Nilay Aldaş 414

English B

Nurcan Domaniç

Pilgrimage

Getting Closer To My Roots

Have you ever been to Thessaloniki? Well, I have. Since my grandfather was an

immigrant from Thessaloniki, I had always wanted to make this pilgrimage. Another

thing that makes this trip important for me is that Atatürk was born in Thessaloniki.

Thessaloniki, which used to be within the borders of the Ottoman Empire, is now located

within the borders of Greece. Since Thessaloniki is a 500-year-old Ottoman city, it is

still possible to see the traces of the Ottoman Empire in Thessaloniki. It was known as

one of the largest trading centers. The importance of Thessaloniki for the Turks comes

from Atatürk. Thessaloniki is the city and home of Atatürk where he was born. When I

went to Thessaloniki, my main aim was to see Atatürk's house. The house, which was

opened to the public as a museum, aroused very different feelings in me. I was happy,

excited, but also feeling different. To witness the birthplace of Atatürk, one of the most

important people of our country…

I did some research about Thessaloniki and I found this text based on religion.

“Thessaloniki is one of the early centers of Christianity. St. Paul the Apostle visited the city and

created the second Christian church in Europe. Later, Paul wrote two letters to the new

church at Thessaloniki, preserved in the Biblical canon as First and Second

Thessalonians, which are the first written books of the New Testament. In 306 AD,

Thessaloniki acquired a patron saint, St. Demetrius, a native of Thessaloniki whom

 Galerius put to death. In the 9th century, the Byzantine Greek missionaries Cyril and

Methodius, both natives of the city, created the first literary language of the Slavs. In the

13th century, Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, was the most

significant prominent theologian and ecclesiastical figure of the Byzantine period. In

1994, Saint Paisios of Mount Athos was buried at the Monastery of St. John the

Theologian in Thessaloniki, which is nowadays one of the greatest pilgrimage sites in

Greece, and one the most famous of Orthodoxy in the world. Discover the city which

justifiably is considered the ‘Castle of the Orthodoxy’, with unparalleled beauty’s

Byzantine churches and monasteries discover the ‘City of Saints’.” For those who have

their roots in Thessaloniki, you should definitely go there. After all, you carry

thessaloniki blood inside you :). If you are Turkish and you are going on a trip to

Thessaloniki, you might want to consider doing a research on it’s history about why it’s

important for us if you don’t know. Because instead of looking with empty eyes, it will

be to your advantage to look full of knowledge. At the outset of the journey, I saw the

house where our ancestor was born and knew how great things people who were born and

grew up like everyone else could achieve and become a very important part of history.

But when I went there, I realized that I was a part of the nation that developed under the

leadership of Atatürk and that I had to add benefits to my country by taking this

responsibility. for those who wants to know how this responsibility is waking up inside

you; you might want to consider having a trip to Thessaloniki.

Bibliography: https://www.thessalonikitourism.gr/index.php/en/religious-feeling