In September 1905, I was in Adrianople during a devastating fire that left 60,000 people homeless. The fire started in the Armenian quarter, and many Armenians believed that the Turks or the Jews were responsible. They couldn’t be convinced otherwise, even though the fire was caused by an accident—a lamp being knocked over.
Accusations and Tensions
After the fire, rumors spread quickly. One day, some Christian women in a narrow street near the British Consulate became ill. An Armenian told me, “Ah, sir, the Turks must have poisoned the well!” I pointed out that the well was also used by Muslim women, yet none of them had become ill. The Armenian could not explain this, but he was determined to believe that the Turks were responsible for poisoning the Christians.
In Adrianople, every bad event is often blamed on religious enemies, and this fuels the deep tensions between the groups Bulgaria Private Tour.
Life in a City of Fear
Adrianople is a city filled with fear. Christians and Armenians often whispered about revenge against the cruel Turks, but nothing ever came of these stories. The Turks were also fearful of attacks, bombs, and other violence from Bulgarians or Armenians.
Strict Curfews and Control
At sundown, every Christian was required to stay indoors, or they risked arrest and imprisonment. No Christian house could have a light on three hours after sunset, or soldiers would knock on the door, demand explanations, and often extort money. Muslims, too, had their own restrictions. They had to carry a lantern to walk through the streets at night, and they couldn’t be outside after 10 PM without special permission. At night, the only sound you’d hear was the heavy footsteps of the patrols Where Was the Crowd.
