Soufli

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Soufli is a municipality and town in Evros prefecture, Thrace, Greece. It is built on the eastern foothills of Profitis Elias Hill and is situated roughly in the middle of the prefecture since it is 65km north of Alexandroupolis and 50km south of Nea Orestiada. It lies barely 500m from the Evros River and the Greco-Turkish border.

Soufli has been inhabited since the days of Alexander the Great judging by the artifacts that were found nearby. However, it is first mentioned - as "Sufulu" - by Turkish geographer Celebi in 1667.

By the 19th Century, Soufli developed into the administrative seat of a rich area - on both sides of the Evros River - of some 60,000 inhabitants. It developed into a centre of the silk industry though it was also known for the manufacture of horse-drawn carriages as well as the production of wine.

The economy of Soufli suffered greatly by the Balkan Wars and World War I. After 1922 when Thrace was partitioned along the Evros River, it also lost its markets in Turkish Thrace.

The populations of Soufli has steadily declined due the fall of the traditional natural silk industry. Many Soufliotes have had to migrate to the larger cities of Greece or abroad.

Population