGE OF IZMIR

One of the most picturesque and famous villages of Izmir was the fertile village of Buca, famous for its suitable climate, hard-working Greek locals and beautiful mansions. It was established 9 kilometers away from Izmir, at the point where the Ionian Olympus (Nif in Turkish, Nyphos or Nymphaeus in Greek) ends in the west, in a fertile region suitable for holidays and healthy living.

The village was located on the east side of the Hagia Anna Valley and the Meles River, to the left of the ancient arches of Izmir. A wide, rich, fertile and fertile plain stretched towards the east. The climate of the region was suitable for Mediterranean trees, especially olive and vineyards. Although Buca is on the ancient road leading to the rich valleys of Kaftis (Ephesus) and Maander (Miletus, Priene, Aydin), it is so rare because the ancient ruins (columns, inscriptions, coins, fragments, architectural objects, vases, statues, reliefs) are very few. It seems that it has not been a place where regular life has existed since ancient times, and it does not seem possible to make a reliable determination on this subject. Additionally, a few ruins from the Byzantine period were found around the village.

A lot is said about the origin of Buca's name, most of them are illegible names from a linguistic point of view. In the 13th century writings, the Nicaean emperors Ioannis Vatatzis and Theodoros Laskaris mention Nympheia and a cleric's place called "Konki" while they were in Izmir, and that this place was close to Izmir and the royal road. After the Conquest of the Turks, in the 15th century, the name Konki was transformed into "Kohi" (Greek: corner) and later into the name "Bucak" in accordance with Turkish. Changing place names to suit Turkish was frequently seen in Asia Minor, Armenia and the Balkans. Bucak later became Buca and has appeared in various spellings in records since at least the 17th century. During the exciting times of the 19th century, Ikeios Latris, a scholar from Izmir, named the village Gonia, meaning niche. However, this name did not find support except for a few scholars.

It seems that the first settlement area of Buca was Çerkezika and the upper neighborhood around the Upper Aya Yani Church. It is mentioned as a Christian village in the diplomatic documents of the French Consulate of Izmir dated 1688.

In the following years, especially after the 1770s, with the migrations from the Peloponnese Peninsula and the surrounding islands, other neighborhoods of Buca began to form: the flower-filled lower neighborhood, the Sakız neighborhood or Kiotika, the romantic Paradiso, the remote Pontikohori (Sıçanköy) and the small Turkomahala (Turkish neighborhood). ). Many travelers speak highly of the beauty of Buca, the sociability and kindness of the Greek locals, the beauty of their daughters and their comfortable homes.

Due to its suitable climate, Levantines from Izmir started to use Buca as a holiday destination since the 17th century. British merchants started to live here from the end of the 18th century. Important Greek families of Izmir also started to settle in Buca. With hundreds of houses and mansions being built around 1900, Buca turned into a European town rather than a village in Izmir. Some mansions had palace-like luxury with their impressive gardens, fountains and statues.

Famous names often visited Buca and stayed in their mansions. Lord Byron (1810), the hospitably welcomed King Otto (1833) and the former Queen Eugenia of France (1907).

The most important mansion was the one that first belonged to the Baltazzi family and later to the Armenian Tekvur Ispartaliyan family. The Ottoman sultan Abdulaziz was hosted here in 1863. In 1919, the National Bank of Greece and a group of rich Greeks from Izmir bought this mansion for 120,000 pounds and donated it to Venizelos. Venizelos put the mansion at the service of the orphan children of the Izmir Greek community. Today, it is in service as an institution for Turkish children.

The places in rural Buca that were well known to the people of Izmir were the fertile Kozağacı and Paradiso regions. They were known for their abundant water and trees. People of Izmir were organizing trips to these places and having celebrations and entertainment.

Levantine businessmen took over the work of the Izmir-Aydın railway and in 1872 Buca was connected to Izmir by train. Trains arrived from Punta to Paradiso along a busy line, and the Buca line started from here. This line made a great contribution to the subsequent development of the region. Paradiso (today Şirinyer) has turned into a dynamic district of Buca with a bright future. New mansions, Panionios Theater (1904), Izmir horse racing arena, American Machlachlan College (1912) and a small military airport (1914) were built.

We know from our great ancestors that Buca, with a population of 10,000-12,000, was almost entirely Greek, apart from that, there were a few rich and military Turkish families, a few Armenian merchants and many Levantines (French, Italian, Dutch, British). Of course, as Buca turned into a holiday center in the summer, its population rose to 20,000 and was competing with Bornova.

Before 1922, large Levantine families lived in Buca: Forbes, Aliotti, Barff, Gout, Rees, De Jong, Griffitt, Dragopolis, Mıssır, Barker, Kanale, Werry, Isaverden, De Ospie, Manoli, Jolie, Kantou, Icard, Kain, Gordon, Weber, and the well-known Greek families: Falmouth, Athinogenes, Vutsina, Farkoh, Apergis, Arealis, Lorendo, Gavrili, Pyrokakos, Issigonis, Frangia, Sevastopoulos, Filipucci, Anastasiadis, Aroni, Valtzi, Timogiannaki, Tsichlakis, Kambouropoulos, Megalomikonomou, Hors, Baltazzi, Chorafa, Pesmazoglou, Angelina, Kontoleon, Giorgalou etc.

The natives of Buca were mostly engaged in agriculture and urban occupations. The fertility of the region brought high income. Thanks to the talents of the people of Buca, oil production was very abundant. Oil, raisins, good quality tobacco, delicious figs, and high quality fresh grapes were sold by the people of Buca in Izmir markets. Despite the limited water in Buca, Buca was also famous for its orchards: vegetables, legumes, summer fruits, carob, beans, currants, squash, tomatoes, okra, eggplant.

Additionally, many craftsmen worked in mansions in Buca. Livestock farming was not very developed. Mostly dairy cows were raised, and a few people from Buca were also engaged in dairy farming in Izmir, which the Stambas continue in New Eritrea.Buca Station Street, early 20th century

There were two markets (note 1) in the village. The lower and upper markets, which still continue to attract traffic in the old center of the village. There were many businesses, four flour mills, and ten taverns (distillery) producing ouzo, wine and raki. Five Greek doctors and two pharmacies (note 2) served many "international" customers.

The people of Buca spent their rest and entertainment moments in various cafes, beer houses and Aktis Cinema (note 3). Dances were performed at Halloween, weddings, festivals and other celebrations. Theater performances in Buca (note 4) date back to the 1830s. In cafes, people from Izmir, Athens and foreigners would perform various theater performances.

In the Buca society that emerged from the mid-19th century, there were two groups that contrasted with each other. The reason for this is that on one side there are businessmen, merchants and large landowners, and on the other side there are thousands of Greek farmers and notables who do not have a special education or position. Both groups lived in harmony with each other without any ruptures or special problems. This situation was already common in the Ionian capital. The same was true both in Izmir and its famous villages Karşıyaka and Bornova.

Administratively, Buca was a district of Izmir and had a municipality (township). The wise men and members were mostly Greeks, with a small number of Levantines and Turks. The last two mayors after 1908 were Stasos Giorgos and Petros Tarlatzis.

Buca was religiously affiliated with the metropolitan city of Izmir and had three churches: Yukarı Aya Yani, Aşağı Aya Yani and Evangelistria (note 5). The Yukarı Aya Yani Church was built in 1796 by the nationalist Patriarch Gregory, the former metropolitan of Izmir, who was later hanged by the Turks in 1821. It was built to commemorate the birth of John the Evangelist on June 24, where a three-day feast was held. The church was renovated in 1854 and, for better or worse, survived until 1961. Today, there is a school in its place, but the cypress trees in the church's courtyard and the foundation of the building above the marble west entrance, on which the bell tower once stood, still remain. In 1953, Tilemaços Çiklakis from Buca took a stone from the sacred foundation of the church, and this stone became the first stone placed on the foundation of the Yeni Buca campus in Rafina.

There was the Lower Aya Yani Church, which was built to celebrate the religious meal on August 29, also known as the beheading of John the Evangelist. This very old and small church was renovated in 1865 but no longer exists today. Evangelistria Church was built in the middle of the lower neighborhood in 1903. This church, which was built to commemorate the holiday celebrated on August 15 in memory of the death of the Virgin Mary, stood until the 1960s and continued to be used as a mosque. Today, a new mosque was built in its place. However, its two impressive gates and the priest's house are well preserved. It seems that the two Corinthian columns in the courtyard of the garden were used for the second time for the construction of the Evangelistria Church.

There were also two Levantine churches in Buca. Catholic St. John the Baptist Church (1840) and the Protestant All Saints Church (1866) are in good condition and active today. Turks didn't even have a mosque until 1922. They used a room inside the Mansion (note 6) to pray.

The people of Buca organized education not only to educate their children, but also to instill in them awareness of national issues in the difficult times of Hellenism. In Buca, there was one boys' school (1873), one girls' school (before 1870), two kindergartens, four private schools and one night school for adults (1908). The total number of students exceeded 800. The schools were supported by three churches or donations and included Anagenisis (1873), Spiritual Development (1903), and Ag. It was taken care of by the Apostles (1905).

There were four foreign schools attended by Greek children and wealthy Turks. Two were English and the other two were Catholic. Catholic schools, consisting of French nun (1850) and Italian Capuchin (1884) schools, provided a good education, but as a result of the pro-Catholic mentality, Orthodox children in Buca were also encouraged to convert to Catholicism.

As is known, Buca was completely devastated in 1922. The first Turkish attacks began on August 31. During the terrible days that followed, massacres, plunders, attacks and all kinds of tyranny were carried out, and not only the Greeks but all the Christians of Buca were targeted. Hundreds of men drifted deep into the East, and many mysteriously disappeared. Thousands of people flocked to the docks in Izmir, thinking it was safe. They tried to endure all kinds of pain until they finally begged the ships to take them. As of September 22, there were no Greeks left in Buca except those with foreign citizenship.

After the expulsion and destruction of the Greeks, Buca began to collapse. While the Greeks of Buca were devastated in Greece, many young and regime-supporting Turks (they bought the best houses) as well as Muslim immigrants from Macedonia, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Kosovo and Crete settled here. Levantines began to slowly leave their mansions and the mansions began to lose their former glory. Today, very few Catholics live in Buca. It was still known as a good area of Izmir, but after 1965, when reconstruction started and immigration started to change its face. Its growth accelerated with the construction of Dokuz Eylül University. Today its population exceeds 300,000. Famous vineyards, orchards and olive trees are covered by monstrous buildings, huge shops and commercial facilities. The beauty of Buca has been replaced by cement, ugliness and the pollution caused by people and machines.

There are still a certain number of mansions with well-preserved gardens. These are used by the Turkish state or individuals as schools, banks, town halls, religious centers or hospitals. There are also many one- or two-storey Greek houses, mostly built by architects Vafiyadis and Kikiras from Buca. In recent years, dozens of Buca houses have been systematically restored and scientifically researched.

Besides all these, Buca with its beautiful climate, our Greek Buca, now lives only in our hearts and minds through books and the memories of the people of Buca.

Teodoris Kontaras

Note 1: The lower bazaar corresponds to today's Erdem street, and the upper market corresponds to today's Basari street.

Note 2: The pharmacies in Buca belonged to the Greek Lorando and Manikopulo families.

Note 3: According to the Greek writer Kararas, Aktis cinema was located close to the Forbes Mansion.

Note 4: The theater here was probably located on the eastern slope of Forbes Mansion.

Note 5: Today, Muradiye Mosque stands on the site of the Evangelistria Church. Süleyman Bilgen Primary School is located on the site of the cemetery of the Lower Aya Yani Church. The church itself was at the top of the hill, a little further above the school.

Note 6: The place called Konak is the old gendarmerie station on Erdem Street.

Translated from Greek to English.

Source: mikrasiatis.gr/o-mpoutzas-tis-smyrnis/