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Area:9 sq. km., Population: 20,350, Capital: Kos, How to get there: By air from Athens, Rhodes, Leros and Mykonos; by ship from Piraeus, the Cyclades, the northern and southern Aegean islands, Dodecanese, Crete and Cyprus. |
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HISTORY: According to myth, Kos was the homeland of the Giants. It was settled during the Neolithic era by Carians, Phoenicians, Pelasgians and later by the Dorians. Along with Halikarnassos, Knidos, Lindos, lalyssos and Kameiros, it was a member of the Dorian Hexapolis formed in 700 BC. The city of Kos was founded in the 4th century BC, and it remained the centre of island life until the 6th century AD, when it was destroyed by an earthquake. Many great personalities of the ancient world claimed Nos as their birthplace: Hippocrates and Pythagoras are but two of the best known. After the decline of Rome, Kos began to prosper again in the Middle Ages. The Knights of St. John controlled the island from the 14th century until the Turkish conquest in 1522 Held by the Turks until 1912 when it passed to the Italians; it was united with Greece in 1947. The modern city was rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1933. SIGHTSEEING: The third largest island of the Dodecanese group, after Rhodes and Karpathos, Kos has a large number of archaeological sites and monuments from every era. In the capital several ruins of the ancient city – temples, stoas, the agora – were discovered under the medieval constructions erected by the Knights of St. Johri around the harbour. Here, too, still stands the plane tree which tradition maintains was planted by Hippocrates and under whose shade he taught his disciples. The interesting finds and mosaics unearthed here are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum. One of the most important ancient sites in Kos is the Asklepeio with its temple of Asklepios, south-west of town. Other sites are at Pyli where there is a Classical temple and at Kefalo which boasts a theatre and archaic temples. The major monuments from the time of the Knights are found in town and near Kardamaina, where there is a large Venetian castle whose walls aie virtually intact. Byzantine churches still stand both in town and in most of the villages. Kos has two ports, one in town and the other at Mastichari. It is a lush island with pretty coastal villages (Tigaki, Agios Fokas, Kardamaina), hehlth spas (Thermes, Kardamaina), and wonderful beaches. Equipped with abundant facilities for tourists, it can offer all the amenities and is a fine spot for a pleasant, carefree holiday. Many of its beaches provide other water sports besides swimming, while at its hotels one can choose between a cosmopolitan or genuine Greek ambience, depending on one’s preference, |
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