School of Zurel
| School of Zurel | |
|---|---|
 Overgrown east facade of the roofless village school ruin in Zurel (Sarayköy), Of District. | |
Zurel (Of District, Trabzon) | |
| Information | |
| Type | Village school (Pontic language) |
The School of Zurel (Greek: Σχολείο του Ζουρέλ; Turkish: Zurel Köyü Okulu) was a Pontic language village school of the local Eastern Orthodox Christian community in the village of Zurel (now Sarayköy) in the Of district of Trabzon Province, which was later used in the Republic era as a Turkish middle school.[1][2]
Description
The school building was a three-storey stone structure. It was financed by contributions from the villagers and was regarded within the Of region as the largest and most modern school building of its time.[2]
History
At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, a school of the local Pontic-speaking community is recorded for Zurel.[1] Between about 1900 and 1914, the school underwent a phase of modernization, with new curricula and teaching methods being introduced.[2] Later, in the Republican period, the building was used as a Turkish middle school.[2]
References
- 1 2
Ρεβυθιάδου, Αρετή; Σπυρόπουλος, Βασίλης (2009). "Οφίτικη Ποντιακή: Έρευνα γλωσσικής καταγραφής με προσανατολισμό στη διαχρονική κοινωνιογλωσσολογία" (PDF). Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (in Greek). p. 20. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
«Ζουρέλ' … 1 ἐκκλησία καί 1 σχολεῖο.»
- 1 2 3 4
"Τα χωριά του Όφεως — 2. Ζουρέλ". Ipsilantis.gr (in Greek). Μορφωτικός Ποντιακός Σύλλογος «Αλέξανδρος Υψηλάντης». Retrieved 19 October 2025.
«το σχολείο σώζεται ακόμα και χρησιμοποιείται από τους Τούρκους ως ημιγυμνάσιο.»