Kastellorizo or Castellorizo is a Greek island and municipality located in the southeastern Mediterranean.It lies roughly 2 kilometres (1 mile) off the south coast of Turkey, about 570 km (354 mi) southeast of Athens and 125 km (78 mi) east of Rhodes, almost halfway between Rhodes and Antalya and 280 km (170 mi) to Cyprus. Kastellorizo is part of the Rhodes regional unit.
The meaning of its current official name Megisti is "biggest" or "greatest", but at only 11.987 km2 (5 sq mi) in area, it is the smallest of the Dodecanese. The name, however, refers to the fact that it is the largest of the small archipelago.
The island's official name, Megisti, is rarely used in Greek, the traditional name Kastellorizo being common. There are several hypotheses about the origin of the name Kastellorizo, which is thought to date from Byzantine era. "Kastello" derives from the Latin word "castellum", meaning "small fort", and this word (in the Greek form) was used frequently by Byzantine Greeks. There is some argument on the second part of the name. The arguments are centered on the following possible origins of the word 'rizo':
'rizo', being derived from the Italian word "rosso" meaning "red", either from the reddish color of the rocks of the island, or from the reddish color of the castle at sunset, or from the color of the coat of arms of the Great Master of the Knights of Rhodes, Juan Fernandez de Heredia, which stood above the gate of the castle; these arguments are widely discredited as the rocks on the island do not contain any red pigment and the name Kastellorizo, pre dates the arrival of the Knights or
'rizo', being a corruption of the word "Rhoge", one of the ancient appellations of the nearby island of Rho. If this is correct, the island's modern name is actually an amalgam of the separate island names 'Castello' and 'Rhoge'; or
'rizo', being the actual Greek word 'rizon' maintained throughout the centuries, meaning "root", as researched by Greek Historian I.M. Hatzifotis (1996), to signify the "tree roots" of the foothill where the castle was built.
It has gone by several different names in its history, including Kastellorizo (Greek), Castellorizo (Greek name with Italian spelling), Castelrosso (Italian, meaning "Red Castle"), Chateau Rouge (French translation of Italian name) and Turkish: Meis, or Kızılhisar, the former deriving from the island's official name in Greek, the latter meaning Red Castle, a translation of the Italian name.
The houses of the town are slender and characterised by wooden balconies and windows of the Anatolian type. 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 governate, erected in 1926 by the Italian architect Florestano Di Fausto (it), who also designed some of the most important buildings of the Italian period in Rhodes. Nearby is the island's former Ottoman mosque which dates from the second half of the 18th century and which has been now restored and re-opened as a museum (2007). From here starts the town's quay, which runs along all three sides of the harbour. The central square —Plateia Ethelondon Kastellórizou—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 of Pera Meria, the western quay, and the monasteries of Profitis ElÃas and Aghia Triadha, the former now an army base.
Above the quay on the eastern side there is a pathway which leads to the Castle 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.A Doric inscription, carved in the rock, attests to the existence of an earlier fortress here during Antiquity. Inside the tower there is a large covered cistern.
Ascending the steps on the eastern side of the town, one reaches the suburb of Horafia, where there is a square surrounded by the Church of Agios Yeorgios (1906), with a high dome of Byzantine type, and the Cathedral of Agios Konstandinos and Eleni (1835). It has three naves divided by monolithic granite columns from the temple of Apollo Lykios in Patara (Anatolia). The columns carry ogival arches. Further east is the small bay known as Mandraki, the secondary harbour of the island.
West of the town, beyond the summit of the island known as Vigla (270 m), stands Paleokastro (old castle), the island's ancient acropolis. This fortified elevation has classical origins (see below, history section): its plan is rectangular and measures 60 x 80 m. In its interior stand an ancient tower, built with square limestone blocks, and large water cisterns. Carved on the base of the castle there is also a Doric inscription, dating back to the 4th or 3rd centuries BC, with references to Megiste and its dependence on Rhodes. On the east side there are remnants of a gateway, or Propylaea.
The island is connected with Rhodes by ferry and is served by Kastellorizo Airport. Kastellorizo has 4 boats to Kas, Turkey. There is one small bus in service on Kastellorizo, The bus is used to collect tourists from the airport.
Kastellorizo was famous for the traditions of its inhabitants. Beautiful, rich and magnificent was the women's dress, of at least three different types. It was made with brilliantly colored fabric, and several necklaces, brooches, pendants and earrings made with ancient Venetian or Byzantine gold coins completed the dress.
The women's festive dress was made of:
One or more long silk blouses. The most external one was closed on the front by six large filigreed gold or silver buttons. These buttons were shaped as a half-sphere depressed in the middle. From the lowest one was hung a small chain with a cross;
A pair of short pants whose lower part was made with good quality material quilted with gold thread;
A sleeved jacket made with brilliant colored silk or velvet, opened at the front;
Another long underskirt , laced with gold thread, also opened at the front;
A large scarf made with three or four silk strips, quilted with gold or silver thread. It was tied very low on the sides, like a loose belt;
A large velvet coat decorated with gold and silver lace on the hems and on the back, with *fur lapels: It was always kept open;
A woolen cap;
A quadrangular wrinkled silken shawl, decorated with relief flowers and fringed hems, coloured in white, red and deep blue. Folded diagonally, it was fixed above the cap, with its longest angle falling on the back almost to the ground, while the side edges were folded on the front or put over the shoulders;
The socks were woven with multicolored wool or silk;
The shoes were shaped like tipped slippers, and were made of velvet or silk. They were laced with gold or silver thread and shorter than the foot;
The other types of dress were similar, but not so lavish and without fur decorations.The girls' dress was simpler. Also different was the dress of single and engaged girls, and that of married women and widows.
Kastellorizo lends its name to David Gilmour's instrumental track "Castellorizon" from his album On 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.
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