Prof. Petros P. Groumpos, Professor Emeritus of the University of Patras.
Recently the president of Turkey, Mr. Erdogan, had the audacity to say: I Konstantinoúpoli cannot be compared to any city in the world.
I Konstantinoúpoli is truly unique and cannot be compared to any other city in the world. But not because a politician says so, and certainly not because you say so, Mr. Erdogan. It is unique because it has been the capital city for centuries. The heart of Orthodoxy, of Romiosyni, of Byzantium. It was founded by Constantine the Great in 324 AD as the New Rome, built on the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium, which was founded by Megarians in the 7th century BC. The Greeks held it for 1030 years. The Ottomans for just 572. The scales of History NEVER lie.
Hagia Sophia is not just a church. It is an architectural marvel that changed the face of history. It is where light and faith come together. It is the church where, when you enter with reverence, you hear: "I fight the good fight, I win the victory," and your knees buckle. And yet, you triumphantly celebrate its conversion into a mosque, provoking an outcry from UNESCO and all non-Islamic religions. Is this how you show respect for the international community, Mr. Erdogan?
Even after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Greeks of Istanbul continued to preserve their language, faith, and identity, contributing to the birth of the modern Greek nation with the glorious revolution of 1821. This revolution marked the beginning of the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.
I Constantinople is not the legacy of the Conqueror. It is the legacy of Justinian, Theodosius, Theodora, the Komnenos dynasty, the Palaiologos dynasty, and the thousands of Greeks who lived, created, and died there. You praise the Conqueror as a great general, scientist, and engineer. You forgot to mention what he said to his Ottoman soldiers before they entered the CITY in 1453: that, according to Islamic law, they could slaughter, rape, and kidnap women and children for three days in order to sell them in the slave markets of the East. And you used this practice in the genocides of Pontus, Armenia, and the Greeks of Asia Minor, as well as in your illegal invasion of Cyprus 53 years ago.
Mr. Erdogan talks about projects and monuments. We talk about soul. About memory. About the City that never forgets. About the City that, despite the changes, the silences, and the alterations, continues to whisper Greek through its beautiful paths, and its stones softly sing Greek songs. You called it Constantinople and not Istanbul. Although the word Istanbul comes from the Greek words "eis tin poli" (into the city).
Mr. Erdogan has the audacity to speak of works of eternity, when most of them were built before the Fall or after by foreigners. He talks about the Rami Library, housed in an 18th-century military camp, while the Ottomans looted the 5th-century University of Constantinople and the Imperial Library with over 100,000 volumes. We have bequeathed you monuments of eternity: the Golden Gate in the Wall of Constantine, the first university in the world, the walls of Theodosius, the Church of Chora, which you converted into a mosque, the Hippodrome, and so much more.
Mr. Erdogan, you dare to link your politics to military means: smart aircraft, submarines, drones. But the world—and especially the Mediterranean—does not need wars. Wars leave behind monuments of eternity. People need peace and bread. They need hope and prospects for a better future for their children. And unfortunately, you cannot offer them that.
And as the soul of our people says: "Romiosyni is a race that is contemporary with the world. No one can find it on the map. It is found in the heart." (poet, Yannis Ritsos).
Yes, Romiosyni is inextricably linked to the existence of the world, and its existence will continue as long as the world exists.
Romiosyni is a race that's part of the world, no one has been able to wipe it out, no one, because God is watching over it from above.
Our answer is clear: Constantinople is not a trophy. It is a memory. It is not a political symbol, and it will not be forgotten. It is the light of Hellenism. And rest assured that one day this light will shine and illuminate the entire planet. On a planet where peace, love, and happiness will reign among all peoples.
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