Western Thrace Turks worried about the destruction of the traces of Ottoman-Turkish period
Nearly a year ago, with the decision taken by the Bulustra Municipality in Western Thrace, there are reactions to the attempt to build a football field on the Ottoman-era Muslim cemetery belonging to the minority in Horozlu village of Xanthi.
In his statement to the AA correspondent, Burhan Baran, Xanthi Deputy of the Movement for Change Party (KINAL), pointed out that a board of trustees should be formed to follow the decision of the Bulustra Municipality regarding the cemetery, which is a historical heritage, and that the members of this committee were determined, but the necessary approval could not be obtained by the Greek authorities for them to take office. It may be our most natural way of thinking to look for an intent here."
Stating that half of the area in question was expropriated over time, "This was actually a forest area and there were tombstones among them. We took initiatives to clean this place with the permission of the municipality. The municipality gave us the construction equipment. We also sent our two imams to collect the tombstones here. After we realized that this place will not be cleaned because it is too old, we asked the municipality to stop the work. Our aim was to clean this place gradually with the help of citizens." Baran said.
Baran stated that while this process was going on, the Mayor of Bulustra suddenly got approval from the council to build the historical cemetery, a football field and a playground.
Stating that the works on the cemetery were stopped after these meetings, "As Burhan Baran, what I want is to protect this historical heritage. These are the elements that unite us." he said.
"An attempt to completely eliminate foundation properties starting from the cemetery"
Cengiz Ömer, one of the writers of the Millet newspaper in Western Thrace, also evaluated the decision regarding the cemetery as "an attempt to completely eliminate the foundation properties starting from the cemetery".
Emphasizing that the ownership of the cemeteries belonging to Muslim Turks in Western Thrace belongs to the minority, Ömer noted that the Bulustra Municipality made such an attempt since there was not enough Turkish population left in the village of Horozlu to claim the foundation properties.
"The current Mayor (Yorgos) Tsitiridis is a well-known anti-Turk; he attempted to completely destroy these foundation properties, starting with the cemetery," Ömer said.
Stating that it was revealed that other lands and mosques in the region other than the cemetery were also shown as his own property by the Bulustra Municipality, Ömer said that the Change Movement Party (KINAL) Xanthi Deputy Burhan Baran held a press conference at that time to draw attention to the issue.
Noting that it was announced that the stones removed and rescued from the cemetery were kept in the warehouse, Ömer said, "We are talking about a mentality that wants to erase the Ottoman-Turkish traces from the region and sneakily put forth every way for this."
According to the Turks of Western Thrace, Greece is trying every way to erase the traces of the Turks in the region.
Western Thrace Turks, to whom AA correspondent handed a microphone, said that Greece tried every way to erase the traces of Turks in the region.
The Western Thrace Turks, who did not want to reveal their names for fear of discrimination, stated that the Greek state resorted to every means to erase the traces of the Turks and the Ottomans, especially in Western Thrace.
Saying that the crescent-starred sections on some artifacts were specifically closed, a cognate said, "We are talking about a mentality that does not accept our existence. This mentality naturally wants to destroy all Ottoman-Turkish artifacts. Horozlu Cemetery is an indicator of this. There have been dozens of similar incidents."
