A Concise List of Place Name Alternatives for Sephardic Genealogists

The multiplicity of ethnic groups within the Ottoman Empire, and the change of political administration from war, often led to localities being known by more than one place name. The following lists some place names with their alternative names that may be of interest to Sephardic genealogists. This is a work in progress. Please report errors/additions/corrections as you find them to [email protected]

PLACE NAME ALTERNATIVE NAMES PRESENT LOCATION
ADAPAZARI
ADA PAZAR, ADAPAZAR TURKEY
AHISAR
AKIHISAR, THYATIRA
TURKEY
ALEPPO
ALEP, ARAM-TSUBA, HALAB SYRIA
ALEXANDRIA
NA AMON
EGYPT
ANTALYA
ADALIA TURKEY
AYDIN
AYDYN, AIDIN, GUZEL HISSAR TURKEY
BANJA LUKA
BANJALUKA, BANALUKA BOSNIA
BEYROUTH
BEIRUT LEBANON
BUDAPEST
BUDA, BUDIN, OFEN, PEST HUNGARY
BURGAS
BERGOS, BOURGHAZ BULGARIA
BURSA
BROUSEE TURKEY
CANAKKALE
CHANAKKALE , DARDANELLES, MIGDALIM, TCHANAKALE TURKEY
CHIOS
CHIO, HIOS, KHIOS, SAKIZ, SCIO, XIO, XIOS GREECE
CRETE
KIRID, YERIT GREECE
DAMASCUS
DAMAS, SHAM SYRIA
DEDEAGATCH
DEDEAGH, DEDEAGHADJ, ALEXANDROUPOLI GREECE
DIMOTIKA
DEMOTIKA, DIDIMOTIKHO , DIDIMOTICHO GREECE
DOBNITCH
DOBNICA, DUPNITSA, STANKE DIMITROV BULGARIA
EDIRNE
ADRINOPLE, ADRIANOPLE, ADRIANOPOLUS TURKEY
ENIDZHE VARDARSKO
ALEXANDRIA MACEDONIA  
FLORINA
LERIN , FLORINO GREECE
GELIBOLU
GALLIPOLI, CALLIPOLI TURKEY
HALKIDA
AGRIPON, HALKIS, CHALKIS GREECE
ISTANBUL
CONSTANTINOPLE, ESTAMBUL, KOSTAN, KOSPOLI, KOSHTA, KOSHTANDINA, KONSTANTINOPYLA, STAMBOUL TURKEY
IZMIR
ESMIE, EZMIR, ESMIRNA, SMIRNA,SMYRNA, SMYRNE TURKEY
JAFFA
YAFA, YAFO ISRAEL
JANINA
IOANINNA, YANYA GREECE
JERUSALEM
KUDS, SION, QUDS, YERUSHALAYIM, YERUSHALAIM ISRAEL
KASSABA
CASSABA, TURGUTLU KASSABA TURKEY
KASTORIA
KOSTUR, KESRIE GREECE
KAVALLA
KAVALA, CAVALLA GREECE
KIRKKILISSE
KIRKLARELI, KIRK-KILISE TURKEY
KOMOTINI
GOUMOULTZINA, GUMULCINE, GUMULDJINA GREECE
KOS
COS, ISTANKOY GREECE
LUGADIN
LANGAZA MACEDONIA
MANISA
MAGNASIA, MANISSA TURKEY
MEGRE
FETHIYE TURKEY
MONASTIR
BITOLA, BITOLJ, MANASTIR MACEDNIA
MUSTAFA PASHA
MOUSTAFA PACHA, DJISTRI MOUSTAPHA TURKEY
NIKOPOL
NICOPOLIS, NIGBOLI BULGARIA
NISH
NIS SERBIA
NOVI SAD
UJVIDEK SERBIA
PAZARDJIK
TATARPAZARI, TATAR PAZARDJIK BULGARIA
PERGAMO
BERGAMO, BERGAMA TURKEY
PLEVNE
BLEVNE , PLEVEN BULGARIA
PLOVDIV
FILIBE, PHILIPPOPOLIS BULGARIA
PROVADIYA
PREVADI, PROVADIA BULGARIA
RAGUSA
DUBROVNIK MONTENEGRO
RHODES
RODI, RODOS GREECE
ROUSTCHOUK
ROUSSE, RUSE, RUSC,UK BULGARIA
THESSALONIKI
SALONIKA, SELANIKI, SALONIKI, SALONICA, SALONICO, SALONIQUE GREECE
SARAJEVO
BOSNA SARAY, BOSNA BOSNIA
SERRES
SEREZ, SIRON, SIROZ GREECE 
SHTIP
ICHTIB, ISHTIB, ISTIB, STIP MACEDONIA
SKOPJE
ESCOPIA, USKUB, USKUP, UESKUEB MACEDONIA
SLIVEN
ISLIMIYE BULGARIA
SOFIA
SOFYA, SOPHIA BULGARIA
STARA ZAGORA
ZAGRA-I-ATIK, ESKI ZAGRA , YESKI ZAGRA , STARA SAGORA BUGARIA
TEKIRDAG
RODOSTO, TEKFURDAGI TURKEY
TIBRERIAS
TIBERIADE, TABARIE ISRAEL
VERRIA
VEREJA, VEROIA, VERIA, VERROIA, BER GREECE
VIDIN
WIDDIN BULGARIA
VODINA
EDESSA, EDHESSA, VODEN GREECE
VOLOS
GOLOS, VOLO GREECE
XANTHI
ISKECE, ISKETCHE GREECE

Initial development by Mathilde Tagger & Dov Cohen (Israel), David Sheby & S. Alfassa-Marks (USA)

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