(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek community in Tunisia 16h-21st cen’)
George Stravelakis or Halkias was born in 1817on the island of Chios. During the Chios massacre, Georgios's father was killed, while Georges along with his brother Ioannis and his mother Irene were captured and sold into slavery by the Ottomans. George was then taken to Smyrna and then Constantinople, where he was sold as a slave to the bey of Tunis. Stravelakis converted to Islam and was given the name Mustapha. He was raised by the family of the local Bey and soon became the state treasurer (khaznadar). He managed to climb to the highest offices of the Tunisian state and was promoted to lieutenant-general of the army, bey in 1840 and then president of the Grand Council from 1862 to 1878.
Mustafa Khaznadar retained memories of his Greek origin and supported his family in Greece by sending them money. Mustapha Khaznadar was a great benefactor to the Greek community of Tunis. In 1864 he donated an area of 9,905 sq.m. to be used as a cemetery. Later, in this area the church of St. George was erected. As a minimum recognition of Khaznadar's offer to the Greek compatriots, the Greek community of Tunis placed an honorary inscription.
