The White Tower of Thessaloniki

The White Tower of Thessaloniki (in Greek, Λευκός Πύργος, Lefkos Pyrgos, Macedonian: Бела Кула, Bela Kula) is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city of Thessaloniki, capital of the region of Macedonia in northern Greece. It has been adopted as the symbol of the city, and also as a symbol of Greek sovereignty over Macedonia. I took this myself File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Macedonias location in Greece This article is about the region in Greece. ...

History

The present tower dates from the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-66). There was an older tower on the same site, probably built by French knights during the period of the Latin Empire in Constantinople. The Tower was used by the Ottomans successively as a fort, garrison and a prison. In 1826, at the order of the Sultan Mahmud II, there was a massacre of the prisoners in the Tower. Owing to the "countless victims of Ottoman torturers and executioners", the tower acquired the name "Tower of Blood", which it kept until the end of the eighteenth century^[1]. Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Sogut (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanlı Dynasty... Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (November 6, 1494 – September 5/6, 1566); in Turkish Süleyman , (nicknamed the Magnificent in Europe and the Lawgiver in the Islamic World, in Turkish Kanuni) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566 and successor to Selim I. He was born at... The Latin Empire, Empire of Nicaea, Empire of Trebizond and the Despotate of Epirus. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Sultan Mahmud II Animation showing the structure of the Tughra of Mahmud II Mahmud II (in Arabic محمودالثانى ) (July 20, 1785–July 1, 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death. ...

The Tower was for centuries part of the walls of the old city of Thessaloniki (known as Salonik in Ottoman times), and separated the Jewish quarter of the city from the cemetaries of the Muslims and Jews^[2]. The city walls were demolished in 1866. When Thessaloniki was captured by the Greeks during the Balkan War of 1912, the tower was whitewashed as a symbolic gesture of cleansing, and acquired its present name. King George I of Greece was assassinated not far from the White Tower in March 1913. The Balkan Wars were two wars in South-eastern Europe in 1912-1913 in the course of which the Balkan League (Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, and Bulgaria) first conquered Ottoman-held Macedonia and most of Thrace and then fell out over the division of the spoils, Bulgaria suffering defeat at the... George I (December 24, 1845 – March 18, 1913) was King of the Hellenes (Greece) from 1863 to 1913. ...

The Tower is now a buff colour but has retained the name White Tower. It now stands on Thessaloniki's waterfront boulevard, Nikis (Victory) Street. It houses a Byzantine museum and is one of the city's leading tourist attractions. The Tower is under the administation of the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture. Byzantine Empire (Greek: ) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ...

Macedonia dispute

Bills appearing in 1992, with a depiction of the Greek city of Thessaloniki.

After the independence of the Republic of Macedonia in 1991, the White Tower became a symbol of the dispute between Greece and Macedonia over the name "Macedonia" and the symbols of Macedonian history (see also Vergina sun). According to the New York Times, a version of the new country's currency began to appear in January of 1992^[1]. The bills circulating contained an image of Thessaloniki, depicting the White Tower. The bills prompted "outrage in Athens and... in the capital of Greek Macedonia [Thessaloniki]"^[3]. The bills were never used by the government of the Republic of Macedonia. Image File history File links ROM_currency_w_White_Tower. ... Image File history File links ROM_currency_w_White_Tower. ... Motto: (Macedonian: Слобода или Смрт) (English: Liberty or death) Anthem: Macedonian: Денес Над Македонија (Transliteration: Denes Nad Makedonija) (Translation: Today Over Macedonia) Capital Skopje Largest city Skopje Official language(s) Macedonian1 Government President Prime Minister Parliamentary republic Branko Crvenkovski Vlado Bučkovski Independence Declared From Yugoslavia September 8, 1991 Area  - Total    - Water (%)   25,333 km² (146th... Vergina Sun The Vergina Sun or Star of Vergina is a sixteen-ray star symbol found in archaeological excavations in Vergina in northern Greece. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα Athína IPA ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ...

Macedonian nationalist groups have advanced territorial claims over what they call "Aegean Macedonia," and these groups have used the White Tower as a symbol of their claims that Thessaloniki (which they call Solun) ought to be part of a greater Republic of Macedonia. Since the 1995 agreement between Greece and Macedonia, however, it does not appear that the government of Macedonia has given these groups official encouragement.

References

• Glenny, Misha (2001). “A maze of conspiracy” The Balkans: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers, 1804-1999, Penguin 2001 softcover, 181, New York, New York: Penguin. ISBN 0140237776.
• Simons, Marlise, "As Republic Flexes, Greeks Tense Up", New York Times, February 3, 1992.

Notes

1. ↑ Glenny, p.181
2. ↑ Glenny, p.181
3. ↑ Simons