Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Map

Eastern Macedonia and Thrace is a geographically and culturally important region which is situated in the northeast of Greece. It plays a crucial role as a linkage between Europe and Asia between Greece and its neighboring nations namely Bulgaria and Turkey. The region is characterized by rich historical background, multi ethnicities and location at Aegean Sea. It consists of beautiful geography, such as beaches, plains, and hills, which has impacted its evolution throughout millennia. Eastern Macedonia and Thrace can be regarded as the location where various ethnicities, religions, and cultures have co-existed making it unique in both Greece and the Balkans.

History

The eastern Macedonian and Thracian history dates back to the ancient days and it is characterized with numerous significant cultures and empires which have imprinted their name in the land and the inhabitants of the land. The first to be established in the region were Thracian tribes who are found in ancient Greek mythology and history and formed the basis of the ancient identity of the area. The influence of Greek and Thracian fostered in the early first millennium BCE when Greek colonists established settlements along its Aegean coast, settlements that included cities such as Abdera and Aeneus.

The area was conquered by Philip II of Macedon in the fourth century BCE, making it part of the large kingdom of Macedon and further extending to the Alexandrian empire. This was the time when Hellenistic culture further expanded in the region. Later the region was incorporated in the Roman Empire and this became strategically essential in the trade and military routes particularly as the via Egnatia road was developed. It was a period of relative stability and prosperity introducing Roman architectural and cultural influence.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace became Byzantine subjects in several centuries. Byzantines defended cities and kept the region significant as a border area against the attacks of tribes living in the North and East. Since the end of the 14th century, however, the territory fell under the control of the Ottomans that had a profound influence on the population and cultural life of the country during the last 500 years. Things that Ottoman rule brought include new religious and linguistic elements, administrative and social systems which all continued to the present day.

The 19 th and the 20 th centuries were the period of great changes and conflicts. The War with Russia and Ukraine and the Balkan Wars, as well as the World Wars caused numerous changes on the borders and migration of people. These revolutions caused great migrations, ethnic conflicts and attempts by Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey to take control and power. In spite of these disturbances, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace have preserved their ethnic and religious diversity, which comprises the Greek Orthodox Christian, the Muslim Turks, the Pomaks, the Armenians, and the Romani people that add to the overlay of identity in the region.

Culture

The cultural environment of Eastern Macedonia/Thrace is an indication of the complicated history and ethnic mix. The Greek Orthodox culture is the mainstream with the Muslim minority who live under freedoms of religion and cultural rights as mandated in the Greek statutes which is concentrated in the Western Thrace. This co-existence has created a particular cultural environment where there are traditions, festivals, and practices which are peculiar to the region.

Music, dance, and folklore are local, and they convey a synthesis of Greek, Balkan, and the Ottoman influences which provide abundant artistic heritage. The marks of these combined cultures result in the traditional crafts, such as textile work and woodcarving. This multicultural mix can be also observed in culinary traditions with dishes and flavors that represent the Greek culture, Turkish and Balkan cultures. This diversity can be physically observed in religious architecture of the region where the Orthodox churches, mosques, and monasteries are located in the immediate proximity that testifies to centuries of peaceful coexistence and cultural interchange.

Due to the multiple ethnic groups the multilingual atmosphere has been achieved with Greek, Turkish, and Bulgarian dialects spoken. Schools and cultural institutions strive to maintain this culture and encourage embracing and understanding of each other. Religious holidays, cultural and historical festivals are significant cultural events that can be used as channels of cultural expression and bringing people together.

Over the last few years, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace both have gained growing focus due to their cultural richness and as a cultural tourist destination. There is promotion of the different heritage and natural beauty of the region, and the promotion is based on the historical sites, natural environment and the community life that is colorful and rich. The blending of cultures presents the region with a unique identity which keeps on developing even without losing its far-rooted historical background.

Language

Eastern Macedonia and Thrace may be described as a good example of a linguistically rich area due to its rather complicated history and multiculturality. The primary tongue that is used in the entire region is Greek and there are sub-branches of Greek as the Thracian Greek dialect and the Macedonian Greek dialect which are products of the interplay with the language neighbors. The Thracian ancient language that was previously spoken by the indigenous people of the land is now extinct but is known to have been an inscription and both historical evidence that was related to the Indo European family, related to languages in the Balkans and possibly even the Baltic language. Thracian language and culture underwent decline in the centuries with the increase of Greek culture and language.

The other source of modern linguistic diversity is the mosaic of the ethnic groups living on the territory. One notable linguistic group is the Turkish speaking Muslim minority who are found mostly in Western Thrace, who maintain their language, culture and traditions. Also, there are other smaller communities that preserve the Bulgarian and Pomak dialects and there are the minority groups that speak the Aromanian language, which further diversifies the linguistics in the region. The multilingual environment encompasses these languages used in everyday life, in schools and in cultural practices, historical roots which continue to maintain the relationship between these languages and Greek. This coexistence has been a witness to centuries of migrations, Ottoman dominance, and intercultural and cross-cultural contacts that modified the languages used in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.

Geography

Geographically, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace take the most northeast section of mainland Greece, and the area is characterized by an incredible variety of natural scenery with fertile valleys, plains of coastal belt, and lowlands, as well as rocky mountain ranges. The Rhodopi Mountains that create a natural boundary between the region and Bulgaria and the Evros River, which has created a border with Turkey, restrict the region to the north and east, respectively. The southern edge is open to the Aegean Sea which has the islands of Thasos and Samothrace whose beauty, history, and ecological importance are very scenic.

The landscape comprises wide river valleys, wooded mountains, marshlands and coastal strips. The Rhodopi Mountains are very forested and contain major wildlife and plant life species in the guarded Natura 2000 zones. The value of these mountains is ecological and is a significant source of biodiversity in the Balkans. Agriculture is cultivated along fertile plains bordering the Evros and Nestos Rivers and has ceded to rally as the key to the economy in the past. Some crops that are commonly grown are tobacco, wheat, sunflowers since the soils are alluvial and the climate is rather moderate on the coast.

There is a significant difference in the climate of the region. The coastal strips have a Mediterranean climate with a warm and wet winter and hot and dry summer that facilitate various agricultural and marine operations. As people continue to move inland towards the mountainous region, the climate becomes colder and seasonal economic activities even include snowfall that affect the traditional lifestyles. The lagoons, lakes and wetlands like Lake Vistonida and Nestos delta are vital wetlands in which fishing, agriculture and more recently, eco-tourism are practiced. It is the natural landscape that therefore forms the human settlement, cultural traditions and economic activities in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, since geography is a characteristic of the two regions.

The geographical location of the region at a crossroad between Europe and Asia has in the past made it a pathway through which people migrated to and out of the continent, and commerce and military forces have passed. Main transports like the ancient via Egnatia highway and the present-day highways pass through the area and connect the Balkans and Asia Minor as well as sources of goods and cultures. The access to the sea combined with fertile land and protection by mountains has created a situation that has determined the geographical setting that has still affected the development and significance of the region.

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