Filiates Φιλιάτες
Municipality
Filiates
Coordinates:39°36′N20°19′E / 39.600°N 20.317°E /39.600; 20.317
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Epirus
Regional unit	Thesprotia
Area
• Municipality	583.5 km2 (225.3 sq mi)
• Municipal unit	495.7 km2 (191.4 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Municipality	6,347
• Density	10.88/km2 (28.17/sq mi)
• Municipal unit	4,767
• Municipal unit density	9.617/km2 (24.91/sq mi)
• Community	2,244
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Vehicle registration	ΗΝ

Filiates (Greek:Φιλιάτες;Albanian:Filat/-i) is a town and amunicipality inThesprotia,Greece. It is located in the northernmost part of the regional unit, bordering westernIoannina regional unit and southernAlbania.

The region of Filiates was known as Cestrine prior to theOttoman period. The region is named for the ancient town ofCestria, inancient Epirus, other ancient names for which were Cammania, Ilion, Epirus, and Troia; the site of ancient Cestria is probably over the Albanian frontier.^[2][3] The modern name Filiates is the result of the conversion of a surname. According toJohann Georg von Hahn,^[4]Eqrem Çabej, Idriz Ajeti and Ali Dhrimo, the toponym Filat contains the Albanian suffix -at, widely used to form toponyms from personal names and surnames.^[5][6][7] According to Konstantinos Giakoumis, it applies to a certainFilios (diminutive ofTheofilos) with the addition of the Greek ending -άτες or -άταις.^[8]Local tradition from the 19th century documents a person namedFilios; he was afarrier and allegedly the first inhabitant of Filiates.^[9] Athanasios Petrides and Dimitrios Kampouroglou opined that the name descends from theLatin wordfilius.^[9][10]

Filiates is known as Filat in Albanian^[11] and Ottoman Turkish.^[12]

Filiates is located in a largely mountainous area. TheMourgana mountains lie to the north, on theborder with Albania. Filiates is located southwest ofKonitsa, west ofIoannina, northeast ofIgoumenitsa and southeast ofSarandë,Albania. TheGreek National Road 6 (Larissa - Ioannina - Igoumenitsa) and theA2 motorway (Alexandroupoli - Thessaloniki - Ioannina - Igoumenitsa) pass south of the municipal unit.

The municipal unit Filiates has a land area of 495.727 km^2[13] and a population of 4,676 (2021 census). The population of the community Filiates, one of the biggest towns in the area, was 2,244. The largest other villages in the municipal unit are Keramítsa (pop. 107), Palaiochóri (153), Vrysélla (253), Leptokaryá (171), Trikóryfon (174), Aetos (134),Keramitsa (107) and Kyparisso (118). The municipal unit has a total of 42 communities.^[1]

Because of its high altitude (~850m) location on a west-facing slope, Filiates has one of the wettest climates inGreece.

The present municipality Filiates was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 2 former municipalities, that became municipal units (constituent communities in brackets):^[14]

• Filiates (Achladea, Aetos,Agios Nikolaos, Agioi Pantes, Ampelonas, Anavryto, Charavgi, Faneromeni,Filiates, Foiniki, Gardiki, Giromeri, Gola, Kallithea, Kato Xechoro, Kefalochori,Keramitsa, Kerasochori, Kokkinia, Kokkinolithari, Kouremadi, Kryoneri, Kyparisso, Leptokarya, Lia, Lista, Malouni,Milea, Palaiochori, Palaiokklisi, Palampas, Pigadoulia, Plaisio, Platanos,Raveni, Rizo, Sideri, Trikoryfo,Tsamantas, Vavouri, Vrysella, Xechoro)
• Sagiada (Asprokklisi, Kestrini, Ragi, Sagiada, Smertos)

The municipality has an area of 583.530 km², the municipal unit 495.727 km².^[13]

The province of Filiates (Greek:Επαρχία Φιλιατών) was one of theprovinces of Thesprotia. It had the same territory as the present municipality.^[15] It was abolished in 2006.

In antiquity, the area of Filiates was inhabited by theEpirotGreek tribe of theChaonians. In antiquity the area round the city was known asCestrine (orKestrine) (Greek:Κεστρίνη), separated fromThesprotia by theRiver Thyamis.^[16] The region was named from the ancient town ofCestria, which was also known asCammania, Cestria, Filiates,Ilion, Epirus,Troy, Epirus andTroia, Epirus.^[16] According toPausanias (Description of Greece), Cestrine took its name fromCestrinus, the son ofHelenus, having previously borne the appellation of Cammania. The site of the ancient town of Cestria probably lies over the Albanian border.^[2][3]

^[17]

In 15th century Filiates came underOttoman rule and became part ofSanjak of Ioannina.^[18][19] During 17th and 18th centuryOttoman rule a significant part of the town's population converted toIslam.^[20] According toPanagiotis Aravantinos (1856), who visited the region, there were 200 Muslim and 30 Christian families in Filiates.^[21] Vassilis Zotos (1878), reported that there were about 500 Muslim families and 100 Christian families in Filiates with a total population of 4,000 people (3,000 Muslims and 1,000 Christians).^[22]

During the suppression of theGreek revolt of 1854 in Epirus by the Ottoman authorities armed groups ofCham Albanians inflicted extensive damage to the town.^[23]

In 1907,Qamil Çami also starting working as a teacher and teaching writtenAlbanian secretly. On August 25, 1908, along with otherrilindas opened the first Albanian-language school of Filiates and became its headmaster.^[24][25] The funds were provided by the people of Filiates, such asMusa Demi,rilindas of the area and by other notable Cham Albanians likeRasih Dino, son ofAbedin Dino.^[24][25]

In 1911 during the period of the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Albanians of Filiates formedçetes, armed guerilla groups fighting for autonomy from the Ottoman Empire.^[26] On the other hand, the local Greek population displayed tolerance towards actions by the Albanians that didn't reveal chauvinist inclinations.^[27]

Population movements to the town that occurred from the middle of the 19th century weakened the Muslim elite and led to the gradual Hellenization of former Albanian-majority towns in the area such as Filiates in the 1920s.^[28] During the interwar period, Filiates was mainly an Albanian-speaking small town that after 1939 increasingly became Greek-speaking.^[29] In 1930, a Cham Albanian committee from Filiates requested to the Greek government for the use of Albanian in public schools, for its use to be allowed among students and for the right to open private schools in Filiates. The inhabitants of Filiates then went on and submitted their petition to theLeague of Nations without success.^[30]

In 1928, representatives from the Cham Albanian communities in Paramythia, Karvounari and Filiates, requested the opening of two Muslim schools which they would fund themselves. The Greek authorities officially rejected the request, fearing that these Muslim schools would serve Albanian state propaganda by promoting an anti-Greek sentiment among the Chams of Greece. Regardless, the Greek government allowed their operation unofficially because it could close them as illegal at any time, and could also claim that their function fulfilled demands for Albanian schools inChameria.^[31]

During theGreek-Italian War the town of Filiates was burned bycollaborationist Cham Albanian bands (October 28-November 14, 1940).^[32] Filiates region was until 1944, home to a Cham Albanian community. Almost the entire population of them fled during the liberation of Greece, because a large part of the communitycollaborated with Nazi forces.^[33] In September 1944, during the Axis withdrawal, the EDES resistance managed to quickly overcome the remaining Cham collaborator units stationed in the town. After the initial chaos and destruction that lasted for five days, the town's Cham communityfled to Albania. The Cham leaders had managed to retreat together with the German troops.^[34] Almost all Cham Albanian monuments of Filiates were destroyed during World War II.^[35]

• Anthimus VII of Constantinople (1835–1913),Ecumenical Patriarch.
• Osman Taka, Albanian Dancer and Rebel
• Qamil Çami, teacher and poet of era of theAlbanian National Awakening.
• Ali Demi, Albanianresistance fighter (World War II).
• Musa Demi, revolutionary and important figure of theAlbanian National Awakening.
• Niazi Demi, minister of trade ofAlbania.
• Rexhep Demi, leading member of the Albanian independence movement and signatory of theAlbanian Declaration of Independence.
• Tahir Demi, high-ranking member of theParty of Labour of Albania and representative of Albania atComecon.
• Nicholas Gage,Greek American author and investigative journalist.
• Vassiliki Kontaxi, Greek wife ofAli Pasha and member of the patriotic organizationFiliki Eteria^[36]
• Fanis Moulios, Greek poet and writer.^[37]
• Alekos Papadopoulos, Greek lawyer and politician.
• Ioannis Papakostas, Greek revolutionary and participant ofSecond Boer War,Balkan Wars and theautonomist struggle of Northern Epirus.

• List of cities in ancient Epirus

• Baltsiotis, Lambros (2009).The Muslim Chams from their entry into the Greek state until the start of the Greco-Italian war (1913-1940): the story of a community from millet to nation [Οι μουσουλμάνοι Τσάμηδες από την είσοδό τους στο ελληνικό κράτος μέχρι την έναρξη του ελληνοϊταλικού πολέμου (1913-1940): η ιστορία μιας κοινότητας από το millet στο έθνος] (Thesis). University of Panteion.

• Official website(in English and Greek)

• Municipalities of Epirus (region)
• Populated places in Thesprotia
• Filiates
• Provinces of Greece
• Former Cham settlements

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• CS1 Greek-language sources (el)
• CS1 Albanian-language sources (sq)
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• Articles with short description
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• Coordinates on Wikidata
• Articles containing Greek-language text
• Articles containing Albanian-language text