Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Osmanli Mirasi Arastirmalari Dergisi, cilt.12, sa.34, ss.493-519, 2025 (Scopus, TRDizin)
Ayvalık has been very affected by the rebellions because it is under intense pressure from the islands located directly opposite due to its geographical location. The city has been under the influence of Greek nationalism since the Mora rebellion and is among the places where Etnik-i Eterya was first organized. For Greece, the occupation of Ayvalık after Izmir is very important. This situation and its proximity to the Çanakkale front caused Ayvalık to become a direct target and a center of espionage activities. This article discusses the espionage activities carried out against the Ottoman Empire in Ayvalık and its surroundings during the First World War, the measures taken by the Ottoman administration against them, and the course of the struggle. In our study, while examining espionage activities specifically in the Ayvalık district, we tried to find answers to the following questions: How did the geographical location of Ayvalık and the widespread smuggling in this region affect espionage activities? What were the espionage activities carried out by both the local Greeks of Ayvalık and the Greeks coming from the islands in the Ayvalık district and its immediate surroundings during the period we are considering? What kind of espionage activities did the Entente States, especially the British, carry out in the region? How did the Greeks' relations with the British proceed in the context of espionage? No such study has been conducted before on espionage activities specifically for Ayvalık, and the aim of the study is to contribute to both the history of Ayvalık and the region, as well as similar studies.