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| | THE CRETANS OF THE DESERT
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A tour to Hamidie may not be included in your
visit to Syria, a country replete with ancient Greek monuments. However,
a Greek visitor to Hamidie will be happily surprised to hear the Cretan
dialect spoken by the residents of this Syrian village.
The Hamidians speak the Cretan dialect in its
unadulterated form, as it was spoken on Crete during the last century.
They are very hospitable and friendly while the elders do not hesitate
to relate the circumstances that forced them out of Crete at the end of
the 19th century. Although natives of Crete, they had been forced to adopt
the Muslim religion. However, this did not prevent them from joining the
cause of their Christian compatriots against Turkish occupation of the
island. |
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The Hamidians love Crete. You can see it in
the spark of their eyes when they speak of Crete. It comes as no surprise
then that they have remained faithful to the Cretan customs and language.
Occasionally, Hamidians employed on fishing boats come to Crete, to return
to Hamidie, where they rekindle the love for the land of their forefathers
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