Kastellorizo Καστελλόριζο Μεγíστη | |
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       Clockwise from the top: Port of Kastellorizo,Lady of Ro Tomb inRo Islet, Castello Rosso along with Kastellorizo Archaeological Museum,Lady of Ro Statue, view of the town of Kastellorizo,Lycian Tomb,Fokiale Cave | |
 Flag  Seal | |
  Kastellorizo Location within the region  | |
| Coordinates:36°08′42″N29°35′06″E / 36.14500°N 29.58500°E /36.14500; 29.58500 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | South Aegean |
| Regional unit | Rhodes |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Nikolaos Asvestis[1] (since 2023) |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 11.98 km2 (4.63 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 273 m (896 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Municipality | 584 |
| • Density | 49/km2 (130/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Kastellorizians |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 851 11 |
| Area code(s) | 22460 |
| Vehicle registration | ΚΧ, ΡΟ, ΡΚ |
Kastellorizo orCastellorizo (US:/ˌkɑːstəˈlɔːrɪzoʊ/KAH-stə-LOR-iz-oh;[3]Greek:Καστελλόριζο,romanized: Kastellórizo), officiallyMegisti (Μεγίστη,Megísti), is aGreekisland andmunicipality of theDodecanese in theEastern Mediterranean.[4][5] It lies roughly 2 kilometres (1 mile) off the south coast ofTurkey, about 570 km (354 mi) southeast ofAthens and 125 km (78 mi) east ofRhodes, almost halfway betweenRhodes andAntalya, and 280 km (170 mi) northwest ofCyprus.[4] Kastellorizo is part of theRhodes regional unit.[6]
The island has become very popular in recent years among tourists looking for an isolated place in theDodecanese, thanks also to the 1991Oscar-winning movieMediterraneo, byGabriele Salvatores, which is set on the island during the Second World War.
The island's official name,Megisti (Μεγίστη) means "biggest" or "greatest", but at only 11.98 km2 (4.626 sq mi) in area, it is the smallest of theDodecanese. The name refers to the fact that it is the largest of the small archipelago.[4] This name was used in antiquity,[7] but is now rarely used in Greek, the nameKastellórizo (Καστελλόριζο) being common since the 12th century. There are several hypotheses about the origin of this name.[8] "Kastello" derives from the Italian word "castello", meaning "castle".[8] There is some argument on the second part of the name. The arguments are centered on the following possible origins of the elementrizo:
It has gone by several different names in its history, includingKastellorizo (Greek),[9][4]Castellorizo (Greek name with Italian spelling),[9]Castelrosso (Italian, meaning "Red Castle"),[4][9]Château Rouge (French translation of Italian name: but possibly the Italian name is acalque ofChastel Rouge, an ancient possession of theKnights Hospitaller in Syria)[10] andMeis[9][4] orKızılhisar,[11] bothTurkish, the former deriving from the island's official name in Greek, the latter meaning "Red Castle", a translation of the Italian name.
Kastellorizo is (with the exception of the nearby islet ofStrongyli) the easternmostGreek island and is situated in theLevantine Sea. It is the largest island of the homonym archipelago comprising the islands and islets ofAgios Georgios, Agrielaia, Voutsakia, Megalo Mavro Poini, Mikro Mavro Poini, Polifados Ena, Polifados Dio,Ro, Savoura,Stroggili, Tragonera,Psomi and Psoradia.[12] It lies about 2 km (1 mi) from theAnatolian coastal town ofKaş, more or less halfway between Rhodes andAntalya.Cyprus is about 280 km (170 mi) to the south-east. It is six kilometres (3.7 miles) long and three kilometres (1.9 miles) wide, with a surface of 9.2 square kilometres (3.6 sq mi). It has a triangular shape, and is oriented from north-east to south-west. The island features three capes: Agios Stefanos (north),[13] Nifti (east) and Pounenti (south west); between the first two there is a wide and accommodating bay, the island's main harbor, where one finds the only town on the island. CapeAgios Stefanos, the nearest toAnatolia, is 2.25 km (1.40 mi) south of the modern Turkish town ofKaş (Greek:Andífli, the Ancient Greek City ofAntiphéllos). Cape Nifti lies some greater distance from the Anatolian coast. The island is mountainous, with high and steep coastlines, which become more difficult to access moving west. The soil is composed oflimestone and produces only small amounts ofolives,grapes andbeans. On the island there is no source ofdrinking water. TheMunicipality of Megísti includes the offshore islands ofRo andStrongyli as well as several smaller islets. It has a total land area of 11.978 square kilometres (4.625 sq mi).[14]
There are many islets in this area;Volos, nearKalkan (in GreekKalamaki),Ochendra,Furnachia,Prassonisi,Ro,Tragonera,Marathi,Strongyli,Dhassia,Alimentaria,Kekova andPsomi besides many rocks and cliffs.[15] The most important among these islets isKekova (also namedCaravola), not inhabited, which has an area of 4.5 square kilometres (1.7 sq mi) and faces theTurkish village ofKaleköy (Simena in antiquity).
All these islets were subject to dispute betweenItaly andTurkey until 1932. According to the1932 Convention between Italy and Turkey all these islets except Ro, Strongyli and Psomi were assigned to Turkey.
The group of islands that includes Kastellorizo,Ro andStrongyli is very important to theExclusive economic zone of Greece, since it is the easternmost territory of Greece and according toUNCLOS as well as customary international law, Greece can claim a large part of the Eastern Mediterranean basin.
The houses of the town are slender and characterised by wooden balconies and windows of the Anatolian type.[16] Behind the waterfront, many houses are still in a ruinous state. At the entrance to the harbour, on the east side, stand the single-story remnants of the former Italian government house (palazzina della delegazione), erected in 1926 by the Italian architectFlorestano Di Fausto, who also designed some of the most important buildings of the Italian period in Rhodes.[17] Nearby is the island's former Ottomanmosque which dates from the second half of the 18th century and which has been restored and re-opened as amuseum since 2007. From here starts the town's quay, which runs along all three sides of the harbour. The central square —Plateia Ethelondon Kastellórizou ("Kastellorizo Volunteers' Square") — lies at the midpoint of the eastern side, near the vessel dock. On the opposite side of the harbour one has a good view from this vantage ofPera Meria, the western quay, and the monasteries ofProfitis Ilías andAghia Triadha, the former now an army base.
Above the quay on the eastern side is a pathway which leads to theCastle of the Knights (14th century). Of it remain the curtain wall, part of a square tower, the remains of a cylindrical tower at the east corner, and toward the sea another cylindrical tower.[15] ADoric inscription, carved in the rock, attests to the existence of an earlier fortress here during Antiquity.[15] Inside the tower there is a large covered cistern.[15]
Ascending the steps on the eastern side of the town, one reaches the suburb ofHorafia, where there is a square surrounded by the Church of St. George (1906), with a high dome of Byzantine type, and the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helena (1835). It has three naves divided by monolithic granite columns from thetemple ofApollo Lykios inPatara (Anatolia).[16] The columns carryogival arches. Further east is the small bay known asMandraki, the secondary harbour of the island.
West of the town, beyond the summit of the island known asVigla (270 m), standsPalaiokastro (old castle), the island's ancientacropolis. This fortified elevation has classical origins (see below, history section): its plan is rectangular and measures 60 by 80 metres (200 ft × 260 ft).[15] In its interior stand an ancient tower, built with square limestone blocks, and large water cisterns.[15] Carved on the base of the castle there is also a Doric inscription, dating back to the 4th or 3rd centuries BC, with references toMegiste (the ancient name of Kastellorizo) and itsdependence on Rhodes.[15] On the east side there are remnants of a gateway, orpropylaea.[15]
Since August 2020 the island also features an interactive Puzzle Museum, the first of its kind in Greece and one of the very few in the world.[citation needed]
Kastellorizo has ahot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa in theKöppen climate classification). It has hot dry summers and exceptionally mild winters by European standards. Like in theAzores, average lows do not drop below 12.0 °C during the coldest months. According to theNational Observatory of Athens station the lowest temperature ever recorded in coastal Kastellorizo is 4.5 °C and was recorded on 25 January 2022.[18] Kastellorizo records on average 158tropical nights per year and falls in 11ahardiness zone.[19] AfterLindos, the island records the highest average annual temperature inGreece with 21.9 °C.
| Climate data for Kastellorizo 5 m a.s.l. | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.6 (69.1) | 22.3 (72.1) | 26.1 (79.0) | 29.6 (85.3) | 34.8 (94.6) | 40.8 (105.4) | 40.8 (105.4) | 40.1 (104.2) | 36.6 (97.9) | 37.4 (99.3) | 27.7 (81.9) | 23.2 (73.8) | 40.8 (105.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.8 (62.2) | 16.9 (62.4) | 18.4 (65.1) | 21.9 (71.4) | 26.2 (79.2) | 30.0 (86.0) | 34.2 (93.6) | 33.7 (92.7) | 31.1 (88.0) | 27.3 (81.1) | 22.8 (73.0) | 18.7 (65.7) | 24.8 (76.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 14.6 (58.3) | 14.5 (58.1) | 15.6 (60.1) | 18.7 (65.7) | 22.6 (72.7) | 26.3 (79.3) | 30.1 (86.2) | 30.3 (86.5) | 28.1 (82.6) | 24.5 (76.1) | 20.4 (68.7) | 16.5 (61.7) | 21.9 (71.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.3 (54.1) | 12.0 (53.6) | 12.8 (55.0) | 15.6 (60.1) | 19.0 (66.2) | 22.6 (72.7) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.9 (80.4) | 25.2 (77.4) | 21.7 (71.1) | 17.9 (64.2) | 14.3 (57.7) | 18.9 (66.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) | 5.5 (41.9) | 5.2 (41.4) | 10.7 (51.3) | 15.2 (59.4) | 17.8 (64.0) | 22.9 (73.2) | 24.7 (76.5) | 20.3 (68.5) | 15.8 (60.4) | 11.3 (52.3) | 8.3 (46.9) | 4.5 (40.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 130.3 (5.13) | 46.8 (1.84) | 45.2 (1.78) | 15.7 (0.62) | 5.3 (0.21) | 7.4 (0.29) | 0.3 (0.01) | 0.0 (0.0) | 7.7 (0.30) | 22.6 (0.89) | 91.1 (3.59) | 176.7 (6.96) | 549.1 (21.62) |
| Source 1:National Observatory of Athens Monthly Bulletins (Sep 2018 – Feb 2025)[20] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Kastellorizo N.O.A station[21] andWorld Meteorological Organization[22] | |||||||||||||
The island'sgeology is almost exclusivelylimestone laid down at theMesozoic/Cenozoic boundary. As a result of the lack of significantflora covering the island, the landscape shows many features ofkarstification. There are a number of notable sea caves including the so-calledBlue Grotto which is much larger than its namesake inCapri.Exploration undertaken in 2006 by members of the SELAS Caving club of Greece has revealed verticalcaves in many parts of the island. The deepest found so far was surveyed to a depth of 60 metres (200 ft) in March 2006 and will be the subject of further exploration in the future by the same team.
The island was colonised byDorian Greeks, who named it "Megiste".[23] In antiquity it was known both as Megiste and Cisthene (Κισθήνη), but in later times only as Megiste.[24] ThePeriplus of Pseudo-Scylax says that the island belonged to theRhodians.[25] In addition, inscriptions found at the foot of the Knight's castle confirm that during theHellenistic period the island was ruled by Rhodes, and formed part of itsPeraia. The Rhodians sent an overseer, orepistates, to monitor events on the island.
The three towers of Kastellorizo,Ro andStrongyli comprise the main links in a dense network of watchtowers constructed by the Rhodians during theHellenistic period, to control the sea routes and the coast. Palaiokastro was (and still is) the main and largest fortified site on the island.[26]
During the period of theByzantine Empire, Kastellorizo was part of the "Province of the Islands", the capital of which was Rhodes.
In 1306 the island was taken over by theKnights Hospitaller, headed byFoulques de Villaret, as part of theirexpedition to conquer the island ofRhodes, which became the centre of theirCrusader State.[4][27] They restored the castle, which was thereafter used as a prison for disobedient knights. Around 1440 the island was occupied by sultanSayf ad-Din Jaqmaq ofEgypt, who destroyed the castle.[4] Ten years later it was conquered byAlfonso V of Aragon, king ofNaples, who in 1461 rebuilt the castle and dispatched a Catalan governor.
The Crown of Aragon retained possession of it until 1512, when it was conquered by Ottoman SultanSuleiman I.[4]
On 22 September 1659, during theSiege of Candia, the island was conquered byVenice and the castle was destroyed again, but the Ottomans were able to regain it again soon after.[4] Between 1828 and 1833 Kastellórizo joined the Greek insurgents, but after the end of theGreek War of Independence it came back into the possession of theOttoman Empire.[4]
According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893, thekaza of Kastellorizo (Meyis) had a total population of 4,871, consisting of 4,635Greeks, 225 Muslims, 6Jews and 5 foreign citizens.[28]
In 1912, during theLibyan war betweenItaly and the Ottoman Empire, the inhabitants askedGiovanni Battista Ameglio, chief of the Italian occupation forces in Rhodes, for their island to be annexed to Italy. This was refused, and on 14 March 1913 the local population imprisoned the governor and his Ottoman garrison and proclaimed a provisional government.[17] In August 1913, the Greek government sent fromSamos a provisional governor supported by gendarmes, but in early 1914 in Florence it was decided that the island would be returned to the Ottoman Empire.
DuringWorld War I, while theKingdom of Greece was still neutral,French Navy warships led by the cruiserJeanne d'Arc occupied Kastellorizo on 28 December 1915 at the behest of local inhabitants who feared Ottoman reprisals. The French quickly blocked another landing attempted on the same day by aHellenic Army detachment ofEvzones.[17] Ottoman shore batteries responded to the French occupation by shelling the island in 1917, which resulted in the sinking of the BritishRoyal Navy seaplane carrierHMSBen-my-Chree.[citation needed]
In theTreaty of Sèvres the island was assigned to Italy and the Italian navy assumed it from the French on 1 March 1921,[17] but the treaty was never ratified. TheTreaty of Lausanne confirmed the Italian claim on Kastellorizo, and the island – under the Italian name "Castelrosso" – was then integrated in the possession of theIsole Italiane dell'Egeo.
Because of the Italian occupation, the island was not affected directly by thepopulation exchange between Greece and Turkey of 1923, but the forced emigration of the large Greek population living on the nearby Anatolian coast hit heavily the economy of the island.
The1932 Convention between Italy and Turkey, which defined the sea border between the two powers, assigned all the islets of the small archipelago around Kastellorizo exceptRo andStrongyli to Turkey. During the 1930s it was a stopover for French and British seaplanes. During the Second World War, on 25 February 1941, in the course ofOperation Abstention,British Commandos occupied the island, but Italian forces from Rhodes recaptured it some days later. After the British occupation, fearing a German invasion, some of the inhabitants fled to Gaza in Palestine.[29] When Italycapitulated to the Allies (8 September 1943), the island was occupied again by Allied forces, and it remained under their occupation for the rest of the war. In July 1944, a fuel dump caught fire, which spread to an adjacent ammunition dump, thereby destroying half of the homes on the island.
Kastellorizo was assigned to Greece with theParis Peace Treaties, 1947. In May 1945 it was still under British administration, but on 15 September 1947 effectively came under Greek administration. The island formally joined the Greek State on 7 March 1948 together with the other Dodecanese islands.
The island has become more popular in recent years, among tourists looking for an isolated place in the Dodecanese, thanks also to the 1991 Oscar-winning movieMediterraneo, byGabriele Salvatores, which is set on the island. Kastellórizo was the only territory of theEuropean Union where thesolar eclipse of March 29, 2006, was visible in its totality.
In 2011, the French shipDignité-Al Karama, the only member theFreedom Flotilla II that managed to approach Gaza, refueled at Kastellorizo.[29]
The population rose from 4,870 in the 1880s and reached its peak in 1908 with an estimated 9,000 people residing there. At that time, Kastellorizo was still the only safe harbor along the route between Makri (today'sFethiye) andBeirut.[17] Its sailing ships traded products from Anatolia (coal, timber,valonia, pine bark) for Egyptian goods (rice, sugar, coffee, tissues and yarns), and carried Anatolian cereals to Rhodes and Cyprus.[17] On the island there was also a flourishing production of charcoal (much sought after inAlexandria, where it was used fornarghile).[17] The fishing industry — mainlysea sponges — was important too.[17]
After 1908, the decay of the island's economy set in, accelerated by the decline of the Ottoman Empire andthe population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923. In the late 1920s the island's population dropped to 3,000, while about 8,000 inhabitants lived abroad, predominantly in Australia, Egypt, Greece and the U.S.[17] At that time the town had 730 inhabited houses, while 675 were already empty, and many ruined.[17]
The population continued to drop to 584 at the 1951 census, reaching a low point of 222 at the 1981 census, before slowly rising again to 584 at the 2021 census, all living in the town of Megísti. The municipality also includes the islands ofRo andStrongyli, both without permanent inhabitants. Many of its emigrants live inAustralia (especiallyPerth andSydney), where they are known as "Kazzies".
The existence of a Muslim community on the island during the Ottoman period can be deduced from the presence of a mosque with a minaret that still exists but by 1929 was no longer functioning.[16]
The island is connected withRhodes,Piraeus andKaş by ferry. Passenger ferries' frequency is as follows:
Air connection is provided byOlympic Air, which operates fromKastellorizo Airport 4 times/week (winter period).[32] There is one small bus in service on Kastellorizo, and it is used to collect tourists from the airport.
Kastellorizo's inhabitants had characteristic traditions, partly influenced by the Muslim tradition.[33] There were at least three types of women's dress, which used brilliantly colored fabric, and women wore necklaces, brooches, pendants and earrings made from ancient Venetian or Byzantine gold coins.[17]
The women's festive dress consisted of:
The other types of dress were similar, but not so lavish and without fur decorations.[17] The girls' dress was simpler. Single and engaged girls, and married women and widows were also distinguished by dress.[17]
Theengagement, which was decided by the parents, and the wedding, which lasted 15 days, occurred through prescribed and curious ceremonies, having symbolic and poetic meaning.[16] Weddings were celebrated on Sunday, in the church ofAgios Konstantinos, and an announcement on the main square invited the whole city to participate. Also baptisms and funerals (with mourning women, orpraeficae, and a dish with oil and wine crushed on the coffin) had well-established rituals.[16]
On December 31 and onNew Year's Day, groups of children carrying small cardboard boats adorned with ribbons and small flags go around visiting houses, stores and coffee shops, singing songs with good wishes and receiving coins and wheat cakes, while the elderly exchange visits.[16] On the morning ofAgios Basilios day, coming back fromLiturgy, the men customarily throw apomegranate hard against the walls of their homes, wishing for abundance and happiness for their family. The more seeds that are spread around the rooms, the more luck the family will have in the coming year.[16]
The day before the feast ofAgios Elias on July 19 (the feast itself is on July 20) first the children and then the men jump into the sea, and wear their wet clothes the whole day. Those who do not want to participate are sometimes forced to do so.[16][34]
OnEaster, the Liturgy of theResurrection takes place in the open at midnight, the faithful bearingcandles. As soon as thebells start ringing, the young people let offfireworks, and the people tell each other the ritual words "Christ is resurrected". Then everyone enters the church and lights his candle from the holy fire held by the priest, and then goes home to light the fire in the fireplace.[16] OnEaster Monday the whole population gathers in the main square, and they remain there the whole day eating, drinking and singing. In the past single girls had to stay at home, but they were allowed to stay in the entrance, where they sang and played with swings.[16]
On May 1, at dawn, all the girls of the island, in groups, each one carrying ajar, went to get water outside of town, but they were not allowed to speak a single word during the route. This water (Amilito Neró, "water of silence") was supposed to bring good luck to the family. Everyone washed him/herself with it that day, and every utensil and wall of the house was splashed with it. When a girl became engaged, she filled a crystalcarafe with it and brought it to her future mother-in-law, who gave her in return a special cake and an odd number of gold coins.[16]
When a child became seriously ill, a woman with knowledge of prayers against the evil eye was invited to her/his home. She drew signs of the cross on the body of the child with athurible filled with embers and branches of theolive tree which had been gathered in the church onPalm Sunday, pronouncing the following words: "Christ came: then he laid down his stick and chased away the snake and the bad neighbor from our home". After thisexorcism, the woman would throw the content of the thurible into a bucket filled with water, and then count the pieces ofwood which did not burn. This number was said to be equal to the number of persons who were supposed to haveenchanted the sick child. The enchantment of the child was sure, if the olive leaves burned with a loud crackling sound.[16]
When a man was going to emigrate, gentle, sorrowful songs were sung to him by his friends.[16]
Kastellorizo istwinned with:
In the 1961 filmThe Guns of Navarone, a saboteur team led byAnthony Quayle is briefed on its mission at Castelrosso. The Italian 1991 movieMediterraneo was filmed on the island.
Kastellorizo also lends its name toDavid Gilmour's instrumental track "Castellorizon" from his albumOn an Island (2006). He stayed on the island in the early 1990s with his wife,Polly Samson, and many close friends. The music reflects the memories of the time spent there, and is a tribute to the friends who have since died.[citation needed]
| Regional unit ofAndros |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Regional unit ofKalymnos | ||
| Regional unit ofKarpathos-Kasos | ||
| Regional unit ofKea-Kythnos | ||
| Regional unit ofKos | ||
| Regional unit ofMilos | ||
| Regional unit ofMykonos | ||
| Regional unit ofNaxos | ||
| Regional unit ofParos | ||
| Regional unit ofRhodes | ||
| Regional unit ofSyros | ||
| Regional unit ofThira | ||
| Regional unit ofTinos | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
