Kilkís

In the Macedonian country north of Thessaloniki, Kilkis was known by several names reflecting the languages of the region. Under Ottoman rule it was called Kılkış, while Slavic speakers knew it as Kukush. Church records preserve both traditions: a Greek codex named the village Kilkisi in 1732, and a Slavic codex called it Kukush in 1741. In the first half of the 18th century it was still a village, a modest settlement amid the surrounding countryside.