The Great Fire of Smyrna: The end of the Ottoman genocide against Christians
Based on observations and testimonies of contemporary eyewitnesses, this article analyzes the significance of the seizure and burning of the Ionian capital and port city of Smyrna (Tr.: Izmir) in September 1922 by Turkish nationalist (Kemalist) forces. The event marked not only a humanitarian catastrophe of unprecedented proportions, but also the end of a decade-long genocide against the indigenous Christians of the Ottoman Empire. This genocide typically occurred during a period of transition from a feudal multi-ethnic state to a Turkish nation-state. At the beginning and end of the associated state crimes were the Ottoman provinces of Aydın/Smyrna as well as Edirne (Greek: Adrianoupolis), whose Greek Orthodox population had already been attacked, intimidated, expelled or deported and massacred during and after the Balkan wars.