View source for Kastellorizo

{{Short description|Island in Dodecanese, Greece}}
{{For|David Gilmour's song|Castellorizon}}
{{Infobox Greek Dimos
|name = Kastellorizo
|name_local = Καστελλόριζο<br />Μεγíστη
|type = municipality
|image_map = 2011 Dimos Megistis.png
|image_skyline      = {{multiple image
 |perrow             = 1/2/2/2
 |border             = infobox
 |total_width        = 300
|image1             = Port of Castelorizo.jpg
|image2             = Dodekanese,Kastelorizo,The blue cave1.jpg
|image3             = Lady of Ro tomb in Ro island.jpg
|image4             = Ph.Kastellorizo–Meg.Lycian 03.jpg
|image5             = Castelloroso-max.jpg
|image6             = Castelorizon.jpg
|image7             = Lady of Ro.jpg
|color              = white
|website            = {{Official website|http://www.kastellorizo.gov.gr}}
}}
|city_flag=[[File:Flag of Kastellorizo.svg|100px]]
|caption_skyline = '''Clockwise from the top:''' Port of Kastellorizo, [[Lady of Ro]] Tomb in [[Ro, Greece|Ro Islet]], Castello Rosso along with Kastellorizo Archaeological Museum, [[Lady of Ro]] Statue, view of the town of Kastellorizo, [[Lycia]]n Tomb, [[Blue Cave (Kastellorizo)|Fokiale Cave]]
|coordinates = {{coord|36|08|42|N|29|35|06|E|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_min = 0
|elevation_max = 273
|periph = [[South Aegean]]
|periphunit         = [[Rhodes (regional unit)|Rhodes]]
|pop_municipality   = 594
|demonym=Kastellorizians
|area_municipality  = 11.98
|mayor = Nikolaos Asvestis<ref>{{Cite web |title=Municipal elections – October 2023: Municipality of Megisti |url=https://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/d/home/en/municipalities/9295/ |publisher=[[Ministry of the Interior (Greece)|Ministry of the Interior]] |access-date=2024-05-25 |archive-date=2024-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525102739/https://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/d/home/en/municipalities/9295/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|party = 
|since = 2023
|population_as_of = 2021
|postal_code = 851 11
|area_code = 22460
|licence = ΚΧ, ΡΟ, ΡΚ
|city_seal = Megisti Logo.png
}}
'''Kastellorizo''' or '''Castellorizo''' ({{IPAc-en|US|ˌ|k|ɑː|s|t|ə|ˈ|l|ɔːr|ɪ|z|oʊ}} {{respell|KAH|stə|LOR|iz|oh}};<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Kastellórizon|access-date=4 August 2019}}</ref> {{langx|el|Καστελλόριζο|Kastellórizo}}), officially '''Megisti''' ({{langx|el|Μεγίστη|Megísti|label=none}}), is a [[Greece|Greek]] [[island]] and [[Communities and Municipalities of Greece|municipality]] of the [[Dodecanese]] in the [[Eastern Mediterranean]].<ref name="be131">Bertarelli, 131</ref><ref name="iho">{{cite web|url=https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf|title=Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition|year=1953|publisher=International Hydrographic Organization|access-date=28 December 2020|page=18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008191433/http://www.iho.int/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf|archive-date=8 October 2011}}</ref> It lies roughly {{convert|2|km|mi|0|abbr=off}} off the south coast of [[Turkey]], about {{convert|570|km|0|abbr=on}} southeast of [[Athens]] and {{convert|125|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} east of [[Rhodes]], almost halfway between [[Rhodes]] and [[Antalya]], and {{convert|280|km|mi|abbr=on}} northwest of [[Cyprus]].<ref name=be131/> Kastellorizo is part of the [[Rhodes (regional unit)|Rhodes regional unit]].<ref name=Kallikratis>{{Cite web|url=http://www.et.gr/idocs-nph/search/pdfViewerForm.html?args=5C7QrtC22wGYK2xFpSwMnXdtvSoClrL8-SrPzKAEPjjtIl9LGdkF53UIxsx942CdyqxSQYNuqAGCF0IfB9HI6hq6ZkZV96FIukI0UzcPsWCK0LpLhpa7rhiWB4R5ntTnoWw7U8E1Amg.|title=ΦΕΚ A 87/2010, Kallikratis reform law text|language=el|publisher=[[Government Gazette (Greece)|Government Gazette]]}}</ref>

The island has become very popular in recent years among tourists looking for an isolated place in the [[Dodecanese]], thanks also to the 1991 [[Academy Awards|Oscar-winning]] movie ''[[Mediterraneo]]'', by [[Gabriele Salvatores]], which is set on the island during the Second World War.

==Name and etymology==
The island's official name, ''Megisti'' (Μεγίστη) means "biggest" or "greatest", but at only {{convert|11.98|km2|sqmi|3|abbr=on}} in area, it is the smallest of the [[Dodecanese]]. The name refers to the fact that it is the largest of the small archipelago.<ref name="be131"/> This name was used in antiquity,<ref>[[Strabo]], ''Geographica'' 14.3.7 [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/14C*.html]</ref> but is now rarely used in Greek, the name ''Kastellórizo'' (Καστελλόριζο) being common since the 12th century. There are several hypotheses about the origin of this name.<ref name=isl27>{{cite book|last=Stampolidis|first=Nicholas & others|title=Islands off the beaten track. An archeological journey to the Greek islands of Kastellorizo, Simi, Halki, Tylos and Nisyros|year=2011|publisher=Museum of Cycladic Art|location=Athens|page=28|url=http://issuu.com/museumofcycladicart/docs/agonigrammi_catalogue/1}}</ref> "Kastello" derives from the Italian word "castello", meaning "castle".<ref name=isl27/> There is some argument on the second part of the name. The arguments are centered on the following possible origins of the element ''rizo'':
#''rizo'' being derived from the Italian word "rosso" meaning "red", either from the reddish color of the rocks of the island, the reddish color of the castle at sunset,<ref name=isl27/> or the color of the [[coat of arms]] of the Great Master of the [[Knights of Rhodes]], Juan Fernández de Heredia, which stood above the gate of the castle; these arguments are widely discredited as the rocks on the island have no red pigment and the name Kastellorizo predates the Knights' arrival.<ref name="be131"/>
#''rizo'' being a corruption of the word "Rhoge", one of the ancient appellations of the nearby island of [[Ro, Greece|Ro]]. If this is correct, the island's modern name is actually an amalgam of the separate island names "Castello" and "Rhoge".
#''rizo'' being the actual Greek word "rizon" meaning "root", as researched by Greek Historian I.M. Hatzifotis (1996), to signify the foothill or 'rizovouno' on which the island's original castle was built.<ref name=isl27/>
It has gone by several different names in its history, including ''Kastellorizo'' (Greek),<ref name="gr.geoview">{{Cite web|url=https://gr.geoview.info/nisos_megisti,257079|title=Nísos Megísti|access-date=26 November 2021| website= gr.geoview.info}}</ref><ref name=be131/> ''Castellorizo'' (Greek name with Italian spelling),<ref name="gr.geoview"/> {{lang|it|Castelrosso}} (Italian, meaning "Red Castle"),<ref name=be131/><ref name="gr.geoview"/> ''Château Rouge'' (French translation of Italian name: but possibly the Italian name is a [[calque]] of {{lang|fr|[[Chastel Rouge]]}}, an ancient possession of the [[Knights hospitaller|Knights Hospitaller]] in Syria) <ref>{{Cite book|first= Constantin |last= Marinescu|title= La politique orientale d'Alfonse V d'Aragon, roi de Naples (1416-1458)|location= Barcelona|publisher= Institut d'Estudis Catalans|year= 1994|page=203|language=fr}}, ([https://books.google.com/books?id=9IPtrh4LbXQC&pg=PA203 online])</ref> and {{lang|tr|Meis}} <ref name="gr.geoview"/><ref name=be131/>  or {{lang|tr|Kızılhisar}},<ref name="hurriyiet">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/seyahat/kizilhisar-adasi-nerede-ve-nasil-gidilir-kizilhisar-adasi-gezilecek-yerler-konaklama-tarihi-ve-ozellikleri-hakkinda-bilgi-41746740|title=Kızılhisar Adası Nerede Ve Nasıl Gidilir?|date=22 February 2021|access-date=26 November 2021| website= www.hurriyet.com.tr|language=tr}}</ref> both [[Turkish language|Turkish]], the former deriving from the island's official name in Greek, the latter meaning "Red Castle", a translation of the Italian name.

==Physical geography==
[[File:Kastelorizo.svg|thumb|260px|Map of Kastellorizo and the surrounding islets.|right]]

Kastellorizo is (with the exception of the nearby islet of [[Strongyli Megistis|Strongyli]]) the easternmost [[Greek island]] and is situated in the [[Levantine Sea]]. It is the largest island of the homonym archipelago comprising the islands and islets of Agios Georgios, Agrielaia, Voutsakia, Megalo Mavro Poini, Mikro Mavro Poini, Polifados Ena, Polifados Dio, [[Ro, Greece|Ro]], Savoura, [[Strongyli Megistis|Stroggili]], Tragonera, [[Psomi]] and Psoradia.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pilarinos|first=George|date=2020-07-08|title=Kastelorizo island – Things to Do and Best Places to Visit|url=https://www.gretour.com/things-to-do-and-places-to-visit-in-kastelorizo-island/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=GREtour}}</ref> It lies about {{convert|2|km|0|abbr=on}} from the [[Anatolia]]n coastal town of [[Kaş]], more or less halfway between Rhodes and [[Antalya]]. [[Cyprus]] is about {{convert|280|km|mi|abbr=on}} to the south-east. It is six kilometres ({{convert|6|km|abbr=off|disp=output only}}) long and three kilometres ({{convert|3|km|abbr=off|disp=output only}}) wide, with a surface of {{convert|9.2|km²|1|abbr=out}}. It has a triangular shape, and is oriented from north-east to south-west. The island features three capes: Agios Stefanos (north),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Megisti – Agios Stefanos Chapel |url=https://www.alltrails.com/en-gb/trail/greece/kastellorizo/megisti-agios-stefanos-chapel |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=AllTrails.com |language=en-gb}}</ref> 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. Cape [[Saint Stephen|Agios Stefanos]], the nearest to [[Anatolia]], is {{convert|2.25|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of the modern Turkish town of [[Kaş]] (Greek: ''Andífli'', the Ancient Greek City of ''Antiphéllos''). 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 of [[limestone]] and produces only small amounts of [[olive]]s, [[grape]]s and [[bean]]s. On the island there is no source of [[drinking water]]. The '''Municipality of Megísti''' includes the offshore islands of [[Ro, Greece|Ro]] and [[Strongyli Megistis|Strongyli]] as well as several smaller islets. It has a total land area of {{convert|11.978|km²|3|abbr=out}}.<ref name=stat01>{{cite web|url=http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf |publisher=National Statistical Service of Greece |title=Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation) |language=el |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921212047/http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf |archive-date=2015-09-21 }}</ref>

=== Nearby islands between Turkey and Kastellorizo ===

There are many islets in this area; ''Volos'', near [[Kalkan]] (in Greek ''Kalamaki''), ''Ochendra'', ''Furnachia'', ''Prassonisi'', ''[[Ro, Greece|Ro]]'', ''Tragonera'', ''Marathi'', ''[[Strongyli Megistis|Strongyli]]'', ''Dhassia'', ''[[Iç Ada (Antalya)|Alimentaria]]'', ''[[Kekova]] and [[Psomi]]'' besides many rocks and cliffs.<ref name="be134" /> The most important among these islets is [[Kekova]] (also named ''Caravola''), not inhabited, which has an area of {{convert|4.5|km²|1|abbr=out}} and faces the [[Turkey|Turkish]] village of ''[[Kaleköy, Kaş|Kaleköy]]'' (Simena in antiquity).

All these islets were subject to dispute between [[Italy]] and [[Turkey]] until 1932. According to the [[Convention between Italy and Turkey, 1932|1932 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, Greece|Ro]] and [[Strongyli Megistis|Strongyli]] is very important to the [[Exclusive economic zone of Greece]], since it is the easternmost territory of Greece and according to [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea|UNCLOS]] as well as customary international law, Greece can claim a large part of the Eastern Mediterranean basin. 

<gallery widths="250px" heights="250px">
File:MegistiWW.jpg|Satellite picture of the island
File:Dodekanese,Kastelorizo,The blue cave1.jpg|The [[Blue Cave (Kastellorizo)|Blue Cave]]
File:Greek_and_Cypriot_EEZ.svg|Kastellorizo within the [[Exclusive economic zone of Greece|EEZ of Greece]]
</gallery>

== Geography ==
[[File:Castelorizon.jpg|thumb|Kastellorizo town]]
[[File:Kastelorizo port.jpg|thumb|Panorama of the port.]]
[[File:Mandraki, Kastelorizo.JPG|thumb|View of Mandraki, the small port.]]

The houses of the town are slender and characterised by wooden balconies and windows of the Anatolian type.<ref name="be133">Bertarelli, 133</ref> 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 architect [[Florestano Di Fausto]], who also designed some of the most important buildings of the Italian period in Rhodes.<ref name="be132">Bertarelli, 132</ref> Nearby is the island's former Ottoman [[mosque]] which dates from the second half of the 18th century and which has been restored and re-opened as a [[Kastellorizo Folk Art Museum|museum]] 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 of ''Pera Meria'', the western quay, and the monasteries of ''Profitis Ilías'' and ''Aghia Triadha'', the former now an army base.

Above the quay on the eastern side 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.<ref name="be134">Bertarelli, 134</ref> A [[Doric Greek|Doric inscription]], carved in the rock, attests to the existence of an earlier fortress here during Antiquity.<ref name="be134"/> Inside the tower there is a large covered cistern.<ref name="be134"/>

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 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 the [[temple]] of [[Apollo]] Lykios in [[Patara (Lycia)|Patara]] (Anatolia).<ref name="be133"/> The columns carry [[Pointed arch|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 ''Palaiokastro'' (old castle), the island's ancient [[acropolis]]. This fortified elevation has classical origins (see below, history section): its plan is rectangular and measures {{convert|60|x|80|m|ft}}.<ref name="be134"/> In its interior stand an ancient tower, built with square limestone blocks, and large water cisterns.<ref name="be134"/> 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'' (the ancient name of Kastellorizo) and its [[Rhodian Peraia|dependence on Rhodes]].<ref name="be134"/> On the east side there are remnants of a gateway, or [[propylaea]].<ref name="be134"/>

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|date=August 2021}}

===Climate===
Kastellorizo has a [[hot-summer Mediterranean climate]] (''Csa'' in the [[Köppen climate classification]]). It has hot dry summers and exceptionally mild winters by European standards. Like in the [[Azores]], average lows do not drop below 12.0&nbsp;°C during the coldest months. According to the [[National Observatory of Athens]] station the lowest temperature ever recorded in coastal Kastellorizo is 4.5&nbsp;°C and was recorded on 25 January 2022.<ref>[https://stratus.meteo.noa.gr/data/bulletins/deltio_noa012022.pdf?CFID=cd7a86f1-63a7-46cf-befd-4c26f24813e1&CFTOKEN=0 Μηνιαίο Δελτίο Μετεωρολογικών Παραμέτρων Ελλάδα] (in Greek) Retrieved 11 March 2023</ref> Kastellorizo records on average 158 [[tropical night]]s per year and falls in 11a [[hardiness zone]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.meteo.gr/Monthly_Bulletins.cfm |title=Meteo.gr – Προγνώσεις καιρού για όλη την Ελλάδα }}</ref> After [[Lindos]], the island records the highest average annual temperature in [[Greece]] with 21.9&nbsp;°C.

{{Weather box
| location = Kastellorizo 5 m a.s.l.
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
|Jan high C=16.8
|Feb high C=16.9
|Mar high C=18.6
|Apr high C=21.8
|May high C=26.2
|Jun high C=30.3
|Jul high C=34.1
|Aug high C=33.6
|Sep high C=31.2
|Oct high C=27.3
|Nov high C=22.8
|Dec high C=18.7

|Jan mean C= 14.6
|Feb mean C=14.5
|Mar mean C=15.8
|Apr mean C=18.6
|May mean C=22.6
|Jun mean C=26.5
|Jul mean C=30.1
|Aug mean C=30.2
|Sep mean C=28.2
|Oct mean C=24.5
|Nov mean C=20.4
|Dec mean C=16.5

|Jan low C= 12.3
|Feb low C= 12.0
|Mar low C= 13.0
|Apr low C=15.6
|May low C=19.0
|Jun low C=22.6
|Jul low C=26.1
|Aug low C=26.9
|Sep low C=25.2
|Oct low C=21.7
|Nov low C=17.9
|Dec low C= 14.3

|Jan record high C  = 20.6
|Feb record high C  = 22.3
|Mar record high C  = 26.1
|Apr record high C  = 29.6
|May record high C  = 34.8
|Jun record high C  = 40.8
|Jul record high C  = 40.8
|Aug record high C  = 40.1
|Sep record high C  = 36.6
|Oct record high C  = 37.4
|Nov record high C  = 27.7
|Dec record high C  = 23.2
|Jan record low C   = 4.5
|Feb record low C   = 5.5
|Mar record low C   = 5.2
|Apr record low C   = 10.7
|May record low C   = 15.2
|Jun record low C   = 17.8
|Jul record low C   = 22.9
|Aug record low C   = 24.7
|Sep record low C   = 20.3
|Oct record low C   = 15.8
|Nov record low C   = 11.3
|Dec record low C   = 8.3

|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm=130.3
|Feb rain mm=46.8
|Mar rain mm=40.2
|Apr rain mm=22.7
|May rain mm=6.1
|Jun rain mm=6.4
|Jul rain mm= 0.3
|Aug rain mm= 0.0
|Sep rain mm=6.8
|Oct rain mm=22.6
|Nov rain mm=91.1
|Dec rain mm=176.7

|source 1= [[National Observatory of Athens]] Monthly Bulletins (Sep 2018{{snd}}Sep 2025)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.meteo.gr/Monthly_Bulletins.cfm | title=Meteo.gr - Προγνώσεις καιρού για όλη την Ελλάδα }}</ref> |source 2= Kastellorizo N.O.A station<ref>{{cite web | url=https://penteli.meteo.gr/stations/kastellorizo/ | title=Latest Conditions in Kastellorizo }}</ref> and [[World Meteorological Organization]]<ref name="WMO">{{cite web | url=https://oscar.wmo.int/surface/#/search/station/stationReportDetails/0-300-1-kastellorizo | title=World Meteorological Organization | accessdate=14 July 2023}}</ref>
}}

===Geology===
The island's [[geology]] is almost exclusively [[limestone]] laid down at the [[Mesozoic]]/[[Cenozoic]] boundary. As a result of the lack of significant [[flora]] covering the island, the landscape shows many features of [[Karst topography|karstification]]. There are a number of notable sea caves including the so-called '''[[Blue Cave (Kastellorizo)|Blue Grotto]]''' which is much larger than its namesake in [[Capri]]. [[Caving|Exploration]] undertaken in 2006 by members of the SELAS Caving club of Greece has revealed vertical [[cave]]s in many parts of the island. The deepest found so far was surveyed to a depth of {{convert|60|m|ft}} in March 2006 and will be the subject of further exploration in the future by the same team.

{{wide image|Kastellorizo panorama 1.jpg|700px|align-cap=center|Panorama of Kastellorizo.}}

==History==
===Ancient period===
The island was colonised by [[Dorian Greeks]], who named it "Megiste".<ref>Smith, William (1865), ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman geography'', s.v. "Megiste".</ref> In antiquity it was known both as Megiste and Cisthene (Κισθήνη), but in later times only as Megiste.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0239:book=14:chapter=3#note14|title=Strabo, Geography, BOOK XIV., CHAPTER III.|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu|accessdate=11 March 2023}}</ref> The [[Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax]] says that the island belonged to the [[Rhodians]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ancientportsantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/Documents/AUTHORS/Scylax-GB2002.pdf|title=Pseudo Scylax, Periplous, §100|accessdate=11 March 2023}}</ref> In addition, inscriptions found at the foot of the Knight's castle confirm that during the [[Hellenistic period]] the island was ruled by Rhodes, and formed part of its [[Rhodian Peraia|Peraia]]. The Rhodians sent an overseer, or ''[[epistates]]'', to monitor events on the island.

The three towers of Kastellorizo, [[Ro, Greece|Ro]] and [[Strongyli Megistis|Strongyli]] comprise the main links in a dense network of watchtowers constructed by the Rhodians during the [[Hellenistic period]], to control the sea routes and the coast. Palaiokastro was (and still is) the main and largest fortified site on the island.<ref name="UNESCO World Heritage Centre">{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5867/|title=Ancient Towers of the Aegean Sea|first=UNESCO World Heritage|last=Centre|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre}}</ref>

===Byzantine era===
During the period of the [[Byzantine Empire]], Kastellorizo was part of the "[[Insulae (Roman province)|Province of the Islands]]", the capital of which was Rhodes.

===Knights Hospitaller period===
In 1306 the island was taken over by the [[Knights Hospitaller]], headed by [[Foulques de Villaret]], as part of their [[Hospitaller conquest of Rhodes|expedition to conquer]] the island of [[Rhodes]], which became the centre of their [[Crusader State]].<ref name="be131" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Luttrell|first=Anthony|chapter=The Hospitallers at Rhodes, 1306–1421|pages=278–313|title=A History of the Crusades, Volume III: The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries  | editor-first=Harry W. | editor-last=Hazard |year=1975 |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press | chapter-url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/History/History-idx?type=article&did=History.CrusThree.i0020&id=History.CrusThree | isbn = 0-299-06670-3}}</ref> They restored the castle, which was thereafter used as a prison for disobedient knights. Around 1440 the island was occupied by sultan [[Sayf ad-Din Jaqmaq]] of [[Egypt]], who destroyed the castle.<ref name="be131" /> Ten years later it was conquered by [[Alfonso V of Aragon]], king of [[Naples]], who in 1461 rebuilt the castle and dispatched a Catalan governor.

===Ottoman era===
[[File:Kas and Kastelorizo by Piri Reis.jpg|thumb|Map of Kastellorizo by [[Piri Reis]] (1521)]]
The Crown of Aragon retained possession of it until 1512, when it was conquered by Ottoman Sultan [[Suleiman the Magnificent|Suleiman I]].<ref name="be131" />

On 22 September 1659, during the [[Siege of Candia]], the island was conquered by [[Venice]] and the castle was destroyed again, but the Ottomans were able to regain it again soon after.<ref name="be131" /> Between 1828 and 1833 Kastellórizo joined the Greek insurgents, but after the end of the [[Greek War of Independence]] it came back into the possession of the [[Ottoman Empire]].<ref name="be131" />

According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82–1893, the [[kaza]] of Kastellorizo (Meyis) had a total population of 4,871, consisting of 4,635 [[Ottoman Greeks|Greeks]], 225 Muslims, 6 [[History of the Jews in the Ottoman Empire|Jews]] and 5 foreign citizens.<ref>[[Kemal Karpat]] (1985), [https://kupdf.net/downloadFile/59e4a7b908bbc56144e653d7 Ottoman Population, 1830–1914, Demographic and Social Characteristics], [[The University of Wisconsin Press]], pp. 130–131</ref>

In 1912, during the [[Italo-Turkish War|Libyan war]] between [[Italy]] and the Ottoman Empire, the inhabitants asked [[Giovanni 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.<ref name="be132"/> In August 1913, the Greek government sent from [[Samos Island|Samos]] 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.

===World War I===

During [[World War I]], while the [[Kingdom of Greece]] was still neutral, [[French Navy]] warships led by the cruiser [[French cruiser Jeanne d'Arc (1899)|''Jeanne 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 a [[Hellenic Army]] detachment of [[Evzones]].<ref name="be132" /> Ottoman shore batteries responded to the French occupation by shelling the island in 1917, which resulted in the sinking of the British [[Royal Navy]] seaplane carrier [[HMS Ben-my-Chree|HMS ''Ben-my-Chree'']].{{fact|date=June 2024}}

===Italian period===
In the [[Treaty of Sèvres]] the island was assigned to Italy and the Italian navy assumed it from the French on 1 March 1921,<ref name="be132" /> but the treaty was never ratified. The [[Treaty of Lausanne]] confirmed the Italian claim on Kastellorizo, and the island – under the Italian name "Castelrosso" – was then integrated in the possession of the ''[[Isole Italiane dell'Egeo]]''.

Because of the Italian occupation, the island was not affected directly by the [[population 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.

{{wide image|Castellorizo früher.JPG|700px|align-cap=center|Panoramic view of Kastellorizo harbour in 1921.}}

The [[1932 Convention between Italy and Turkey]], which defined the sea border between the two powers, assigned all the islets of the small archipelago around Kastellorizo except [[Ro, Greece|Ro]] and [[Strongyli Megistis|Strongyli]] 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 of [[Operation Abstention]], [[British Commando]]s occupied the island, but Italian forces from Rhodes recaptured it some days later. When Italy [[Armistice with Italy|capitulated]] 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.

===Modern Greek era===
Kastellorizo was assigned to Greece with the [[Paris 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 movie ''[[Mediterraneo (film)|Mediterraneo]]'', by [[Gabriele Salvatores]], which is set on the island. Kastellórizo was the only territory of the [[European Union]] where the [[solar eclipse of March 29, 2006]], was visible in its totality.

In 2011, the French ship ''Dignité-Al Karama'', the only member the [[Freedom Flotilla II]] that managed to approach Gaza, refueled at Kastellorizo.<ref name="haaretz.com">{{cite news|title=Gaza-bound ship carrying pro-Palestinian activists sets sail from Greece|newspaper=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/gaza-bound-ship-carrying-pro-palestinian-activists-sets-sail-from-greece-1.373601|access-date=17 July 2011}}</ref>

==Demographics and economy==
[[File:Matanski-Kastelorizo Harbour Greece.jpg|thumb|''[[CS Salamis Glory]]'' in Kastellorizo harbour.]]

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's [[Fethiye]]) and [[Beirut]].<ref name="be132"/> Its sailing ships traded products from Anatolia (coal, timber, [[valonia oak|valonia]], pine bark) for Egyptian goods (rice, sugar, coffee, tissues and yarns), and carried Anatolian cereals to Rhodes and Cyprus.<ref name="be132"/> On the island there was also a flourishing production of charcoal (much sought after in [[Alexandria]], where it was used for [[narghile]]).<ref name="be132"/> The fishing industry — mainly [[sea sponge]]s — was important too.<ref name="be132"/>

After 1908, the decay of the island's economy set in, accelerated by the decline of the Ottoman Empire and [[Population exchange between Greece and Turkey|the 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.<ref name="be132"/> At that time the town had 730 inhabited houses, while 675 were already empty, and many ruined.<ref name="be132"/>

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 594 at the 2021 census, all living in the town of Megísti. The municipality also includes the islands of [[Ro, Greece|Ro]] and [[Strongyli Kastellorizou|Strongyli]], both without permanent inhabitants. Many of its emigrants live in [[Australia]] (especially [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]] and [[Sydney]]), 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.<ref name="be133"/>

==Transport==
The island is connected with [[Rhodes]], [[Piraeus]] and [[Kaş]] by ferry. Passenger ferries' frequency is as follows:
*Kastellorizo - Rhodes - Symi - Tilos - Nisyros - Kalymnos - Piraeus: 2 trips / week (winter period)<ref>{{cite web|title=Blue Star Ferries - Piraeus - Kalymnos - Kos - Rhodes & Astypalaia - Patmos - Lipsi - Leros - Nisyros - Tilos - Symi - Kastellorizo|url=http://www.bluestarferries.com/en/travel-with-us/domestic-lines/timetables/piraeus-kalymnos-kos-rhodes-astypalaia-patmos-lipsi-leros-nisyros-tilos-symi-kastellorizo.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411132251/http://www.bluestarferries.com/en/travel-with-us/domestic-lines/timetables/piraeus-kalymnos-kos-rhodes-astypalaia-patmos-lipsi-leros-nisyros-tilos-symi-kastellorizo.html|archive-date=2016-04-11|access-date=2016-01-06}}</ref>
*Kastellorizo - Kaş: 1 trip / week (winter period)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ferries-turkey.com/ferry-routes/turkey-greece/kas-meis-ferry-en.html#start |title=Ferry Kas to Meis - Meis Express Ferry Service with Aegean Tour Travel |website=ferries-turkey.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602021328/http://ferries-turkey.com/ferry-routes/turkey-greece/kas-meis-ferry-en.html |archive-date=2011-06-02}}</ref>
Air connection is provided by [[Olympic Air]], which operates from [[Kastellorizo Island Public Airport|Kastellorizo Airport]] 4 times/week (winter period).<ref>https://e-ticket.olympicair.com/pl/A3Online/wds/FlexPricerAvailability.action;jsessionid=QkUW9l5IS4t7GVZx1q7j4KDd5w-5AfHTKGO55jOHLSJTUeYa8Cwg!384344890!-982618842 {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> There is one small bus in service on Kastellorizo, and it is used to collect tourists from the airport.

==Culture==
{{See also|Postage stamps and postal history of Kastellorizo}}

Kastellorizo's inhabitants had characteristic traditions, partly influenced by the Muslim tradition.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gerola|first=Giuseppe|title=Castelrosso|url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/castelrosso_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/|work=Enciclopedia Italiana (1931 edition)|publisher=Treccani|access-date=21 January 2014}}</ref> 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.<ref name="be132"/>

The women's festive dress consisted of:
*One or more long [[silk]] blouses (''ipokámiso''). The most external one was closed on the front by six large [[filigree]]d [[gold]] or [[silver]] [[Button (clothing)|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]];<ref name="be132"/>
*A pair of short [[trousers|pants]] (''katofóri'') whose lower part was made with good quality material [[quilt]]ed with gold [[Yarn|thread]];<ref name="be132"/>
*A sleeved [[jacket]] (''zepuni'') made with brilliant colored silk or [[velvet]], opened at the front;<ref name="be132"/>
*Another long [[Petticoat|underskirt]] (''kavadi''), [[lace]]d with gold thread, also opened at the front;
*A large [[scarf]] (''zosma'') 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 (clothing)|belt]];<ref name="be132"/>
*A large velvet [[Coat (clothing)|coat]] (''gunna'') decorated with gold and silver lace on the hems and on the back, with *[[fur]] lapels: It was always kept open;<ref name="be132"/>
*A woolen [[cap]];<ref name="be132"/>
*A quadrangular wrinkled silken [[shawl]] (''mandili''), 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;<ref name="be132"/>
*The [[socks]] were woven with multicolored [[wool]] or silk;<ref name="be132"/>
*The [[shoes]] were shaped like tipped [[slipper]]s, and were made of velvet or silk. They were laced with gold or silver thread and shorter than the foot;<ref name="be132"/>

The other types of dress were similar, but not so lavish and without fur decorations.<ref name="be132"/> The girls' dress was simpler. Single and engaged girls, and married women and widows were also distinguished by dress.<ref name="be132"/>

===Religion, customs and superstitions===
The [[engagement]], which was decided by the parents, and the wedding, which lasted 15 days, occurred through prescribed and curious ceremonies, having symbolic and poetic meaning.<ref name="be133"/> Weddings were celebrated on Sunday, in the church of ''[[Constantine I|Agios Konstantinos]]'', and an announcement on the main square invited the whole city to participate. Also baptisms and funerals (with mourning women, or ''praeficae'', and a dish with oil and wine crushed on the coffin) had well-established rituals.<ref name="be133"/>

On December 31 and on [[New 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.<ref name="be133"/> On the morning of ''[[Basil of Caesarea|Agios Basilios]]'' day, coming back from [[divine Liturgy|Liturgy]], the men customarily throw a [[pomegranate]] 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.<ref name="be133"/>

The day before the feast of [[Elijah|Agios 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.<ref name="be133"/><ref>M. Hamilton, "The Pagan Element in the Names of Saints", ''The Annual of the British School at Athens'' 13 (1906&ndash;07) 348&ndash;55, [https://books.google.com/books?id=K2gKAAAAIAAJ&dq=Kastellorizo+Elias&pg=PA354 pp.&nbsp;353&ndash;54].</ref>

On [[Easter#Eastern Christianity 2|Easter]], the Liturgy of the [[Resurrection]] takes place in the open at midnight, the faithful bearing [[candle]]s. As soon as the [[bell (instrument)|bell]]s start ringing, the young people let off [[firework]]s, 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.<ref name="be133"/> On [[Easter 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.<ref name="be133"/>

On May 1, at dawn, all the girls of the island, in groups, each one carrying a [[jar]], 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 crystal [[carafe]] 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.<ref name="be133"/>

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 a [[thurible]] filled with embers and branches of the [[olive]] tree which had been gathered in the church on [[Palm 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 this [[exorcism]], the woman would throw the content of the thurible into a bucket filled with water, and then count the pieces of [[wood]] which did not burn. This number was said to be equal to the number of persons who were supposed to have [[Incantation|enchanted]] the sick child. The enchantment of the child was sure, if the olive leaves burned with a loud crackling sound.<ref name="be133"/>

When a man was going to emigrate, gentle, sorrowful songs were sung to him by his friends.<ref name="be133"/>

==Notable people==
*[[Georgios Mavros]], politician
*[[Andrew Liveris]], businessman 
*Nicholas Paspalis, pearl diver and creator of [[Paspaley]] pearling company 
*[[Ken Michael]], former [[Governor of Western Australia]]
*[[Basil Zempilas]], television presenter, socialite, [[Mayor of Perth]] 
*[[Steve Malaxos]], [[Australian rules football]]er 
*[[Lady of Ro]], patriot
*[[Michael Kailis]], businessman

==Twin towns – sister cities==
Kastellorizo is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], [[Western Australia]], [[Australia]]
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Antalya]], [[Turkey]]

==Cinema and popular culture==

In the 1961 film ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]'', a saboteur team led by [[Anthony Quayle]] is briefed on its mission at Castelrosso. The Italian 1991 movie ''[[Mediterraneo]]'' was filmed on the island.

Kastellorizo also 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.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}

==See also==
*[[Kastellorizo-Kaş swim]]
*[[List of Crusader castles]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{Commons category|Kastellorizo}}
*{{cite book |last=Bertarelli |first=L.V. |title=Guida d'Italia, Vol. XVII |publisher=Consociazione Turistica Italiana|location=Milano |year=1929|language=it}}
*{{cite book |last=Hatzifotis |first=I.M.|title=Kastellorizon|year=1996|publisher=Topio Publications|location=Athens}}
*{{cite book |last=[[Köchler]]|first= Hans|title=Kastellorizo: The Geopolitics of Maritime Boundaries and the Dysfunctionality of the Law of the Sea|year=2020|publisher=International Progress Organization|location=Vienna}}
*{{cite book |last=Pappas|first=Nicholas|title=Castellorizo: An Illustrated History of the Island and its Conquerors|year=1994|publisher=Halstead Press|location=Sydney}}
*{{cite book |last=Pappas|first=Nicholas|title=Near Eastern Dreams: The French Occupation of Castellorizo 1915–1921|year=2002|publisher=Halstead Press|location=Sydney}}
*[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0006:id=megiste The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, Megiste].

{{Dodecanese Islands}}
{{Kallikratis-South Aegean}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kastellorizo| ]]
[[Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece]]
[[Category:Mediterranean islands]]
[[Category:Municipalities of the South Aegean]]
[[Category:Populated places in Rhodes (regional unit)]]
[[Category:Dodecanese]]
[[Category:Islands of Greece]]
[[Category:Landforms of Rhodes (regional unit)]]
[[Category:Islands of the South Aegean]]