Turkey criticizes Fall of Tripolitsa as ‘massacres of the Morea’

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a provocative statement regarding the 205th anniversary of the Fall of Tripolitsa, characterizing the events as the ‘massacres of the Morea’. In an official announcement, the ministry described a ‘calculated campaign of destruction and devastation’ and a ‘policy of extermination’ targeting the Muslim Turkish population of the Peloponnese Peninsula between 1821 and 1830.

The ministry stated that the campaign extended to the destruction of places of worship, madrasas, cemeteries, and other cultural heritage sites. The announcement commemorates the Muslim Turkish civilians who were ‘brutally murdered’ during this period.

Historically, the Fall of Tripolitsa on September 23, 1821, was a major turning point in the Greek War of Independence. Following months of siege, Greek revolutionaries led by figures such as Theodoros Kolokotronis captured the city. While historical accounts vary, some memoirs suggest approximately 32,000 people, including Turks and Jews, were killed in the aftermath, though other historians estimate the death toll between 6,000 and 12,000.