This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
One of the most remarkable historical maps I’ve come across recently is an ethnological map compiled in 1918 by Professor George Soteriadis of the University of Athens. It covers Greece, Bulgaria, and western Turkey (then part of the Ottoman Empire), and is a snapshot of the region’s ethnic composition just before it underwent irreversible change.
The map is color-coded to show the distribution of Greeks (orange), Muslims (brown), Bulgarians (yellow), Macedonian Slavs (green), Albanians (tinted green), and Romanians (green with black shading). What immediately draws the eye is the dense concentration of Greek communities along the Aegean coast of Asia Minor — in cities like Smyrna (Izmir), Ayvalık, and Aydın — areas where the Greek language, Orthodox Christianity, and Hellenic culture had thrived for centuries.
A Glimpse Into a More Diverse Past
At the beginning of the 20th century, this region was one of the most ethnically diverse areas in Europe and the Near East. Greeks lived alongside Turks, Armenians, Bulgarians, Albanians, Jews, and others. The Ottoman Empire, though politically weakening, still held together a vast population of different ethnicities and faiths.
According to the statistics included with the map, in places like the Sandjak of Smyrna, Greeks even outnumbered Muslims. In the Sandjak of Balıkesir, there were more than 150,000 Greeks and almost 247,000 Muslims. These weren’t recent migrants, but local populations with centuries-old roots.
But this landscape was about to change—dramatically and painfully.
This compulsory exchange uprooted about 1.5 million Greeks from Asia Minor, Eastern Thrace, and Pontus, and approximately 500,000 Muslims from Greece were sent to Turkey. It was the first large-scale, state-sanctioned population exchange in modern history, and it fundamentally reshaped the ethnic composition of both countries.
For the Greek communities of Asia Minor, this meant permanent exile. Thousands perished during the deportations and violence, and those who survived became refugees in Greece — often impoverished and unwelcome. In Turkey, the departure of the Greeks meant the loss of major urban populations, professionals, and artisans who had been integral to city life. British military officer J.H.M. Cornwall, speaking in 1925, noted the economic downturn that followed. Many of those who replaced the Greeks lacked the same training or networks, leading to a period of stagnation and uncertainty.
What Changed After the Exchange?
The region once echoed with different languages, religions, and customs. After the population exchange, this multiethnic world largely disappeared. Greece became more homogeneously Greek Orthodox, and Turkey more uniformly Muslim and Turkish-speaking.
While it did reduce ethnic tensions in the short term, the cost was immense: cultural loss, demographic upheaval, and deep trauma on both sides. The wounds still linger, even a century later, in memory, diaspora communities, and contested histories.
Looking at This Map: What If There Had Been No Exchange?
Looking at this map today, it’s interesting to imagine what might have happened if there had been no ethnic conflicts or population exchange in 1923. What if the multicultural landscape of Asia Minor had survived into the modern era?
Would these diverse communities have found a way to coexist peacefully in democratic states? Would cities like Smyrna have remained rich cultural crossroads — with Greeks, Turks, Armenians, and Jews living side by side?
Perhaps we would see a Western Anatolia that resembled Beirut or Sarajevo — complex, diverse, sometimes tense, but alive with pluralism. Or maybe nationalisms would have clashed again, fueled by memories of past grievances.
There’s no clear answer. But the map invites us to reflect on the “paths not taken” — the alternative histories that might have emerged if coexistence had been chosen over division.
If you’ve come across similar historical maps, or have family stories linked to this region, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
