Salonica, City of Ghosts, is a book written by Mark Mazower-Historian at Columbian University. In this book, Mazower tries to give hint of life of a misplaced city (Salonica) and how the city collapsed or passed away. Mazower sheds light on the co- existence of people from diverse beliefs and religious back grounds and the diverse cultural fabric of the city. He also illuminates the falling apart of the empire and the time when national enmity and hatred arrived.
This book can actually be described as partly Historical, cultural and as well as a travelogue. Mazower was able to create a wealth of knowledge on the Balkan city from different archival sources. One of them is the Balkans; Dark Continent. Through the back up of these historical sources Mazower was able to create a piece of literature which describes the Balkan city from the early 15th century until the 20th century when the Ottoman rule collapsed.
Question 1.
Many people usually think that Islam did not exist in Europe. It has been thought that Muslims are alien to Europe and cannot be traced min the early history of Europe. However this book paints a different picture from what people have continued to believe pertaining Islam in Europe. Mark Mazower in his book takes as back to the early history of the city when Ottoman rule began. Sultan Murad II took control of the city during the early 15th century .
Although there was large majority of Christians in the city, Ottoman rule continued to thrive. Christians watched as the Ottoman administration converted most churches into mosques .However, along the history of the city, the Muslims were subdued and expelled from the city. Finally, the city became purely Christian and Greek.This beats the notion that Islam is foreign in Europe since it is clear that Islam was once very strong in Salonika.
Question 2.
Mazower uses a map at the start of the book to reinforce his geographical description of the city and the significance of the port in his story.
Question 3
This city can actually be called Salonica. It formed trade and administrative centre for Thessalonica .Unlike other European cities; Salonica city was not created around a certain ethnic group but was based on different cultures and ethnic groups.
Question 4
I t is true that as the narration progresses, more tragedies continue to hit the city. It is not actually good to view this city as a hotspot for tragedies but it is also important to note that the tragedies in political, social and economic spheres contributed to the weaving of a strong Historical significance for the city. I would put it that if it were not for the tragedies which hit Salonica, Mazower’s book would not have been interesting to read.
Question 5
At the height of Salonica the Jewish outnumbered the Muslim. All throughout the Ottoman rule, the city experienced a large influx of the Jewish population. This made the Jews one of the biggest majorities in the city. Jewish also became the biggest merchants in the city as well as one of the wealthiest groups.
Question 6 & 7
In the Balkan wars, Turkey defeated Greece and the two states decided to exchange their Christian and Muslim populations. Greece received the conventional Christians while Turkey ushered in more than 500,000 Muslims. This explains why the Muslim population in Salonika declined. The Greece population in Salonika increased.
Question 8
History does not end in Salonika. In the 90s, the city again experienced an influx of refugees throughout the Balkan upheavals. This has seen the city leaning towards becoming Balkan.
References
Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. Charlottesville, Va: University of Virginia Library, 1994. Print.
