Misplaced Pages

#24975

64-543: The present municipality of Parga was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities of Fanari and Parga that became municipal units. The municipality has an area of 274.796 km, the municipal unit 68.903 km. In antiquity the area was inhabited by the Greek tribe of the Thesprotians . Mycenean tholos tombs have been discovered in the vicinity of Parga. The ancient town of Toryne

128-665: A group of 20 Muslim families petitioned for their planned exchange to be annulled. This small group was eventually allowed to remain in Parga via mediation by the League of Nations which made their status "non-exchangeable". During the Axis Occupation of Greece , in August 1943, Parga was targeted by the German anti-guerilla operation named 'Augustus'. The Wehrmacht units were actively assisted by units of

192-493: A number of massacres and lootings. Almost all Cham Albanian monuments of Margariti were destroyed during World War II, and during the end of the war, most Muslim families of the region were relocated north of Ioannina under Nazi German instructions. The region of Margariti together with Mazaraki, was among the first to produce resistance units in Thesprotia in order to deal with the activity of Muslim Cham Albanian groups. At

256-538: A result of protests, a Mixed Commission under the League of Nations with representatives from Greece and Albania was formed. On February 2, 1926, Qenan Mesare, the Albanian representative protested against the forced relocations to Turkey from the region of Chameria , the worsening of the living conditions for the Cham community and specifically referred to the village of Parga, where the majority were transferred to Turkey. In 1927,

320-564: A total of 17 individuals, 14 of which were household heads and 3 bachelors. The anthroponyms recorded were almost exclusively Albanian in character: Duka Bruni ; Spani Deda ; Gjon Ilia ; Qesar Dhima ; Menksh Leka ; Tupe (Popa) Todri ; Gjin Jorga ; Popa Brushi ; Gjin Gjoni ; Gjon Jani ; Andria Qesari ; Gjin Popa (Tope) ; Jani Nika ; Papa Mihali ; Gjon Shorri ; Gjon Nika . The defter of 1551 enumerates

384-595: A total population of 6,464, which is two thirds less than the figure mentioned by the Greek report in 1880. Many ruins, such as minarets, houses and mosques, can be found throughout Margariti and the surrounding villages as a reminder of the expulsion of the Cham Albanians from the region. The ruins of the castle of Margariti can be found on the southern edge of the modern town. Despite the restoration efforts on Ottoman monuments elsewhere in Greece, nothing has been done to restore

448-651: Is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 205.893 km . Population 6,943 (2021). The seat of the municipality was in Kanallaki . The earliest Mycenaean pottery at the site of Ephyra at the mouth of the Acheron river dates to the Late Helladic IIIA (c.1400–c.1300 BC). The site of Ephyra is now located 4 kms from the Ionian coast but in ancient times the coastline extended much farther inland. Fortification at

512-518: Is found on the top of a hill overlooking the town and was used to protect the town from invasions from the mainland and the sea. It was initially built in the 11th century by the residents of Parga to protect their town from pirates and the Ottomans. In the 13th century, as their control of the region increased, the Venetians rebuilt the castle to fortify the area. In 1452, Parga and the castle were occupied by

576-512: Is of uncertain origin and is attested for the first time during the 16th century. In the Albanian language it is known as Margëlliç and in Ottoman Turkish as Margliç . This form is attested since 1611, when Gjon Mekuli from Parga reports to the Venetians that Marghelici had been affected by the plague. Historical documents tend to use the form Margariti . Margariti was not used as

640-500: Is the common average for villages situated on arable land that were not very productive. Local Muslim converts appear in Margariti as early as the 16th century. It is noted that the conversion to Islam of the guard of Margariti, which came from the local medieval Albanian Mazaraki clan, must have been finalized before 1571. A century later, in 1670, when Evliya Çelebi passed through Margariti, he noted that there were 200 houses within

704-748: The Byzantine Empire . During the Epirote rebellion of 1338/39 against the Byzantine emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos , Parga remained loyal to the emperor. The town came under the control of Albanian ruler Gjin Bua Shpata of Arta in the 1390s. Vonko , who was also vassal of the Venetians in Fanari , was the governor Parga at this time. After Shpata's death, he tried to carve his own fiefdom in 1400. The townspeople considered his rule tyrannical, overthrew him and asked

SECTION 10

#1732855352025

768-518: The Ioannina and Corfu airports. Parga is located 10 km from national road [REDACTED] and 34 km from national motorway [REDACTED] . Fanari, Preveza Fanari ( Greek : Φανάρι ; Albanian : Frar ) is a region and a former municipality in the Preveza regional unit , Epirus , Greece . Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Parga , of which it

832-549: The Liberal Party . At recent times local Romani farm workers are also Albanian speakers. During the Axis occupation of Greece, operation codenamed "Augustus" was undertaken by Wehrmacht and Cham Albanian militia units in August 1943. This affected the area south of Paramythia as far as Ammoudia and Parga. This resulted in several local settlements to be burnt to the ground and the murder of civilian population. On 30 September,

896-598: The Tanzimat reforms of 1861, Margariti once again became the centre of a Kaza in the Sanjak of Preveza . Representatives from Margariti were part of the southern branch of the League of Prizren . In 1880, Muslim Albanians constituted 82% of Margariti's population with a total of 1,100 inhabitants; the remainder consisted of 240 Christians. The Kaza of Margariti itself numbered to 48 villages with 3,813 Christians and 15,202 Muslims, making

960-453: The 16th century, Parga was part of the Venetian holdings in coastal Epirus. In 1570, anti-Ottoman rebels commanded by Emmanuel Mormoris that temporarily managed to overthrow Ottoman rule from the coastal regions of Epirus used Parga as a base of operations. Venetian-controlled Parga was in this period in frequent property-related conflict with neighboring, Ottoman-controlled Margariti and was

1024-531: The 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Igoumenitsa , of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 149.223 km . Population 1,931 (2021). The toponym Margariti ( Greek : Μαργαρίτι ) is thought to come from Margaritos , a pirate of the Emirate of Sicily to whom the Crusader Normans surrendered their holdings on the Ionian coast in the 12th century. The toponym

1088-469: The Greek part of Chameria and it functioned as a centre of the Albanian speaking area. The region witnessed the largest level of participation to the National Youth Organisation of Ioannis Metaxas in Thesprotia. At the beginning of the Axis occupation during World War II , when the town was occupied by Fascist Italian troops in 1941, armed Cham Albanian groups under J. Sadik committed

1152-528: The Greek population of Epirus that lived under Ottoman rule. Venice commissioned a painting for the Doge's Palace to commemorate the destruction of the fort of Margariti. This was one of the final Venetian incursions in Ottoman territory and in the following decades, the region stopped being a battleground district. After the conclusion of peace between the Ottomans and the Venetians on 7 March 1573, Margariti remained in

1216-606: The Italian army and armed Cham Albanian groups under Nuri Dino, Mazar Dino and Abdul Qasim resulting in several Greek settlements to being burnt to the ground and the murder of civilian Greek population. On August 10, 1943, the National Republican Greek League (EDES) and the Cham Balli Kombëtar (BK) held a meeting in Parga, attended by representatives of the two organizations including Mazar Dino. EDES asked for

1280-495: The Kaza 80% Muslim. In 1898, Sami Frasheri describes Margariti as a town with about 3,000 Muslim Albanian inhabitants, although this figure is slightly exaggerated. During this time, the Kaza of Margariti, which included the nahiyes of Margariti (largely coterminous to the modern municipality), Parga and Fanari included 71 villages with a total of 25,000 inhabitants, all of which spoke Albanian and most of which were Muslim. Margariti

1344-512: The Muslim community were saved by units of EDES. In general violent incidents in Summer-Autumn 1944 were quite limited and the civilian Muslim community was not found in danger. During the conflicts that resulted in the German retreat, the Axis troops around Parga had the armed support of Cham units. At the end of the war, the remaining Muslim Chams fled to Albania. Albanian is still spoken by a part of

SECTION 20

#1732855352025

1408-574: The Ottomans for two years; part of the castle was demolished at that time. In 1537, Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa burned and destroyed the fortress and the houses within. Before the reconstruction of the castle in 1572 by the Venetians, the Turks demolished it once again. The Venetians rebuilt it for the third and last time creating a stronger fortress that stayed impregnable until 1819, despite attacks, especially by Ali Pasha of Ioannina . Provisions for

1472-612: The Swiss representative of the International Red Cross , Hans-Jakob Bickel, visited the area and concluded: 20,000 Albanians, with Italian and now German support, spread terror to the rest of the population. Only in the region of Fanari 24 villages were destroyed. In 21 settlements in the vicinity of Kanallaki 400 inhabitants were arrested and forced to march to the nearest concentration camp in Thessaloniki (KZ Pavlos Melas). When

1536-523: The Venetians and the Albanian beys of Margariti resulted in disputes for the control of the agricultural territory between Parga and the inland territory. Evliya's visit occurred during the last years of the Cretan War , when there was a constant threat of Venetian attack. An Ottoman budget record of 1669/70 shows that the small castle of Margariti had eight gunners, and an estimated 40-50 Janissaries . The local Albanian Çapari family emerged in this era. By

1600-461: The Venetians for protection. The town passed under Venetian control in 1401, and was administered as a mainland exclave of the Venetian possession of Corfu , under a castellan. Ottoman raids were particularly heavy in the mid 15th century, as the senate gave the citizens of the town a 10-year tax exemption in 1454. A Romaniote Jewish community was recorded in 1496 in Venetian Parga. Throughout

1664-726: The acropolis of Ephyra include two successive defensive walls in cyclopean masonry and a gate in built similar to the Lion Gate of Mycenae . In historical times the Necromanteion of Ephyra in Epirus was probably the best known oracle of this kind in Ancient Greece . A fort is attested in the 14th century ( Castellanariam Fanarij ) at the Glykys river. In June 1386 the population of Fanari asked for Venetian protection. This indicates that Venice

1728-441: The annexation of Margariti there was a decrease of its population of Muslim Albanians. From 1913 to 1920, its population dropped from 2606 to 1803. During that period all village elders of the region gathered and declared that they would resist the incorporation of the area into Greece. According to the Greek census of 1928, the town of Margariti had dropped to 1,805 inhabitants of which 200 were Greeks, who had increased as part of

1792-516: The area around Parga itself. In the 17th century, their relations worsened and Parga was a frequent target of attacks by the beys of Margariti, in particular in 1640-42. During these two years, the representative ( bailo ) of Venice in the Ottoman court submitted an official note of protest for the attacks of Margariti against Venetian Parga. During Ottoman rule in Epirus, the inhabitants of Parga displayed continuous support for Greek revolutionary activities. Apart from brief periods of Ottoman possession,

1856-479: The atrocities saw the later arrival of the various resistance groups as an opportunity to return to their former properties and also to take advantage in terms of land due to the expulsion of the Muslim community. The municipal unit Fanari is subdivided into the following communities: Margariti Margariti ( Greek : Μαργαρίτι ) is a village and a former municipality in Thesprotia , Epirus , Greece . Since

1920-796: The beach with the port of Parga. Parga experiences a hot-summer mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csa ). Precipitation falls mainly in the winter months, with little in the summer. The town experiences mild winters and hot, dry summers. The average annual temperature is 16.5 °C or 61.8 °F, with about 1219 mm or 48.0 inches of precipitation annually. The town of Parga is linked with direct suburban buses ( KTEL ) to other Greek cities and towns such as Igoumenitsa and Preveza . There are also indirect connections with Athens , Thessaloniki and Ioannina Tourists arriving in Parga fly in from Aktio (65 km) with seasonal direct flights connecting Parga with Athens, Thessaloniki and other domestic and international destinations. Tourists also arrive via

1984-424: The beaches of Parga, is located in western Greece 3 km from Parga and Spread in the area of 2 hectares. Agios Sostis is a small beach on the northwest side of Anthoussa village. A small church, built in the 14th century, stands nearby. Sarakiniko is a well-known beach, located on the west side of Agia village, near a small river and olive trees, approximately 12 km from the town centre. Small boats connect

Parga - Misplaced Pages Continue

2048-586: The castle were transported via two bays at Valtos and Pogonia. When Parga was sold to the Ottomans , Ali Pasha made structural additions to the castle, including a Turkish bath and his harem quarters which he built at the top of the fortress. On the arched gate at the wall of the castle entrance, the winged lion of Agios Markos is visible. Other entrance details include, the name “ANTONIO BERVASS 1764”, emblems of Ali Pasha, two-headed eagles and related inscriptions. The city of Parga, built amphitheatrically, stands between

2112-403: The citadel and another 1,200 were located in the town which had developed around it. At this time, the town of Margariti, which was split into seven neighbourhoods and had a population of 5,000-6,000 inhabitants, had mainly converted to Islam. Çelebi recorded two Friday mosques with stone minarets and tile-covered roofs in the town, but no churches. He also recorded seven masjids divided across

2176-439: The common name of the kaza/nahiye as early as the salname 1865. Various ancient sites have been located in the vicinity of the modern settlement. There is a possibility that Margariti was founded before the 16th century. The Ottoman defter of 1530 that was based on the information of a register made under Selim I in 1519-1520 is the first source to mention the hamlet of “ Margarit ”, which had only 8 Christian households;

2240-516: The cooperation of the population in the surrounding region. A larger force of 6,000 Venetians and Corfiots , which also included local groups from Parga and Paramythia, assembled under the Venetian commander Sebastiano Venier and attacked the fort of Margariti, which was seized and burnt after a four-day siege. The fall of Margariti had a profound impact in the Christian states of the West as well as among

2304-708: The disarmament of the Cham units and for their activity to pass under EDES command. These demands were met with refusal by the Cham BK. After orders by the British Allied Command the EDES undertook operations around the coast of Parga. Control of the region was vital for logistical reasons. On 28 June 1944, EDES took the village and killed 52 Cham Albanians. The following month the left wing National Liberation Front (EAM) arrested 40 local Muslims and executed them. The remaining members of

2368-589: The end of World War II , the presence of Albanian Islam in Chameria was annihilated; Chams were expelled from the town by ELAS forces. Those who could save themselves fled to Albania, whereas mosques, tekkes and other buildings reminiscent of the Islamic period were torn down, blown up or set on fire. The town and many of the surviving villages were largely deserted. According to the Greek census of 1960, Margariti had 982 inhabitants. The town and its 48 villages together had

2432-498: The end of the 18th century, Hasan Çapari, the leading figure of the family, owned the entire plain of Fanari (to the south of Margariti). Cham Albanian landlords of Margariti and Paramythia were in conflict with Ali Pasha of Yannina during much of the existence of the Pashalik of Yanina . After Ali occupied the town in 1811 following a stubborn resistance led by Hasan Aga of Margariti, the settlement lost much of its prosperity. During

2496-520: The following siege against Parga. In 1815, with the fortunes of the French failing, the citizens of Parga revolted against French rule and sought the protection of the British. In 1819, the British ceded control the city to Ali Pasha of Ioannina (the subject of Francesco Hayez 's later painting The Refugees of Parga ) in exchange for a monetary settlement, and it later passed to full Ottoman rule. This decision

2560-457: The fort of Margariti from the Ottomans. The Venetian governor of Corfu initially assessed that the force of the group was too small (200-250 men) for the attack. After the Battle of Lepanto , crucial support was provided by armed units during the second siege of Margariti (November 10–14, 1571); revolutionary leader Petros Lantzas became a key figure by organizing the military movements and securing

2624-507: The gradual Hellenization of Albanian-majority towns in the area in the 1920s. According to the Greek census of 1928, the Eparchy of Margariti (including Margariti, Parga, Fanari, Perdika ) had 14,531 inhabitants of which only 5,000 were Muslim Chams. During the interwar period, Margariti was among the most important towns of the Cham Albanian community located in the coastal region of

Parga - Misplaced Pages Continue

2688-588: The inhabitants in of the municipality which includes a much broader area than the immediate vicinity of Parga itself. In the settlements of the Fanari plain, Albanian is still spoken by a few people, while in some settlements like Anthousa and Kanallaki , the closest existing variants of Souliotic Albanian are still spoken by a few people in modern times. Various cultural and educational foundations in Parga were erected due to bequests by prominent locals, such as Athanasios Deskas. The modern town in general preserves its traditional architectural features. The Castle

2752-513: The leader of the Cham security battalions, promised to secure the region of the Acheron river, south of Paramythia, against Allied infiltration. During the subsequent operations, 600 Greek villagers were killed and 70 villages in the region were destroyed. 500 Greek citizens were taken hostages and 160 of them were sent to forced labour in Nazi Germany. The small cultivators of Fanari who survived

2816-473: The march begun the armed groups did not hesitate to execute a diseased priest in front of the rest of the hostages. The looting and burning in the villages of Fanari lasted for 19 days while c. 800 armed troops of the Cham Albanian militia participated in the atrocities. In exchange of their support, German Lieutenant Colonel Josef Remold offered the Chams weapons and equipment. As a token of appreciation, Nuri Dino ,

2880-404: The members of the garrison of the “ castle of Margaliç ” with a castle commander ( Dizdar ) and 17 soldiers. Their pay was covered by the tax revenue of a group of villages in the district of Margariti. In 1570, the Venetian commander Girolamo Zane unsuccessfully attacked the fort of Margariti. In 1571, a group of Albanians from Margariti travelled to Corfu and asked for assistance to take

2944-463: The mountainous coastal region of Preveza and Igoumenitsa. It is known as the "Bride of Epirus". In the summer, tourists arrive from Paxos, Antipaxos, and Corfu by boat. Parga attracts thousands of tourists. In its vicinity there are beaches including Valtos, Kryoneri, Piso Kryoneri, Lichnos, Sarakiniko and Ai Giannaki. Valtos Beach is one of the longest beaches of Parga. It is located near the castle of Parga. Because of its clear waters and proximity to

3008-481: The name of the area for most of its existence. The settlements and the region were known as the nahiye/kaza of Mazarak , the name of a village 6km to the south of modern Margariti. Mazarak was the central settlement of the Albanian Mazreku clan, which provided the guard of the citadel of Margariti. Until the 19th century, the region was known as the kaza of Mazarak in Ottoman records. Marglic/Margariti appears as

3072-469: The neighbourhoods that did not hold Friday services and functioned as prayer rooms. Additionally, two primary schools ( mektep ), a hamam , two caravanserais , two tekkes and a number of shops were recorded; a madrasa was constructed in the town at some point during the 1670s following Evliya's visit. The position of Margariti at the Venetian-Ottoman border was a cause of friction as the interests of

3136-467: The neighbouring villages were also devoid of Muslims. The Ottoman fort in the settlement was built in the first half of the 16th century. Margariti was the administrative center of the nahiye of Mazaraki which in 1551 was renamed to Margariti. The name refers to the Albanian Mazreku tribe which lived in the region and who, via their military services, founded the core of Margariti. The nahiye had 38 and 35 villages in 1551 and 1613 respectively whereas

3200-497: The possession of the Ottomans. The Cham Albanians who had escaped returned and rebuilt the castle. The Ottoman defter of 1583 shows that Margaliç had only slightly grown, as the number of households increased to only 10 with another 10 unmarried adult males in the settlement. The household heads had Albanian names such as Gjin, Gjon and Duka, although there were three priests with Greek Orthodox names and one recent Muslim convert. Each household paid around 100 Akçe as tax annually, which

3264-493: The predominant language in Parga was Greek since even the local Muslim element spoke Greek, while some of them also spoke Albanian. In the early 20th century, apart from Albanian speakers, a considerable part of the Parga Muslims were Greek speakers and Romani, many of whom had immigrated to the area from southern Greece after the Greek war of independence in 1821. Ottoman rule in Parga and the rest of Epirus ended in 1913 following

SECTION 50

#1732855352025

3328-580: The region, invited the people of Parga to return to their homeland. During the first year of the Greek War of Independence (1821) the Ottoman garrison of Parga was unsuccessfully attacked by a small force of Souliotes and men of the local diaspora. In 1831 some Muslim refugee families from the Peloponnese were resettled in Parga by Reşid Mehmed Pasha According to a 1877 report by the Greek vice-consul, in Parga lived 365 Christian and 180 Muslim families. In 1877

3392-496: The settlement of Margariti itself had 17 and 20 households in 1551 and 1613 respectively. It was located on the Venetian-Ottoman borderlands of the time. The locals of the areas of Paramythia , Parakalamos and Margariti were specifically harassed by the Venetians and the inhabitants of Venetian Corfu in violation of the Ottoman-Venetian treaty of 1540. In the register of 1551, Margariti was recorded as having been inhabited by

3456-407: The target of constant raids. The cause of friction has to do with the conflicting interests of the Venetians and the Albanian beys of Margariti for the control of the agricultural territory between the town of Parga and the inland territory. Such an attack against the coastal port was organized in 1558 by the formerly Christian spahi of Agia (today part of the municipality of Parga) and the locals of

3520-468: The town it attracts many tourists. Kastro Point, which is located in the same beach, is popular among surfers due to its excellent surfing conditions. However, the level of skill required is high and the spot is best suited to more advanced surfers. Krioneri Beach, the main beach of Parga, lies a short distance from the town centre. The small island of Virgin Mary is situated across the bay. Lichnos Beach, one of

3584-523: The town remained in Venetian hands until the Fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797. It then passed to France. As the relations of France with Ali Pasha deteriorated over his ambitions against the mainland exclave of Parga, the French twice considered using the men of their Albanian regiment against the mainland, but nothing came of these plans. The leading figure of political life of Parga in this transitional period

3648-601: The victory of Greece in the Balkan Wars , and the town became part of Greece. As a result of the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey , the state of Greece in November 1924 transported to Turkey, 1,500 Albanian-speaking Muslims from Parga, as not being of Albanian origin. The Muslims of Parga had acquired Ottoman citizenship in 1913, but had later renounced it. On this basis, the Greek government considered them to be Turkish. As

3712-509: The village who according to Venetian reports harassed Parga on a daily basis. Relations between the two factions oscillated depending on political interests. The General Commander of the Venetian Fleet, Sebastiano Vernier (d. 1578) preferred a cautious policy of conflict resolution with the inhabitants of Margariti , as well as friendly relations with the Albanians loyal to Venice who controlled

3776-465: Was Hasan Çapari, strong adversary of Ali Pasha and very wealthy landowner from nearby Margariti , who in 1807 sought Russian support, claiming that the Royal Navy "were harassing the residents of Parga". In 1812 the adjacent settlement of Agia that belonged to Parga was captured by Ottoman general Daut Bey, the nephew of Ali Pasha. He then massacred and enslaved the local population. Daut was killed during

3840-568: Was highly unpopular among the population of Parga, a predominantly Greek inhabited and extremely pro-Venetian settlement. Parga then ceased to provide a refuge for Klephts and Souliotes and many residents of Parga moved to nearby Corfu rather than live under Ottoman rule. As such Parga was completely abandoned by its inhabitants after the British departure and its handover to Ali Pasha in 1819. Ali Pasha brought local Albanian speakers from Chameria to repopulate Parga. In 1830, Ottoman general Kutahi pasha, in his attempt to restore rule and justice in

3904-584: Was located there during the late Hellenistic Age . It owes its name due to the shape of its beach ( Greek : Τορύνη ladle in Greek). Parga itself is mentioned for the first time in 1318; the name is most likely of Slavic origin. Two years later, the town and its sugarcane plantation proceeds were unsuccessfully offered by Nicholas Orsini , the Despot of Epirus , to the Republic of Venice in exchange for Venetian aid against

SECTION 60

#1732855352025

3968-566: Was represented as part of the delegation of Chameria by prominent local figure Jakup Veseli when Albania declared its independence in 1912. Some Albanian beys of Margariti were willing to accept Greek rule during the Balkan Wars. In February 1913, Margariti was taken by the Greek army and incorporated into Greece following the Treaty of London (May 1913). Margariti was one of the most severely damaged Cham settlements by Greek militia. Following

4032-461: Was the main point of contention: 90% of the arable land in Fanari and Paramithia was owned by a few absentee Muslim landlords while the situation of the Christian farmers was quite precarious. Since the late 19th century land disputes triggered national feeling and sympathies in favor to the kingdom of Greece . Fanari is still a mainly agricultural area. Before World War II the local population supported

4096-427: Was the sole power in the region that could protect the local population against Ottoman expansion. As such, Marino della Roseaa, a Venetian from Corfu acquired the local fort for 100 ducats probably from its Albanian lord but soon abandoned it because of the frequent raids. Fanari was still in Venetian control in 1395 and 1399. During the late Ottoman period the local nationalist movement was weak while land property

#24975