Fire of Manisa

The Fire of Manisa refers to the burning of the city of Manisa, Turkey, by the Greek Army during the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922). The city was burned between 5 and 8 September 1922. More than 10,000 buildings were destroyed, about 90 percent of the town.U.S. Vice-Consul James Loder Park to Secretary of State, Smyrna, 11 April 1923. US archives US767.68116/34Consul Park concluded:"1. The destruction of the interior cities visited by our party was carried out by Greeks."
"2. The percentages of buildings destroyed in each of the last four cities referred to were: Manisa 90 percent, Cassaba (Turgutlu) 90 percent, Alaşehir 70 percent, Salihli 65 percent."
"3. The burning of these cities was not desultory, nor intermittent, nor accidental, but well planned and thoroughly organized."
"4. There were many instances of physical violence, most of which was deliberate and wanton. Without complete figures, which were impossible to obtain, it may safely be surmised that 'atrocities' committed by retiring Greeks numbered well into thousands in the four cities under consideration. These consisted of all three of the usual type of such atrocities, namely murder, torture and rape."
"Cassaba (present day Turgutlu) was a town of 40,000 souls, 3,000 of whom were non-Muslims. Of these 37,000 Turks only 6,000 could be accounted for among the living, while 1,000 Turks were known to have been shot or burned to death." Thousands of people died in the flames or were shot dead by the Greeks. Turkish sources claim 4,355 died, and 300 girls were raped.

Background
The city of Manisa was part of the Ottoman Empire, and Turks and Greeks lived there together. The Greeks wanted Manisa to become part of Greece. In May 1919, the Greek Army occupied the town. War continued between Greece and Turkey for three years.

 Events 
In the summer of 1922, Turkey defeated Greece. The Greeks fled across the Aegean Sea to Greece. During their retreat, the Greeks burned Turkish towns and villages. 

The local Turks fled to the mountains. Most of Manisa was destroyed although the city was later rebuilt. Some Turkish authors wrote about their experiences in Turkish literature.

 In Turkish literature 
Some Turkish authors wrote about their experiences in Turkish literature

The Turkish journalist Falih Rıfkı Atay wrote:

 References 

Category:1922 in Europe
Category:1920s in Greece
Category:1920s in Turkey
Category:Fires in Asia
Category:Manisa Province