A place full of history

In the late 14th century, the Ottomans occupied Byzantine Xanthia and established a new administrative center, called Yenice Karasu (modern Yenisea). After 1870, the headquarters of the kaza (Ottoman district) were relocated to Xanthi. The Old Town there, emerged after the devastating earthquakes of 1829. New houses were built around Christian churches and Muslim mosques, by groups of Epirotes, Macedonians, and Thracian stonemasons. Over time, populations from Northern Thrace, Chalkidiki, Epirus, Macedonia, the broader Balkans etc. settled in Xanthi. Following the events of 1922, refugees from Eastern Thrace, Asia Minor, and Pontus migrated to Xanthi, effectively more than doubling its population and the spoken dialects. This photograph captures part of the Old Town and in the background part of the refugee settlement.

Creator: Unknown (1930)
Source: D. Mavridis Archive- Old Xanthi blog