Karpathos (Greek:Κάρπαθος,pronounced[ˈkarpaθos]), alsoCarpathos, is the second largest of the GreekDodecanese islands, in the southeasternAegean Sea. Together with the neighboring smallerSaria Island it forms the municipality of Karpathos, which is part of the regional unitKarpathos-Kasos. Because of its remote location, Karpathos has preserved many peculiarities of dress, customs and dialect, the last resembling those ofCrete andCyprus. The island has also been called Carpathus inLatin and Scàrpanto in Italian.
Homer calls the island Krapathos, with metathesis of two letters in the first syllable.[2][3] Other names of the island include Tetrapolis[4] and Anemoessa.[5]
The present municipality of Karpathos was formed at the 2011 local government reform, by the merger of the following two former municipalities, that became municipal units:[6]
Remains of the early Christian basilica of St Fotini, PigadiaDiafáni village.Menetes village.The Administration Building in Papagos Square, Pigadia, also houses the Karpathos Archaeological Museum.Map of Karpathos, byBuondelmonti Cristoforo, 1420.
The island of Karpathos was in both ancient and medieval times closely connected withRhodes. Its current name is mentioned, with a slight shift of one letter, inHomer'sIliad as Krapathos (οἳ δ' ἄρα Νίσυρόν τ' εἶχον Κράπαθόν τε Κάσον τε).[9]Apollonius of Rhodes, in his epicArgonautica, made it a port of call for theArgonauts travelling between Libya and Crete (Κάρπαθος: ἔνθεν δ' οἵγε περαιώσεσθαι ἔμελλον).[10] The island is also mentioned byDiodorus who claims it was a colony of theDorians,[11]Pomponius Mela,[12]Pliny the Elder,[13] andStrabo.[14]
Main church of Diafani
The island's cities are listed on theDelian League's tribute lists.[15]
The Karpathians sided withSparta in thePeloponnesian War in 431 BCE and lost their independence to Rhodes in 400 BCE. In 42 BCE, the island fell to Rome. After the division of theRoman Empire in 395 CE, the island became part of theByzantine Empire.
Of its Christian bishops, the names that are known of are; Olympius, who was a supporter ofNestorius, Zoticus (in 518), Mennas (in 553), Ioannes, Leo (in 787), and Philippus (in 879). In the 14th century, the island was a see of theLatin Church, four of whose bishops bore the name Nicolaus.[16][17] No longer a residential bishopric, Karpathos (in Latin Carpathus) is today listed by theCatholic Church as anarchiepiscopaltitular see.[18]
During theGreek War of Independence from 1821 to 1822, the island rebelled, but afterwards it fell again under Ottoman rule.[19] In 1835, SultanMahmud II conceded to the island the privilege of themaktu tax system; that is, the tax was calculated as an annual lump sum, and not on a household basis.[19] The Ottoman rule ended on 12 May 1912, when the Italians occupied the island and the rest of the Dodecanese, during theItalo-Turkish War of 1911–12. On that day, sailors from theRegia MarinabattleshipVittorio Emanuele and thedestroyerAlpino landed in Karpathos.[19] With theTreaty of Lausanne (1923), Karpathos joined the other islands of the Dodecanese in theItalian possession of theItalian Aegean Islands.[19] The Italians occupied the island until September 1943, when Italy surrendered. Afterwards, Karpathos was occupied by German forces, who eventually left the island on 4 October 1944.[21] The island was ceded by Italy to Greece with theParis Peace Treaties of 1947.[22] The island formally joined the Kingdom of Greece on 7 March 1948, together with the other Dodecanese islands.[citation needed]
In the late 1940s and 1950s, due to the economic problems after World War II, a number of Karpathians emigrated to the U.S. eastern seaboard cities; Karpathos today has a significant Greek-American constituency who have returned to their island and invested heavily. Inhabitants of the mountains to the north are more traditional.[citation needed]
Among 19th-century explorers of the island were the British explorersTheodore andMabel Bent in the spring of 1885. Most of their energies were spent in excavating the site of Vroukounta in the far north of the island. Some of their finds are now in theBritish Museum, London.[23]
Modern fountain of Neptune (Poseidon) in Diafáni.Map of Karpathos (Scarpanto), by Giacomo Franco, 1597
The island is located about 47 kilometres (29 miles) southwest ofRhodes, in the part of theMediterranean which is called theCarpathian Sea (Latin:Carpathium Mare). TheSea of Crete, a sub-basin of the Mediterranean Sea, has its eastern limit defined by the island of Karpathos.[24] Karpathos' highest point is Kali Limni, at 1,215 metres (3,986 ft). Karpathos comprises 11 villages. Pigadia (official nameKarpathos), the capital and main port of the island, is located in the southeast of the island. The capital is surrounded by the villages of Menetes, Arkasa, Finiki, Pyles, Othos, Volada and Aperi. The villages of Mesochori and Spoa are located in central Karpathos, whileOlympos and the second port of Karpathos, Diafani, are in the north.
The island Saria was once united with Karpathos, but an earthquake divided them. Saria preserves many important antiquities.
Karpathos Island National Airport, with its relatively large runway, is located on the south side (Afiartis area). Karpathos is connected to neighboringislands and to the mainland viaferries and airplanes. The ferries provide transport to and fromPiraeus (viaCrete andRhodes). Scheduled domestic flights connect the island with Rhodes,Kasos, Crete andAthens daily. Additionally, charter flights from various European cities are frequently scheduled during the high season (April–October).
The twelve villages of Karpathos
Within the island, cars are the preferred mode of transportation. The port, the airport, the main villages and other popular locations are connected by an adequate system of municipal roads, most of which are paved. During the summer months, small private boats depart from Pigadia to various locations daily, including Olympos (via Diafani) and some inaccessible beaches. Fixed-rate taxis (agoraia) and municipal buses are also available all year long.
The municipality's 2021 census population was 6,567 inhabitants. This number more than doubles in the summer months as many Karpathian expatriates come to the island for their vacation with their families. Also, taking into consideration the number of tourists that visit, there can be up to 20,000 people on the island during the summer months. The population density is greatest on the 15th of August due to thePanagias festival (Dormition of Mary), which is considered the most important festival on the island. Individuals travel from around the world to attend the festival and view the many traditions that still remain on the island.
The beaches of Karpathos island can be divided into four large groups: the beaches on the east coast are smaller and gravelly but without wind; the beaches of the southern part of the island, near the airport, are made of fine white sand; the sandy beaches on the west coast are the most exposed to theMeltemi and they are available only in low wind conditions; the beaches of the north of the island are accessible only by sea and partly by jeep.
East coast: Amoopi, Karpathos Beach (Vrontis), Achata, Kato Latos (reachable only on foot), Kyra Panagia, Apella, Agios Nikolaos (Spoa).
South coast: Mihaliou o Kipos (known by inhabitants of the village of Othos as "Shell beach"), Damatria, Diakoftis, Devils Bay, Agrilaopotamos (nude beach), Pounta beach.
West coast: Lefkos beach, Mesohori, Finiki, Arkasa Leucadius.
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