All photos

Erich Lessing

Ethnic Turks expelled from Bulgaria flee to Edirne, Turkey, 1951. Arrival by train.

Erich Lessing

Ethnic Turks expelled from Bulgaria flee to Edirne, Turkey, 1951. Women in traditional trousers wait to be vaccinated.

Erich Lessing

Ethnic Turks expelled from Bulgaria flee to Edirne, Turkey, 1951. Arrival by train.

Erich Lessing

Ethnic Turks expelled from Bulgaria flee to Edirne, Turkey, 1951. Refugees wait to be resettled in Turkey. In the meantime, laundry dries on the wire surrounding the temporary camp.

Erich Lessing

Within a few weeks, some 150.000 ethnic Turks, expelled  from Bulgaria, arrived by train in Edirne, Turkey, 1951.

Erich Lessing

Ethnic Turks,expelled from Bulgaria, arrive in an Anatolian village where they will settle after their brief stay at the refugee camp in Edirne, Turkey, 1951

Erich Lessing

Ethnic Turks, expelled from Bulgaria, arrive by train in Edirne, Turkey, 1951. Refugees carrying their possessions, among them kitchen stoves.

Erich Lessing

Ethnic Turks expelled from Bulgaria flee to Edirne, Turkey, 1951. Young boy carrying provisions.

Erich Lessing

Ethnic Turks expelled from Bulgaria flee to Edirne, Turkey, 1951. Refugees waiting to register at the reception center at the Edirne train station.

Erich Lessing

Ethnic Turks expelled from Bulgaria flee to Edirne, Turkey, 1951. Arrival by train.

Süleyman Akman

Kapakule, Adrianople. 08.06.1989. Waiting for the registration.

Süleyman Akman

Kapakule, Edirne. 08.06.1989. In front of the registration desk.

Süleyman Akman

Train stop at Kapakule, Adrianople. 08.06.1989. Hope for a reunion with relatives.

Süleyman Akman

Kapıkule, Edirne. 08.06.1989. The greeting of the doll and the sad girl.

Süleyman Akman

Topchii station, Razgrad region. 14 October 1969. The freight wagons and employees before departure.

Süleyman Akman

Topchii station, Razgrad region. 14 October 1969. A photo to remember.

Süleyman Akman

Topchii station, Razgrad region. 14 October 1969. After parting… Will we see each other again?

Süleyman Akman

Topçii station, Razgrad region. 14 October 1969. Women’s eyes full of tears and grief.

Süleyman Akman

Topchii station, Razgrad region. 14 October 1969. A bird’s eye view of an expatriate drama.

Jack Birns

Karaağaç Train Station, Edirne. Early 1950's. Turkish women with their fur coats.

Behiç Günalan

Kapıkule, Edirne. Summer of 1989. Wanted information board.

Behiç Günalan

Kapakule, Edirne. Summer of 1989. Mothers whose conscript or soldier sons are held hostage in Bulgaria.

Behiç Günalan

Kapakule railway station. Summer 1989. Waiting on the platform.

Behiç Günalan

Train stop at Kapakule, Adrianople. Summer 1989. Morning toilet at the train station

Behiç Günalan

Kapakule, Adrianople. Summer of 1989. Ceremonial welcome of the Turks expelled from Bulgaria.

Kâzım Zaim

Train stop at Kapakule, Edirne. Summer of 1989. Grandmother and granddaughter.

Kâzım Zaim

Kapakule, Adrianople. Summer of 1989. An old man in a stalemate.

Kâzım Zaim

Kapakule, Edirne. Summer of 1989. An elderly Turkish woman covering her tears.

Kâzım Zaim

Train stop at Kapakule, Edirne. Summer 1989. Bulgarian train carrying Turks.

Kâzım Zaim

Train stop at Kapakule, Edirne. Summer 1989. Washing a newborn baby.

Kâzım Zaim

Kapikule railway station, Edirne. Summer of 1989. Kyazm Zaim among expelled Turks.

ADN

Emigrants at the Bulgarian-Turkish border. November 1950.Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-08654-0007

ADN

Turkish emigrants continue to arrive at the border crossings. November 1950.Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-08654-0006

ADN

Turkish emigrants wait for weeks near the consulate in Sofia, Marin Drinov Street, for Turkish entry visas.November 1950.Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-08654-0005

ADN

Turkish emigrants wait for weeks near the consulate in Sofia, Marin Drinov Street, for Turkish entry visas.November 1950.Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-08654-0004

ADN

Trains carrying Turkish emigrants travel through Bulgaria to the border. November 1950.Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-08654-0002

ADN

Bulgarian doctors help the Turkish wounded and sick at the border crossings. November 1950.Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-08654-0001

Emin Emin

The center of the village. Brestovene, Razgrad. January 1985. Change of names. Concerned villagers in the centre of the village.

Emin Emin

The center of the village. Brestovene, Razgrad. January 1985. Change of names. Concerned villagers in the centre of the village.

Emin Emin

The center of the village. Brestovene, Razgrad. January 1985. Change of names. Concerned villagers in the centre of the village.

Emin Emin

The center of the village. Brestovene, Razgrad. January 1985. Change of names. Concerned villagers in the centre of the village.

Emin Emin

The center of the village. Brestovene, Razgrad. January 1985. Change of names. Concerned villagers in the centre of the village.

Mehmed Uruc

Kornitsa village square, Gotse Delchev. 23 February-28 March 1973. Protest against the policy of changing the names of Pomaks.

Mehmed Uruc

Kornitsa village square, Gotse Delchev. 23 February-28 March 1973. Protest against the policy of changing the names of Pomaks.

Mehmed Uruc

Kornitsa village square, Gotse Delchev. 23 February-28 March 1973. Protest against the policy of changing the names of Pomaks.

Mehmed Uruc

Kornitsa village square, Gotse Delchev. 23 February-28 March 1973. Protest against the policy of changing the names of Pomaks.

Mehmed Uruc

Kornitsa village square, Gotse Delchev. 23 February-28 March 1973. Protest against the policy of changing the names of Pomaks.

Mehmed Uruc

Kornitsa village square, Gotse Delchev. 23 February-28 March 1973. Protest against the policy of changing the names of Pomaks.

Mehmed Uruc

Kornitsa village square, Gotse Delchev. 23 February-28 March 1973. Protest against the policy of changing the names of Pomaks.

Mehmed Uruc

Kornitsa village square, Gotse Delchev. 23 February-28 March 1973. Protest against the policy of changing the names of Pomaks.

Mehmed Uruc

Kornitsa village square, Gotse Delchev. 23 February-28 March 1973. Protest against the policy of changing the names of Pomaks.

Mehmed Uruc

Kornitsa village square, Gotse Delchev. 23 February-28 March 1973. Protest against the policy of changing the names of Pomaks.

Mehmed Uruc

Kornitsa village square, Gotse Delchev. 23 February-28 March 1973. Protest against the policy of changing the names of Pomaks.

Mehmed Uruc

Kornitsa village square, Gotse Delchev. 23 February-28 March 1973. Protest against the policy of changing the names of Pomaks.

Anonymous

Unidentified locality. Winter of 1972. Change of names of Pomaks.

Anonymous

Unidentified locality. Winter of 1972. Change of names of Pomaks.

Behiç Günalan

Timelessness... Kapıkule, Edirne. Summer 1989.

Behiç Günalan

A mother's tears. Where is the father?! Kapıkule, Edirne. Summer 1989.

Behiç Günalan

Children and grandmothers waiting for their documents to be processed and departure into the unknown. Kapıkule, Edirne. Summer 1989.

Behiç Günalan

The long wait at the station. Kapıkule, Edirne. Summer 1989.

Behiç Günalan

A whole life packed into a few suitcases and bundles... Kapıkule, Edirne. Summer 1989.

Behiç Günalan

Shortly after arrival. Where to now? Kapıkule, Edirne. Summer 1989.

Behiç Günalan

Welcome at the station. Kapıkule, Edirne. Summer 1989.

Mehmet Türker

Winter 2004. Some of the Turkish camp inmates and a few political prisoners, who were arrested and convicted as opponents of the violent assimilation campaign of 1985-85. They were all expelled from Bulgaria between May and August 1989.

Mehmet Türker

Sindeltsi village, Kardzhali region. March 13, 1991. Farewell. Hafiz Ismail, father of Mehmet Turker, leaves for Turkey to join his children.

Mehmet Türker

Sindeltsi village, Kardzhali region. March 13, 1991. Farewell. Hafiz Ismail, father of Mehmet Turker, leaves for Turkey to join his children.

Mehmet Türker

Sindeltsi village, Kardzhali region. March 13, 1991. Farewell. Hafiz Ismail, father of Mehmet Türker, leaves for Turkey to join his children.

Mehmet Türker

The emigrant camp in Vienna. May 30, 1989. Mehmet Türker holds his two daughters, Nevin and Sibel; the young woman standing is his wife, Sherike. The young man sitting opposite him is Muhsin Hasanov (Inan) from Momchilgrad.

Mehmet Türker

The cattle train deporting Turkish opponents of forced assimilation. May 26, 1989. The family of Osman Nalbant and Orhan Necip from Momchilgrad.

Süleyman Akman

Protest rally in Bursa against the forced renaming of Turks in the winter of 1984/1985. Atatürk Monument Square in the center of Bursa. April 20, 1985.

Süleyman Akman

Protest rally in Bursa against the forced renaming of Turks in the winter of 1984/1985. Atatürk Monument Square in the center of Bursa. April 20, 1985.

Süleyman Akman

Before the parting. All the women are from the village of Yasenovets, Razgrad region. Those leaving: The woman in a raincoat and headscarf in the first row is Fikriye Yurdakul. The woman next to her in a light raincoat is her daughter Emine. Most of the women seeing them off in the 1970s also left for Turkey. Topchii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

The farewell. Topchii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Those leaving... Topçii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Last touch. Topçii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Waiting for the departure signal. Topçii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

People seeing off and departing in the station area. Most of the women are from Glodzhevo and other neighboring villages, Ruse region. Topçii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Before parting with everything that has been. Without a present or a future... Topchii Station, Razgrad region. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Farewell and last words... Fatme Adem from the village of Glodzhevo, Ruse, and the women who came to see her off, her relatives and neighbors. Topchii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

The face of suffering. Topchii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

The train gradually pulls away... Topchii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

The woman with the bag in her hand is Makbule Kamil from the village of Yonkovo, Razgrad region. The boy next to her is Servet Chavush, the man with the camera behind him is Makbule's son Basri Kamil. The girl in the front row is Shengul Kamil (Derya). They are all settling in the Sindjan neighborhood of Ankara. The others are their relatives who have come to see them off. Topchii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

A photo for memory... Topchii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969

Süleyman Akman

Hüseyin Chilev from the village of Glodzhevo, Ruse region - The policeman who arranged for the tragic departure to be photographed. The man with glasses at the left window of the train is Tadzhit Yurdukul from the village of Yasenovets, and the boy is Rudvan Chavush from the village of Yankovo, Razgrad region. They settle in the Sindjan neighborhood of Ankara. At the window behind the policeman is the young woman Fatme Adem from the village of Glodzhevo, Ruse region, behind her is her husband. They live in Bursa. Topchi Station, Razgrad region. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Departing and sending off. At the left window is Fatme Adem from the village of Glodzhevo, Ruse, and her husband. Topchii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Time to say goodbye. The crying woman in a light-colored coat and headscarf is Ayşe Sever from the village of Yasenovets, Razgrad. The man with a cap on his head next to the policeman is her husband Ramiz. Topchii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Farewell... Topchii Station, Razgrad region. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Last “Goodbye!” ... The young woman at the window is Fatme Adem from the village of Glodjevo, Ruse region, leaving only with her husband. Topchii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Farewell with tears and suffering. Topçii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Time to leave... Topçii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Last touch... Topchii Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

The man with the camera is Basri Kamil, next to him is Osman Chavush - both from the village of Yankovo, Razgrad... They are settling in the Sindjan neighborhood of Ankara. The crying woman is Fatme Adem from the village of Glodzhevo, Ruse region. Topchi Station, Razgrad region. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Women and men from the village of Yasenovets, Razgrad region, being sent away. Topchii Station, Razgrad region. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Goodbye! Will we see each other again?! Topçii Train Station, Razgrad. October 14, 1969.

Süleyman Akman

Suleyman Akman with relatives who had to leave Bulgaria in 1989. Edirne, summer 1989

Süleyman Akman

Suleyman Akman with relatives who had to leave Bulgaria in 1989. Edirne, summer 1989

Süleyman Akman

Events on the face of a baby. Kapakule, Edirne. June 8, 1989.

Süleyman Akman

Restless short sleep. Kapıkule, Edirne. June 8, 1989.

Süleyman Akman

When time stops. Kapıkule, Edirne. June 8, 1989.

Süleyman Akman

No comment... Kapikule, Edirne. June 8, 1989.

Süleyman Akman

Is the rain against us too?! Kapikule, Edirne. June 8, 1989.

Süleyman Akman

Resting and washing children's clothes after a several-day journey to the border. Kapıkule, Edirne. June 8, 1989.

Süleyman Akman

Where do we go now with this baby?! Kapıkule, Edirne. June 8, 1989.

Süleyman Akman

Will I be a stranger here too? Kapıkule, Edirne. June 8, 1989.

Süleyman Akman

A whole life packed into a sack. Kapıkule, Edirne. June 8, 1989.

Süleyman Akman

A short break during the transfer of luggage across the Bulgarian-Turkish border. Kapıkule, Edirne. 08.06.1989.