KASSOS ISLAND
HISTORY SUMMARY
A brief historical outline of the island, its geographical position and sights worth seeing.
The island of Kassos lies in the south-eastern part of the Aegean Sea. It is one of the twelve islands that form the Dodecanese. It is twelve miles in length, four in width, and covers an area of roughly 48 square miles. To the north of Kassos lie the tiny islands of KOSKINO, ARMATHIA, PENTIKONISIA, LITRA and MAKRA islands in the vicinity of Kassos which are subject to it as Strabo records. Kassos is six miles south-west of Karpathos and 38 miles east of Crete.
Way back in time Kassos was first inhabited by Phoenicians who named it "The island of sea foam". Later it was settled by Dorians previous to the Trojan War (1193 - 1184BC) which was recorded by Homer in the Iliad, and he mentions the fact that Kassos too joined in the campaign against Troy.
Kassos has retained the same name since Homer's time, previously having been called successively Amphi, Astravi and Achni.
During the Persian Wars (490 - 479BC) all the islands of the Eastern Mediterranean, including Kassos, were dominated by the all-powerful Athenian State (as recorder in 4379C) and had to contribute 1000 drachmas annually.
However, according to Demosthenes the general in his Rhodian War the unity of the islands was broken, and they eventually submitted to Macedonian rule. Throughout Alexander the Great's campaign Kassos maintained a neutral stance. During the wars with King Mithridates V (87 - 65BC), all the islands put up a stout resistance to this ruler of the Barbarians on the Euxine Pontus.
The Roman civil war following the assassination of Julius Caesar in 53BC found the islands on the decline, but still retaining their autonomy until the reign of Empero Vespasian (69 - 79AD). Thereafter Rhodes and the rest of the islands were decisively subjugated by the Romans, and finally, in the reign of Diocletian (284 - 305AD) they formed part of the 18th Province of the Roman Empire, Kassos being linked with Cre¬te. Later on, in 730AD the islands of the Eastern Aegean were named Dodecanisa (from "dodeka" - twelve and "nisia" - islands).
During the period 825 - 961 AD the Spanish-based Arabs made their appearance, capturing and occupying Crete from which they made their onslaughts on the islands. The Emperor Nikephorus Phokas of Byzantium successfully put an end to them, rid¬ding the Aegean of a scourge, soon however to be replaced by Venetians, Genoese and Franks.
At all times all the islands, Kassos included, were harassed by pirates – Melitians, Turks, Tunisians, Algerians, Tripolitans, Doultsineans, Cretans, Maniots and KephalIonians.
Throughout the Middle Ages no mention is made of Kassos. In 1207AD she was occupied by Venetians from Crete and in 1287 by Genoese. In 1306 Kassos and Kar¬pathos were taken by a Venetian called Andrea Cornaro.
Subject to continuous attacks by pirates, in 1418 Kassos was waste and resettled, together with Astypalea by Albanians.
In 1537 Kassos and Karpathos were occupied by the Turks. During the Turkish oc¬cupation all the islands of the Dodecanese enjoyed a privilege granted by Sultan Suleiman, according to which all Turkish generals, admirals and civil officials, should they at any time come into contact with the islanders, were forbidden to maltreat them or to interfere in their affairs. For this reason they paid a special tax in kind twice annually. They were allowed self-government by elected elders of the community. The only Turkish official present was the so-called Soumbasis who refrained from interfering in regional issues.
According to accounts of Greek and foreign travellers, Kassos was deserted and in ruins from 1579 -1599. Settling in before 1622, she detached herself from the Arch¬bishopric of Karpathos and established herself as a Patriarchal Province. In 1670 the population totaled 5,000.
During the Orlof Revolution (1768 - 1774) the island was occupied by the Russians who repeatedly embroiled themselves in clashes with the Greeks. After the signing of the Koutjouk Kainartji treaty (10 -12 July 1774), the Russians evacuated the islands and they were once more under Turkish domination.
The French philosopher CLAUDE SAVARY who visited Kassos in 1778, gives a very vivid account of his landing in the historical little port known as BUCCA. He also writes of the legendary hospitality, the traditions, dress, customs, their bravery and most commenda¬ble abilities for survival,
The Kassiots together with the rest of the islanders of the Dodecanese, despite Turkish oppression, managed to live their usual lives: they were self--ruled, maintained schools and upheld national and religious morale.
In 1821 Dimitris Themelis of Patmos was selected by the “ Fphiliki Eteria" -the organisation responsible for the Greek uprising - to act as General Commissar, and he was sent to the islands together with Evangelos Mantzarakis of Kephallonia. in May 1822 he visited Kas¬sos, a pioneer island in the Greek uprising : historical records extolling the Kassian contrib¬ution are numerous. During that time the Kassiots owned a mercantile fleet numbering ap¬proximately 100 well-armed vessels :engaged in raiding nearby islands and the coasts of Karamania, Syria and Egypt. The power of Kassos at that time interfered with the plans of Mohamed Ali the Turkish governor of Egypt who wanted to establish a base on Crete prior to attacking the Peloponnese, and he therefore determined to destroy Kassos.
Forewarned of his intentions the Kassiots persistently 'appealed to Hydra - also with a powerful fleet - for help, but this was not forthcoming. The destruction of Kassos was entrusted to Ismail Gibraltar a formidable ev-pirate of great experience who reached Kassos on the 27th May 1824 with a powerful fleet of 45 ships, and a troop of 4,000 Albanians under the Command of Hussein Bey.
The battleships were drawn up at the tiny island of Makra, from which a bombardment began of Agia Marina opposite. The Kassian artillery along the shore put up a brave counter-attack and the siege went on until the 7th June when, despite the heroic resistance put up by the islanders. 1,500 Albanians managed to land at ANTIPERATOS it is possible that this the only accessible spot west of Phry, which was revealed by a traitor named Zacharias. The four men guarding were killed and the Atbanians proceeded to Agia Marina where-the non-combatant population consisting mostly of women and children were relentlessly butchered. The whole island was plundered, destoyed and burnt to the ground.
Kassiots such as Theodoros Kantartiis, Markos Maliarakie Matzini- kolas Makris, N. loulios, N. Grigoriadis, Manor's Manolis ,and others, who fell for the ideals of freedom and the integral unity of the island, wrote the history of the holocaust with their-heroic self-sacrifice. When the Greek Revolution came to its successful end and a new nation was formed in 1829. Kassos and the rest of the Dodecanese were omitted, they were to remain under the Turkish yoke a period of 400 years altogether.
In 1912 the Italians, in their war against the Turks, occupied the Dodecanese, including of course Kassos. Nevertheless, the Kassiots, unable.to supress their urge to manifest their nationalistic dreams, continued to press for union with the motherland. This however was something that did not take place until the 7th March 1948.
At this point the fact must be mentioned that the population of Kassos has dwindled sadly. In 1821 it amounted to about 11.000. In 1912 it was 6,700 ;during the Italian occupation it cropped considerably and today it is only about 1,200.
KASSOS TODAY
Kassos today is a peaceful island with picturesque villages and mountains of majestic beau¬ty. Free of pollution, it has a wholesome climate and sparkling seas abounding with first-rate fish. Vegetation is scant, but this in no way detracts from its local colour. Its intricate soastii¬ne, its ancient port of BUCCA, and the adjacent islands especially Armathia and Makra with their stretches of golden sand, put the finishing touches to the island's natural beauty.
During he season daily boat-trips are scheduled to the above mentioned islands, as well as Karpathos.
Kassos has not yet been explored arch aelogicatly and few relics of by-gone times are to be seen, The archaeologist LUDWIG ROSS visited Kassos in 1843 and wrote that Kassos, having been laid waste repeatedly over the centuries and inflicted with raids by Franks, Sa¬racens, Turks, Barbarians and other Mediterranean pirates, failed to preserve outstanding samples of its historical legacy. Professor Ross found inscriptions "The Hellenic Writing" - at Akti. Also from that period, as well as the Late Roman/Early Byzantine era, he found inscriptions, columns, fragments of statues, coins, tombs and funerary vases at Emborios and Poli.
Present-day Phry was originally built and settled in 1830 by the refugees who returned to Kassos after the holocaust of 1824. Phry is the seat of all civil services and the major part of all commercial activities. Kassos was always governed by a Council of Elders. Today it is a municipality consisting of Phry and the four villages - Agia. Marina, Arvanitohori, Poli and Panagia.
Κείμενα:
Εμμανουήλ Μανούσος
Ιδρυτού τού
KASSOS MARITIME & TOURIST AGENCY
ΚΑΣΟΣ-ΔΩΔΕΚΑΝΗΣΟΥ
