Alaşehir

Alaşehir
—  Town  —
Location of Alaşehir within Turkey.
Alaşehir Location of Alaşehir within Turkey.
Coordinates: 38°21′N 28°31′E
Country	Turkey
Region	Aegean
Province	Manisa
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Licence plate	45
Website	http://www.alasehir.bel.tr/

Alaşehir, in Antiquity and the Middle Ages known as Philadelphia (Greek: Φιλαδέλφεια), i.e. "(city of) brotherly love" is a town and district of Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. It is situated in the valley of the Kuzuçay (Cogamus in antiquity), at the foot of the Bozdağ (Mount Tmolus in antiquity). The town is connected to İzmir by a 105 km (65 mi) railway.

It stands on elevated ground commanding the extensive and fertile plain of the Gediz River, (Hermus in antiquity) presents at a distance an imposing appearance. It has several mosques and Christian churches. There are small industries and a fair trade. From one of the mineral springs comes a heavily charged water popular around Turkey.

Within Turkey, the city's name is synonymous with the dried Sultana raisins, although cultivation for the fresh fruit market, less labour-intensive than the dried fruit, gained prominence in the last decades. As Philadelphia, Alaşehir was a highly important center in the Early Christian and Byzantine periods, and remained a titular see of the Catholic Church.

History

Ancient Philadelphia

Alaşehir began as perhaps one of the first ancient cities with the name Philadelphia. It was established in 189 BC by King Eumenes II of Pergamon (197-160 BC). Eumenes II named the city for the love of his brother, who would be his successor, Attalus II (159-138 BC), whose loyalty earned him the nickname, "Philadelphos", literally meaning "one who loves his brother". The city is perhaps best known as the site of one of the seven churches of Asia in the Book of Revelation.

Lacking an heir, Attalus III Philometer, the last of the Attalid kings of Pergamum, bequeathed his kingdom, including Philadelphia, to his Roman allies when he died in 133 BC. Rome established the province of Asia in 129 BC by combining Ionia and the former Kingdom of Pergamum.

Roman Philadelphia

Philadelphia was in the administrative district of Sardis (Pliny NH 5.111). In AD 17, the city suffered badly in an earthquake, and the emperor Tiberius relieved it of having to pay taxes (Tacitus Annales 2.47, cf. Strabo 12.8.18, 13.4.10, John Lydus de mensibus 4.115). in response, the city granted honors to Tiberius. Evidence from coinage reveals that Caligula helped the city; under Vespasian, Philadelphia received his cognomen, Flavia. Under Caracalla, Philadelphia housed an imperial cult; its coins bore the word Neokoron (literally, "temple-sweeper"--caretaker of the temple). A small theater located at the northern edge of Toptepe Hill is all that remains of Roman Philadelphia.

Philadelphia in the Book of Revelation

Although several ancient cities bore the name of Philadelphia, this is definitely the one listed among the seven churches by John in the Book of Revelation. Philadelphia is the sixth church of the seven.(Revelation 1:11). A letter specifically addressed to the Philadelphian church is recorded in (Revelation 3:7-13). According to this letter, the Philadelphian Christians were suffering persecution at the hands of the local Jews, whom Revelation calls "the synagogue of Satan" (Revelation 3:9). The city's history of earthquakes may lie behind the reference to making her church a temple pillar (Revelation 3:12). Permanency would have been important to the city's residents.

Philadelphia shares with Smyrna the distinction of receiving nothing but praise from Christ. This explains why modern Protestant churches sometimes use "Philadelphia" as a component in the local church's name as a way of emphasizing its faithfulness.

Byzantine Philadelphia

Philadelphia was a prosperous Byzantine city, called the "little Athens" in the 6th c AD because of its festivals and temples. Presumably this indicates that the city wasn't entirely converted to Christianity. Ammia, the Christian prophetess, was from Philadelphia, however. In about the year 600 the large, majestic and domed Basilica of St. John was built, remains of which are the main archaeological attraction in the modern city. Additionally, the city's long heritage of both Roman and Greek history saw continual expansion of fortifications as the city grew. This period was the high point until the declines of the 10th and 11th century. The Byzantine walls that once surrounded the city have all but crumbled away. A few remnants are still visible at the northeast edge of town, near the bus stand.

The city's ancient and elegant, but decaying and stratified civilization much like the rest of Anatolia, came to an abrupt dislocation with the arrival of the fanatical Moslem Seljuk Turks. The preceeding generations had seen a decline in the martial ability of the Byzantine Empire, and most importantly, saw the Imperial central government attempt a large scale Arms control program which left most of the Empire's populace without weapons and their local militia almost wholly disbanded. Thus, with the utter route of the Empire's main army, including the capture of its Emperor at the Battle of Manzikert, Anatolia was open to rampaging and pillaging hordes of Seljuk Turks. The Moslem armies rapidly spread throughout Anatolia, reaching Western Anatolia within two years, and Philadelpia was stormed by the Seljuk Turks in 1074.

However, the Seljuks were unprepared for full-scale occupation and during the anarchic period which followed, the city's militia drove out the small Seljuk garrison and secured the surrounding countryside, thereby maintaining its independence. Subsequently, combined Imperial and local theme militia managed to secure access to the sea and the Empire thereby keeping a vestige of Byzantine rule alive in Western Anatolia. Nonetheless, a large Seljuk Army appeared and lay seige the city during 1093-94 and finally captured it, putting to the sword most of its free citizens and nobility and sacking the city.

In 1098, during the First Crusade, a combined Byzantine and Crusader Army defeated the Seljuk tribe laying waste to the region and it was recovered by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I. He repopulated it with refugees who escaped the Seljuk genocide, rebuilt its walls, and garrisoned it heavily. In the 11th to 15th centuries AD, it was the seat of the doux (governor) and stratopedarches (military commander) of the Thrakesion theme.

In subsequent decades, as a result of intense dynastic and political factionalism in the Imperial court, Philadelpia found itself on the opposition side. Consequently, it was the center of several revolts against ruling Byzantine emperors- in 1182, led by John Komnenos Vatatzes, and 1188-1205 or 1206, led by Theodore Mangaphas, a local Philadelphian, against Isaac II Angelos. However, the Angelian dynasty's own squables were later exploited by Western mercantile interests which used the Angelos own internal rivalry in supporting the Crusaders in attacking Constantinople itself. In the following squables over rights to loot, the Crusaders completely overthrew the dynasty and the Byzantine throne, placing in its stead a Roman Catholic Empire known as the Latin Empire of the East. Formerly in opposition to the Angelos, Philadelpia now saw itself one of the primary leading cities supporting the continuation of the Greek Byzantine Empire. Thus, a new rebirth began in which Philadelpia became a chief center of Byzantine patriotism and found itself allied with the Empire of Nicea.

During the following decades, the city enjoyed both a restored military, economic, and cultural rennaisance until the re-establishment of a united Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologos dynasty. With the removal of the Greek court from Nicae back to Constantinople, attention from Imperial government slowly receded. As a result, Moslem Turks who still remained in Eastern Anatolia, saw Byzantine vigilance degrade and used the opportunity to launch new raids. As the 14th century wore on, and Byzantine authority was challenged simulteneously in the West by Slavic and Italian powers, these raids became more and more successfull, and with each success more larger and larger. Towards the end of the century, the Ottoman Turks had assumed control of the Moslem Turks and begun to dominated even Western Anatolia. However much like before, Philadelpia resisted foreign invasion and became a stronghold of Byzantine resistance to the TUrks.

As a result of its continued Byzantine Greek patriotism and refusal to capitulate tot he Ottomans, during the 14th century, Philadelphia was made the metropolis of Lydia by the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople, a status it still holds. Indeed, much as in the 13th century, despite the ongoing war and strife with the Turk, the city was prosperous; there was a Genoese trading colony and the city was an important producer of leather goods and red-dyed silk (whence, perhaps, its Turkish name, which probably means "red city"). However, by the end of 14th century, the city was surrounded by Turkish emirates, and yet, maintained nominal allegiance to the Byzantine emperor. The town remained prosperous through trade and its strategic location.

When the Byzantine Emporer started falling under the control of the Ottoman Sultan, Philadelphia continued its resistance to Islam as a stronghold of Greek Christianity. Yet, deep within Ottoman territory, this required it to cease being a de jure province of the Byzantine Empire. Instead, it was an independent, neutral city under the influence of the Latin Hospitaller Knights of Rhodes, who despite their ancient Latin rivalry, were looked upon as fellow defenders of Christendom. Together the Philadelphian and Hospitaller Knights single handidly kept the Ottomans at bay for the remaining decades of the 14th century. Thus, Philadelphia was the last Byzantine stronghold in inner Asia Minor to fall to the Turks, holding out until 1388.

In 1386, Sultan Bayezid I began a long mobilization program of his Ottoman Empire, isolated the Knights and Philadelphians diplomatically, and even forced the Byzantine emperor Manuel II to provide an auxiliary Christian force to his army. Having gathered his grand army, the Sultan launched a massive campaign on both the Knights and Philadelphians. For two years, his massive army lay siege the city. After a prolonged resistance, by which time all the other cities of Asia Minor had surrendered to the Ottomans, the much smaller Philadelphian and Hospitaller army was overwhelmed by the Sultan's massive army. Worse, Manuel, now little more than a captive of the Sultan, was forced by Bayezid to participate in subjugating Philadelphia to Turkish rule, a bitter irony given its long resistance. Despite its strong resistance, Bayezide decided not to genocide the city, opting instead to execute a third of the city's nobility, sell the remainder including every third Christian into slavery. In turn, he garrisoned the city with a large Turkish force and their harems. However, twelve years later it was captured by Timur, who killed the entire Turkish population and built a wall with the corpses of his prisoners. For the remaining centuries, Philadelpia remained a Christian city, and the headquarters of the Greek oppressed nationality in Western Anatolia. In turn, Philadelphia remained a symbol for Greeks seeking the liberation of their nation.

Modern period

Following the Greek War of Independence and the successfull establishment of an independent Greek Nation-state in its homeland, the dream of retaking both Constantinople and Philadelphia became an attemptable goal. Indeed, following the defeat of the Turks in World War One, in accordance with secret agreements with the Greeks, the Royal Greek Army was supported in an offensive to recover Western Anatolia and realize the dream of Greater Greece. However, Constantinople remained nominally under Turkish rule, although Western armies garrisoned the city. As the Russian Empire, the titular representative of the Orthodox Greek in world affairs collapsed under Communism, and European powers argued over rights of transit and influence in the Bosphorus Straights, Greek forces were forbidden to enter the old Imperial capital. Nonetheless, supported by its fleet and Allied logistics, the Greek army quickly moved into Western Anatolia, and occupied Philadelpia during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922).

Yet, at the moment of victory, the Turks rallied to a new leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, whose ideas of a nationalist Turkish republic reinvigorated Turkish moral. Simulteneously, the collapse of the White Russian Army during the Russian Civil War, and southward movement of the Soviet Red Army, threatened Constantinople. Ataturk presented the Allies with the choice of his nuetrality with the Soviets if they abandoned Constantinople and the Greeks, or his alliance with the Soviet Union. Faced with a divided Cabinet in London, French and Italian differences over influence in the Aegean, Greece looked increasingly isolated. As a stalemate occurred on the military front, the diplomatic deadlock was broken in Turkey's favor.

America threw its support behind Ataturk, and threatened critical financial support of the Western allies if they didn't abandoned the Greeks. Accordingly, the allies stopped logistical support, and retreated from Constantinople. Turkish forces were transported to the Bosphorus just as a the Greek army suffered a defeat near the Black Sea. Faced with being cut-off, the Greek Army retreated first toward Philadelphia and then towards Smyrna. Backed with captured French weaponry, Soviet supplies, and rebuilt older Ottoman weapons, the new Turkish Army launched an offensive to drive the Greek Army from Anatolia.

Fresh from the Armenian Genocide and Assyrian Genocide in the East, the Turkish forces unleashed their fury upon the Greek communities in the West. As their forces moved westward, Turkish forces conducted ethnic cleansing of the Greeks. In the subsequent campaign, the Royal Greek Army used to protect the Greek civilian population as it raced to the sea and transported to Greece by the Royal Navy to escape the genocide. The Turks in turn carried out a scorched-earth policy while pushing forward during the final phase of the war. James Loder Park, the U.S. Vice-Consul in Constantinople at the time, who toured much of the devastated area immediately after the Greek evacuation, described the situation in the surrounding cities and towns of İzmir he has seen, as follows:

"In Alasehir, hand pumps were used to soak the walls of the buildings with Kerosene. As we examined the ruins of the city, we discovered a number of skulls and bones, charred and black, with remnants of hair and flesh clinging to them. Upon our insistence a number of graves having a fresh-made appearance were actually opened for us as we were fully satisfied that these bodies were not more than four weeks old."

After twenty centuries of Christian civilization and thirty centuries of Greek civilization according to Park, 70% of the buildings of Philadelphia were destroyed by fire, while Kinross wrote "Alashehir was no more than a dark scorched cavity, defacing the hillside. Village after village had been reduced to an ash-heap." It is estimated some 3,000 lives had been lost in the burning of Alaşehir while the remainder fled to Greece.

The suburb of Athens named Nea Filadelfia ("New Philadelphia") is so named because Greek refugees from Alasehir (in Greek known as "Philadelphia") settled there following the war and the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey of 1923.

Demographics

The population of Alaşehir in 1990 was 36,649, almost wholy Islamic Turks.

Notable people from Alaşehir

• Joannes Laurentius Lydus (b. 490) ancient Greek administrator and writer
• Kenan Evren, Turkish president and general

Notable bishops

• Cyriacus (at the Council of Philippopolis, 344)
• Theodosius (deposed at the Council of Seleucia, 359)
• Theophanes (at the First Council of Ephesus, 431)
• John (at the Third Council of Constantinople, 680)
• Theoleptus (1283–1322): led defense of P. against Turkish attack in 1310; writings include religious poetry, monastic treatises, anti-Arsenite writings, letters
• Macarius Chrysocephalas (1336–82): candidate for patriarchate in 1353, wrote Rhodonia (anthology of proverbs and gnomai), catenae (“chains,” quotations from theologians attached to Bible verses) on Matthew and Luke, homilies, and a vita of St. Meletios of Galesios
• Gabrius Severus (1577) wrote works against the Latins
• Gerasimus Blachus (1679), author of numerous works
• Meletius Typaldus (1685), deposed for becoming a Catholic

References and Links

• The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia And their place in the plan of the Apocalypse, W. M. Ramsay, D.C.L, Litt.D., LL.D., Professor of Humanity in the University of Aberdeen, 1904
• http://www.ephesusguide.com/seven_churches_philadelphia.php
• http://www.enjoyturkey.com/Tours/Interest/Biblicals/philadelphia.htm
• http://www.toursforchurches.co.uk/turkey-churches.htm
• http://www.luthersem.edu/ckoester/Revelation/Philadelphia/main.htm
• http://www.deeperstudy.com/link/philadelphia_satellite.html

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.