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129-565: During ancient times, Zagori was inhabited by the Molossians . Excavations in the location Genitsari near Vitsa led to the discovery of a settlement possibly of the Tymphaeans or the Molossians dated to the 9th until the 4th century BC. There were signs of the foundations of small buildings from the archaic (geometric) and classical periods and a graveyard with at least 140 graves that contained coins, pottery and weaponry. The establishment of

258-696: A Turkish force of 1500 under Ismael Pasha arrived in Zagori, part of the total army of 20,000 sent against Ali Pasha. Alexis Noutsos from Kapesovo , a member of the Philike Hetairia , was in command of the force opposing Ismael Pasha. However, the Sultan's armies prevailed. Ismael Pasha removed most privileges other than the right to appoint a local governor (Vekylis), whose powers however became nominal. Ismael Pasha introduced very heavy taxation, amounting to 250 silver coins per person and additional taxation in kind. Zagori

387-497: A humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) in the Köppen climate classification , with somewhat wetter summers than nearby coastal areas, tempered by its inland location and elevation. Summers are typically hot and moderately dry, while winters are wet and colder than on the coast with frequent frosts and occasional snowfall. Ioannina is the wettest city in mainland Greece with over 50,000 inhabitants. The absolute maximum temperature ever recorded

516-561: A ban on Turks crossing the borders into the area. The Zagorisian League or Koinon of the Zagorisians (Κοινόν Ζαγορισίων) was formed after the treaty of 1431 with Sinan-Pasha. At that point the arrangement that granted local autonomy was called "Voiniko". The autonomy guaranteed non-interference in the local affairs by the Ottoman overlords. Zagorisians had their affairs entrusted to a Council of Elders called Demogerontia (Δημογεροντία), headed by

645-600: A chrysobull conceding wide-ranging autonomy and various privileges and exemptions on its inhabitants. A Jewish community is also attested in the city in 1319. In the Epirote revolt of 1337–1338 against Byzantine rule, the city remained loyal to Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos . Soon afterwards Ioannina fell to the Serb ruler Stephen Dushan and remained part of the Serbian Empire until 1356, when Dushan's half-brother Simeon Uroš

774-403: A festival that can last several days. Characteristic songs of mourning (moirologia) accompany the lamentation of the dead. Funerary rites include the exhumation of the bones of the deceased following a period of 1–3 years. The bones are washed, perfumed and placed in a wooden larnax and kept in ossuaries in each village. Historically, all the villages of the Zagori region were connected by

903-485: A few years later an army from the restored Byzantine Empire unsuccessfully laid siege to the city. Following the assassination in 1318 of the last native ruler, Thomas I Komnenos Doukas , by his nephew Nicholas Orsini , the city refused to accept the latter and turned to the Byzantines for assistance. On this occasion, Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos elevated the city to a metropolitan bishopric , and in 1319 issued

1032-537: A haven for Greeks on the run from the Ottoman authorities. Several prominent scholars of the Greek Enlightenment , such as Neofytos Doukas , Georgios Gennadios and Athanasios Psalidas sought refuge here, after the Sultan's army destroyed Ioannina in 1820. Some among them even made plans to set up a university in the monastery of St John of Rogovou, near Tsepelovo . In 1820, after the rebellion of Ali Pasha ,

1161-635: A limited number of texts written with Greek alphabet in their idiom. Ioannina was incorporated into the Greek state on 21 February 1913 after the Battle of Bizani in the First Balkan War . The day the city came under the control of the Greek forces, aviator Christos Adamidis , a native of the city, landed his Maurice Farman MF.7 biplane in the Town Hall square, to the adulation of an enthusiastic crowd. Following

1290-502: A memorandum to the Ottoman government demanding, among other things, the establishment of Albanian language schools and various Muslim Albanians of the Vilayet formed in Ioannina a committee which aimed at defending Albanian rights, but it was inactive in general. The Greek population of the region authorized a committee to present to European governments their wish for union with Greece; as

1419-451: A number of atrocities against the Greek population of Ioannina, culminating in the sewing up of local women in sacks and drowning them in the nearby lake, this period of his rule coincides with the greatest economic and intellectual prosperity of the city. As a couplet has it " The city was first in arms, money and letters ". When the French scholar François Pouqueville visited the city during

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1548-445: A president or governor called Vekylis (Βεκύλης). As part of the treaty they maintained a force of Sipahi cavalry (σπαχήδες), with each village contributing a number of horsemen to that force according to its means. Under the terms of this agreement no intervention by the Ottoman authorities was allowed, nor did any Ottoman armed units had the right to set foot on Zagori. The villages of Eastern Zagori, inhabited by Aromanians , entered

1677-513: A result Dimitrios Chasiotis published a memorandum in Paris in 1879. According to the Ottoman censuses of 1881–1893, the city and its environs (the central kaza of the Sanjak of Ioannina), had a population comprising 4,759 Muslims, 77,258 Greek Orthodox (including both Greek and Albanian speakers), 3,334 Jews and 207 of foreign nationality. While a number of Turkish-language schools were established at

1806-418: A system of paths or small roads and they functioned more like a single entity rather than as separate communities. Villages are built around a central square, also called mesochori (village centre) with a large church, a plane tree and a public fountain. Cobbled streets and footpaths interconnect the rest of the village. Each individual neighbourhood has a smaller church. Most churches in Zagori date from

1935-636: A union between Neoptolemus (son of Achilles ) and Andromache (the wife of Hector of Troy ). Neoptolemus, also called Pyrrhus for his blond hair, was first in a line of Epirotan kings leading to the king Pyrrhus of Hellenistic times who launched several campaigns against the Romans in Italy . Olympias , the mother of Alexander the Great , was a Molossian princess. Remains of cyclopean walls in Skamneli also testify to

2064-606: A very small number of Sephardi . Many emigrated to New York, founding a congregation in 1906 and the Kehila Kedosha Janina synagogue in 1927. According to Rae Dalven , 1,950 Jews were living in Ioannina in April 1941. Of these, 1,870 were deported by the Nazis to concentration camps on 25 March 1944, during the final months of German occupation. Almost all of the people deported were murdered on or shortly after 11 April 1944, when

2193-483: Is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of the city. It is a wax museum which covers events and personalities from Greek history as well as the history of the region and is the result of the personal work of Pavlos Vrellis. A digital art exhibition, Plásmata II, was organised by the Onassis Cultural Center in the lakeside of Pamvotis , in the summer of 2023. More than 100,000 people visited the exhibition. It

2322-522: Is a haven for endangered species and contains many and varied ecosystems. The municipality Zagori was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following five former municipalities, that became municipal units (constituent communities in brackets): Ioannina Ioannina ( Greek : Ιωάννινα Ioánnina [i.oˈa.ni.na] ), often called Yannena ( Γιάννενα Yánnena [ˈʝa.ne.na] ) within Greece,

2451-474: Is a new entry for the city and future actions in every area with the help of Onassis Cultural Center. The University of Ioannina ( Greek : Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων, Panepistimio Ioanninon ) is a university five kilometres southwest of Ioannina. The university was founded in 1964, as a charter of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and became an independent university in 1970. Today, the university

2580-426: Is an edifice in itself, covered by a stone roof and connecting the house to the rest of the village. In addition to the house, there are ancillary buildings, usually a " mageirio " (kitchen), an external toilet at the furthest corner from the kitchen, and stables. The main house is built with walls up to a meter thick that may have an internal sand compartment for insulation against the cold. The house entrance opens into

2709-495: Is in the shape of an upturned equilateral triangle. Ioannina , the provincial capital, is at the southern point of the triangle, while the south-western side is formed by Mount Mitsikeli (1,810m). The Aoos river running north of Mt Tymphe forms the northern boundary, while the south-eastern side runs along the Varda river to Mount Mavrovouni (2,100m) near Metsovo . The municipality has an area of 989.796 km . The population of

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2838-506: Is not supported, however, by any concrete archaeological evidence. Early 21st-century excavations have brought to light fortifications dating to the Hellenistic period , the course of which was largely followed by later reconstruction of the fortress in the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. The identification of the site with one of the ancient cities of Epirus has not yet been possible. It

2967-573: Is not until 879 that the name Ioannina appears for the first time, in the acts of the Fourth Council of Constantinople , which refer to one Zacharias, Bishop of Ioannine, a suffragan of Naupaktos . After the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria , in 1020 Emperor Basil II subordinated the local bishopric to the Archbishopric of Ohrid . The Greek archaeologist K. Tsoures dated the Byzantine city walls and

3096-419: Is one of the leading academic institutions in Greece. As of 2017, there was a student population of 25,000 enrolled at the university (21,900 at the undergraduate level and 3,200 at the postgraduate level) and 580 faculty members, while teaching is further supplemented by 171 teaching fellows and 132 laboratory staff. The university administrative services are staffed with 420 employees. Beginning in

3225-589: Is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus , an administrative region in northwestern Greece . According to the 2021 census, the city population was 64,896 while the municipality had 113,978 inhabitants. It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 metres (1,640 feet) above sea level , on the western shore of Lake Pamvotis ( Παμβώτις ). Ioannina is located 410 km (255 mi) northwest of Athens , 260 kilometres (162 miles) southwest of Thessaloniki and 80 km (50 miles) east of

3354-864: The Anagnostopouleios in their home village and contributed to the expenses for the Zosimaia School in Ioannina . Michael Anagnostopoulos from Papingo built the Kallineios School in Papingo and the Anagnostopouleios School in Konitsa . As a result of the numerous schools, the Greek language was preserved in the area. As the mountains were outside the direct rule of the Ottoman Empire , they offered

3483-570: The Asia Minor Catastrophe (1922) and the Treaty of Lausanne , the Muslim population was exchanged with Greek refugees from Asia Minor . A small Muslim community of Albanian origin continued to live in Ioannina after the exchange, which in 1940 counted 20 families and had decreased to 8 individuals in 1973. In 1940 during World War II the capture of the city became one of the major objectives of

3612-628: The Balkan Wars . The city is also characterized by various green areas and parks, including Molos (Lake Front), Litharitsia Park, Pirsinella Park (Giannotiko Saloni), Suburban Forest. There are two hospitals, the General Hospital of Ioannina "G. Hatzikosta", and the University Hospital of Ioannina. It is also the seat of the University of Ioannina . The city's emblem consists of the portrait of

3741-552: The Despotate of Epirus was reformed and was under Latin rule by Carlo II Tocco when Ioannina and Zagori fell to the Turks in 1430, at the time of Sultan Murad II . Zagori (which then only consisted of 14 villages) "bowed the knee", which meant in practice that there were obligations between delegations of the two sides and a sum in tax was agreed upon in exchange for very considerable privileges: autonomy, administrative independence, and

3870-580: The Ottomans conquered Ioannina , Vitsa and the rest of Zagori villages formed an autonomous federation, the Commons of the Zagorisians ( Greek : Κοινόν των Ζαγορισίων ). Further privileges were granted to the Commons of the Zagorisians due to the influence of Phanariot Zagorisians over the court of the Sultan , and were preserved until 1868. According to these privileges, Zagori was autonomous and self-governed under

3999-527: The Papazogleios school for girls as an endowment following her death; it operated until 1905. In 1869, a great part of Ioannina was destroyed by fire. The marketplace was soon reconstructed according to the plans of the German architect Holz, thanks to the personal interest of Ahmet Rashim Pasha, the local governor. Communities of people from Ioannina living abroad were active in financing the construction of most of

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4128-582: The Second World War . At that time several of the villages of Zagori and the monastery of Votsa were burned in German reprisals . Most of the villages became deserted during the Greek Civil War of 1946–49. Since the 1980s, state initiatives aim to preserve the traditional character of the villages and the natural landscape. In September 2023, UNESCO added Zagori to the list of Cultural Landscapes, acknowledging

4257-499: The Treaty in 1480. Many toponyms in northern and eastern Zagori that have Aromanian etymology, while toponyms with mainly Greek or Slavic etymology are present in western and southern Zagori. In a 1986 study of 3546 local toponyms ~70% are mediated via Greek and ~30% via non-Greek languages in their modern form: 13% Aromanian, 8,3% Slavic, 5,2% Albanian and 2,2% Turkish, while in terms of linguistic origin 56% Greek, and about non-Greek (including loanwords that were already incorporated in

4386-701: The VIII Division headquarters. It dates from the late 19th century. Some neoclassical buildings such the post office, the old Zosimaia School , the Papazogleios Weaving School, and the former Commercial School date from the late Ottoman period as do a few arcades in the old commercial centre of the city like Stoa Louli and Stoa Liampei. The churches of the Assumption of the Virgin at Perivleptos, Saint Nicholas of Kopanon and Saint Marina were rebuilt in

4515-570: The Zosimades brothers, books for use in the schools of Ioannina such as the Arithmetica of Balanos Vasilopoulos , as well as medical books. At the same time these merchants and entrepreneurs maintained close economic and intellectual relations with their birthplace and founded charity and education establishments. These merchants were to be major national benefactors. Thus the Epiphaniou School

4644-410: The attic . The basement of the house contains cellars and other storage areas that may be used as additional quarters for animals. Few of the old manors survive, most having fallen victim to disrepair. In those that survive, the ondas room is the most spacious, has a large fireplace and may have floral frescoes . It was used for the reception of guests. More than 160 arched bridges were built in

4773-663: The bimah (where the Torah scrolls are read out during service) is on a raised dais on the western wall, the Aron haKodesh (where the Torah scrolls are kept) is on the eastern wall and at the middle there is a wide interior aisle . The names of the Ioanniote Jews who were killed in the Holocaust are engraved in stone on the walls of the synagogue. There was a Romaniote Jewish community living in Ioannina before World War II , in addition to

4902-567: The treaty of partition of the Byzantine lands after the Fourth Crusade , Ioannina was promised to the Venetians, but in the event, it became part of the new state of Epirus , founded by Michael I Komnenos Doukas . Under Michael I, the city was enlarged and fortified anew. The Metropolitan of Naupaktos , John Apokaukos , reports how the city was but a "small town", until Michael gathered refugees who had fled Constantinople and other parts of

5031-477: The 1204 sack of Constantinople , with the city experiencing great prosperity and considerable autonomy, despite the political turmoil. Ioannina surrendered to the Ottomans in 1430 and until 1868 it was the administrative center of the Pashalik of Yanina . In the period between the 18th and 19th centuries, the city was a major center of the modern Greek Enlightenment . Ioannina was ceded to Greece in 1913 following

5160-617: The 15th century. Most of the Albanian settlement can be attributed to a later era and was fuelled by outward migration from Zagori of locals, which created the need for new inhabitants to help with local economic activities. Many Orthodox Albanians intermarried into the communities of Zagori or were adopted by Zagorisian families. They often served as guards for the villages of Zagori and their fields which had no military protection, however would occasionally resort to banditry. Hence Albanian immigrants filled these labour gaps and quickly became part of

5289-569: The 17th century and until World War II , (when Zagorisian traditional emigration ended), most people from Vitsa would emigrate to Egypt , Asia Minor and the United States. Inside geographical Greece , they mostly emigrated to Macedonia . In addition to the double arched bridge of Missios (built in 1748 AD), there is the church of Agios Georgios or of the Taxiarches from 1607 AD, the church of Agios Nikolaos (1612 AD, with well preserved frescoes),

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5418-412: The 17–18th centuries onwards, although some older foundations survive. In most villages the main church consists of a sizeable basilica built of stone with a wooden roof covered by slate . They are decorated by mainly Epirotan iconographers in the Byzantine tradition. The entrance to the church may be protected by a colonnaded arcade . The campanile is usually detached from the church. Houses until

5547-409: The 1850s by funds from Nikolaos Zosimas and his brothers on the foundations of previous churches that perished in the great fire of 1820. The Cathedral of St Athanasius was completed in 1933. It was built on the foundations of the previous Orthodox cathedral which was destroyed in the fires of 1820. It is a three-aisled basilica . Some of the most important museums of the city are within the walls of

5676-525: The 18th century bore an inscription which dated its foundation in the late 9th century AD. The existing synagogue was built in 1829 and is known as the Old Synagogue. It is located in the old fortified part of the city known as "Kastro" , at 16 Ioustinianou street. Its architecture is typical of the Ottoman era, a large building made of stone. The interior of the synagogue is laid out in the Romaniote way:

5805-413: The 18th century were simple rectangular dwellings, often with only a ground floor and with ancillary areas in the basement used as stables. Indeed, this appears to be the style of construction of the dwellings in the excavated Molossian site near Vitsa . Houses are built of local stone and have a roof made of stone tiles (either of limestone or sandstone ) which are held together without cement, only by

5934-467: The 18th century. Due to the thriving trade activities of the Zagorisian diaspora several instances of donations were recorded: bridges, cobblestones, fountains, schools, temples and monasteries and social charity. Up to the end of the Ottoman rule the native Zagorians preserved their social superiority over the other classes, as well they were engaged in lucrative and socially recognized professions. Among

6063-486: The 1950s. The stone arched bridges were built by benefactions from expatriate merchants in the 18th century and replaced older wooden bridges. The region has been historically difficult to access due to its mountainous terrain which likely contributed to its unique character. The Sarakatsani people who can be found in this area use several Greek words of a Northern Greek dialect not commonly found in Greek elsewhere. They are consequently considered by some as indigenous to

6192-563: The Byzantine Emperor Justinian crowned by a stylized depiction of the nearby ancient theater of Dodona . The city's formal name, Ioannina , is probably a corruption of Agioannina or Agioanneia , 'place of St. John', and is said to be linked to the establishment of a monastery dedicated to Saint John the Baptist , around which the later settlement (in the area of the current Ioannina Castle ) grew. According to another theory,

6321-477: The Empire that fell to the crusaders of the Fourth Crusade , and settled them there, transforming the city into a fortress and "ark of salvation". Despite frictions with local inhabitants who tried in 1232 to expel the refugees, the latter were eventually successfully settled and Ioannina gained in both population and economic and political importance. In the aftermath of the Battle of Pelagonia in 1259, much of Epirus

6450-684: The Feast of the Dormition of the Virgin (15 August). Zagori Zagori ( Greek : Ζαγόρι ; Aromanian : Zagori ), is a region, a municipality, and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site , in the Pindus mountains in Epirus , in northwestern Greece . The seat of the municipality is the village Asprangeloi . It has an area of some 1,000 square kilometres (390 sq mi) and contains 46 villages known as Zagori villages (or Zagorochoria or Zagorohoria), and

6579-472: The German army murdered in reprisal nearly 100 people in the village of Lingiades, 13 kilometres distant from Ioaninna, in what is known as the Lingiades massacre . The University of Ioannina was founded in 1970; until then, higher education faculties in the city had been part of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki . According to the local Greek scholar Panayiotis Aravantinos , a synagogue destroyed in

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6708-461: The Greek world, was either from Ioannina or was a graduate of one of the city's schools." In 1788 the city became the center of the territory ruled by Ali Pasha , an area that included the entire northwestern part of Greece, southern parts of Albania , Thessaly as well as parts of Euboea and the Peloponnese . The Ottoman-Albanian lord Ali Pasha was one of the most influential personalities of

6837-559: The Ioannites invited the Count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos , Carlo I Tocco , who had already been expanding his domains into Epirus for the last decade, as their new ruler. By 1416 Carlo I Tocco had managed to capture Arta as well, thereby reuniting the core of the old Epirote realm, and received recognition from both the Ottomans and the Byzantine emperor. Ioannina became the summer capital of

6966-582: The Italian Army. Nevertheless, the Greek defense in Kalpaki pushed back the invading Italians. In April 1941 Ioannina was intensively bombed by the German forces even during the negotiations that led to the capitulation of the Greek army. During the subsequent Axis occupation of Greece , the city's Jewish community was rounded up by the Germans in 1944 and mostly perished in the concentration camps. On 3 October 1943,

7095-460: The Monastery of St Nicholas (Spanou) or Philanthropinon (1292), St John the Baptist (1506), Eleousis (1570), St Panteleimon (17th century), and of the Transfiguration of Christ (1851). The monasteries of Strategopoulou and Philanthropinon also functioned as colleges. Alexios Spanos, the monks Proklos and Comnenos, and the Apsarades brothers Theophanis and Nektarios are among those that taught there. The school continued its activities until 1758, when it

7224-450: The Ottoman commander, Sinan Pasha, promised to spare the city and respect its autonomy. Under Ottoman rule, Ioannina remained an administrative centre, as the seat of the Sanjak of Ioannina , and experienced a period of relative stability and prosperity. The first Ottoman tax registers for the city dates to 1564, and records 50 Muslim households and 1,250 Christian ones; another register from 15 years later mentions Jews as well. In 1611

7353-455: The Sultan in 1868. This solution suited the conquerors and the conquered, as it added statutory rules to the geographical factors which had made Zagori a natural refuge. Consequently, Zagori was never broken up to be shared out among Turkish landowners. Its economy flourished thanks to expatriate merchants active in Romania , Ukraine , Russia and Constantinople , who through remittances to their families and numerous benefactions contributed to

7482-432: The Tocco domains, and Carlo I died there in July 1429. Carlo I's army, as well as the army of the city of Ioannina itself both before and during Carlo I's rule, was composed primarily of Albanians . His oldest bastard son, Ercole, called on the Ottomans for aid against the legitimate heir, Carlo II Tocco . In 1430 an Ottoman army, fresh from the capture of Thessalonica, appeared before Ioannina. The city surrendered after

7611-456: The Vikos Gorge and then continues to flow through its own smaller gorge into the river Aoös . The Vikos Gorge at 990m deep near Monodendri while Mt Tymphe, in which it lies, is 1350 m at its highest peak. It is one of the deepest gorges in the world, indeed the deepest in proportion to its width. The Vikos Gorge is also a site of major scientific interest, because it is in an almost pristine natural condition, untouched by human activity. It

7740-518: The Zagorians the most distinguished class due to their wealth and status were the archontes . The economic affluence of Zagori's past is still reflected in the architecture of the villages. This was accompanied by an impressive cultural and intellectual life that produced many renowned scholars and benefactors of Greece. Over the centuries, some groups of Orthodox Albanians (locally known as Arvanites ) settled in at least 12 villages of Zagori. Albanian settlers in Zagori must have been very few in

7869-399: The abolition of all privileges granted to the Christian inhabitants, who were driven away from the castle area and had to settle around it. From then onwards, Turks and Jews were to be established in the castle area. The School of the Despots at the Church of the Taxiarchs, that had been operating since 1204, was closed. Aslan Pasha also destroyed the monastery of St. John the Baptist within

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7998-399: The ancient town of "Molossis" which was located near modern Konitsa , in the northern boundary of Zagori, where the rivers Voidomatis, Aoös and Sarantaporos come together. The Molossians were known among else for a breed of great mastiffs they used to guard their flocks from wolves and bears and which were even used in war. Molossus , their eponymous ancestor, was said to have been born of

8127-406: The antiquity of human occupation. During the 9th–4th centuries B.C., a small Molossian settlement existed between Monodendri and Vitsa , including stone houses and two cemeteries which have yielded important findings. Additionally, foundations of fortifications and graves from the Hellenistic period have been found in Skamneli. However, throughout most of the historical time the local population

8256-536: The area is about 3,400, which gives a population density of 3.4 inhabitants per square kilometer, very sparse when compared to an average of 73.8 for Greece as a whole. Zagori is an area of great natural beauty, with striking geology and two National Parks, one including the river Aoos and the Vikos Gorge , the other around Valia Kalda, to the east of the imposing snow-capped Mt Tymphe . The 46 or so villages of Zagori were interconnected by mountain roads and traditional arched stone bridges until modern roads were opened in

8385-474: The area. The first evidence of human presence in the area is dated between 17,000 and 10,000 years ago. Important epipaleolithic artifacts have been unearthed from Kleidi Cave on the banks of Voidomatis . In antiquity, the region of Zagori was inhabited by the Tymphaeans and formed a part of the ancient kingdom of the Molossians , a Greek tribe of Epirus that gained control over all of Epirus in classical times. The Molossian royal house ruled Epirus from

8514-447: The building of several schools, some still surviving, for example the Common School of Greek Studies ( Greek : Κοινή Σχολή Ελληνικών Μαθημάτων) in Monodendri built by the brothers Manthos and Georgios Rizaris (1835). The brothers also funded the building of the Rizareios Ecclesiastical School in Athens (1844), while Zagori itself was under full Ottoman rule . The brothers Ioannis and Demetrios Anagnostopoulos from Dilofo founded

8643-427: The castle. The Municipal Ethnographic Museum is hosted in Aslan Pasha Mosque in the north-east citadel. It is divided into three departments, each one representing one of the main communities that inhabited the city: Greek, Muslim, and Jewish. The Byzantine Museum is in the south-eastern citadel of the castle. The museum opened in 1995 in order to preserve and present artefacts of the wider region of Epirus covering

8772-418: The church of the Dormition of the Virgin (Κοιμήσεως της Θεοτόκου) from 1554 (repaired in 1720-1728) in Lower Vitsa, the manors of Belogiannis, Vasdekis and Skevis and the Vrizopouleios School. The church of the Stavropegiac Monastery of Prophetes Elias (1632) survives in the north of Vitsa. It was founded upon an older foundation of a small 14th-century church of the Transfiguration of Christ. Vitsa celebrates

8901-415: The city in c.  1670 , counted 37 quarters, of which 18 Muslim, 14 Christian, 4 Jewish and 1 Gypsy. He estimated the population at 4,000 hearths. Despite the repression and conversions in the 17th century, and the prominence of the Muslim population in the city's affairs, Ioannina retained its Christian majority throughout Ottoman rule, and the Greek language retained a dominant position; Turkish

9030-410: The city suffered a serious setback as a result of a peasant revolt led by Dionysius the Philosopher , the Metropolitan of Larissa . The Greek inhabitants of the city were unaware of the intent of the fighting as previous successes of Dionysius had depended on the element of surprise. Much confusion ensued as Turks and Christians ended up indiscriminately fighting friend and foe alike. The revolt ended in

9159-449: The city walls in 1618 erected in its place the Aslan Pasha Mosque , today housing the Municipal Ethnographic Museum of Ioannina . The Ottoman reprisals in the wake of the revolt included the confiscation of many timars previously granted to Christian sipahis ; this began a wave of conversions to Islam by the local gentry, who became the so-called Tourkoyanniotes (Τoυρκογιαννιώτες). The Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi , who visited

9288-401: The city was named after Ioannina, the daughter of Belisarius , general of the emperor Justinian . There are two forms of the name in Greek, Ioannina being the formal and historical name, while the colloquial and much more commonly used Υannena or Υannina ( Greek : Γιάννενα, Γιάννινα ) represents the vernacular tradition of Demotic Greek . The demotic form also corresponds to those in

9417-528: The city's churches, schools and other elegant buildings of charitable establishments. The first bank of the Ottoman Empire , the Ottoman Bank , opened its first branch in Greece in Ioannina, which shows the power of the city in world trade in the 19th century. As the 19th century came to a close, signs of national agitation emerged among some parts of the city' s population. In 1877 for example, Albanian leaders sent

9546-424: The early 2020s, Ioannina has started to evolve into a significant technology hub. The city has attracted technology companies, which have helped to bolster Ioannina's technological capacity and contributed to a new economic trajectory for the city, driving development in this sector. Additionally, the prefecture has been actively fostering partnerships between Greek and German companies in a bid to further strengthen

9675-529: The early years of the 19th century, he counted 3,200 homes (2,000 Christian, 1,000 Muslim, 200 Jewish). The efforts of Ali Pasha to break away from the Sublime Porte alarmed the Ottoman government, and in 1820 (the year before the Greek War of Independence began) he was declared guilty of treason and Ioannina was besieged by Turkish troops. Ali Pasha was assassinated in 1822 in the monastery of St Panteleimon on

9804-490: The exception of some toponyms- have disappeared. At that era Orthodox Roma families settled in most villages in low numbers. They served as musicians and blacksmiths in Zagori. Arvanites and Roma were considered metoikoi (literary: foreigners) and comprised the lower social class in the region and lived at the outskirts of the villages without civil and property rights in Zagori politics, and were assimilated. Greek nomadic communities of Sarakatsani appeared in Zagori in

9933-536: The extensive destruction suffered in Molossia during the Roman conquest of 167 BC, settlement continued in the basin albeit no longer in an urban pattern. The exact time of Ioannina's foundation is unknown, but it is commonly identified with an unnamed new, "well-fortified" city, recorded by the historian Procopius as having been built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I for the inhabitants of ancient Euroia . This view

10062-554: The fall of Venice and closed in 1797 to be reopened as the Kaplaneios School thanks to a benefaction from an Ioannite living in Russia , Zoes Kaplanes. Its schoolmaster, Athanasios Psalidas had been a student of Methodios Anthrakites and had also studied in Vienna and in Russia . Psalidas established an important library of thousands of volumes in several languages and laboratories for

10191-408: The fireplace there is a walled closet called " mesantra ". As an aid to its function, the mantzato often has a location in the south of the house. A usually wooden staircase leads from the hagiati to the upper floor landing called " krevatta ". This is a space between the bedrooms. In rare cases, the krevatta opens into a small balcony covered by a wooden roof. " Glavané " is a small entrance to

10320-464: The fortifications underwent several modifications throughout the centuries. The most extensive alterations where conducted during the rule of Ali Pasha and were completed in 1815. Several monuments such as the Byzantine baths, the Ottoman baths, the Ottoman library, and the Soufari Sarai are found within the castle's walls. There are two citadels in the castle. The south-eastern citadel, which bears

10449-527: The foyer called " hagiati " which leads to adjoining rooms called " ondas " or " mantzato ". The hagiati originally was and sometimes still is a partially open area in front of the house. The name is probably derived from the Persian word Hayāt , a style of Persian garden with pavilions or other edifices. The mantzato is the main room for the winter months with a fireplace, a " tavla " (table) and seating areas that can be used as beds, called " basia ". Opposite

10578-400: The greater area of Zagori, many of which still stand helping travelers to cross the numerous rivers and streams of the region. They were mostly built during the 18th and 19th centuries by local master craftsmen using local stone. These bridges usually have one to three arches called "kamares" in Greek. One of the most iconic is the three arched bridge of Plakidas, also known as Kalogeriko, near

10707-677: The human habitation of Epirus from prehistoric times through the late Roman Period, with special emphasis placed on finds from the Dodona sanctuary. The Municipal Art Gallery of Ioannina (Dimotiki Pinakothiki) is housed in the Pyrsinella neoclassical building dating from around 1890. The gallery's collection displays major modern works of painters and sculptors, collected through purchases and donations from various collectors and artists. This includes about 500 works, paintings, drawings, prints, pictures and sculptures. The Pavlos Vrellis Greek History Museum

10836-526: The island of the lake, where he took refuge while waiting to be pardoned by Sultan Mahmud II . The Zosimaia was the first significant educational foundation established after the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence (1828). It was financed by a benefaction from the Zosimas brothers and began operating in 1828 and fully probably from 1833. It was a School of Liberal Arts (Greek, Philosophy and Foreign Languages). The mansion of Angeliki Papazoglou became

10965-511: The late 18th century. They were initially used as shepherds for the flocks of the native Zagorisians, but started developing their own flocks from the mid-19th century. Nevertheless, Zagori retained much of its Greek character through its system of government and the benefactions of its expatriates that favoured Greek education. The Koinon of the Zagorisians was reformalised by a treaty signed in 1670, under which Zagori enjoyed considerable privileges called Surutia, which were only rescinded fully by

11094-399: The local Greek language): 14% Aromanian, 11.5% Slavic, 6% Albanian, 4.8% Turkish, 3.3% of mixed linguistic origin and 2.5% Latin. The main source of income for the local communities came from commercial activities which resulted in migration to distant places. From 17th century the economy of Zagori primarily depended on the remittances and bequests of the diaspora. This activity peaked at

11223-576: The local economy and tech ecosystem. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with the Greek-German Chamber, outlining the recovery plan for the region, a move that has been seen as a significant step in boosting technological development in Ioannina. The city hosts consulates from the following countries: An informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the states of the European Union took place in Ioannina on 27 March 1994, resulting in

11352-542: The local population. Most of them had already participated in the Greek national struggles as Klephts and were experienced warriors. Some Albanians from Konitsa ( Gorgopotamos , Chionades) worked as masons or painters in Zagori but rarely settled there. Christian Orthodox Albanians have settled in at least 12 Zagori villages, including Tristeno , Arísti , Megalo Papingo , Anthrakitis, Asprangeloi , Kavallari, Kipi , Leptokarya, Monodendri , Tsepelovo , Vitsa , Vradeto and possibly Kapesovo . Local Albanian traces, with

11481-402: The mainland and can be reached on small motorboats running on varying frequencies depending on the season. The monastery of St Panteleimon, where Ali Pasha spent his last days waiting for a pardon from the Sultan , is now a museum housing everyday artefacts and relics of his period. There are six monasteries on the island: the monastery of St Nicholas (Ntiliou) or Strategopoulou (11th century),

11610-407: The municipal unit Ioannina has an area of 47.440 km , and the community Ioannina (the city proper) has an area of 17.335 km . The present municipality Ioannina was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 6 former municipalities, that became municipal units (constituent communities in brackets): Ioannina has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Csa ) or

11739-573: The name Its Kale (Ιτς Καλέ, from Turkish Iç Kale , 'inner fortress') is where the Fethiye Mosque , the tomb of Ali Pasha , and the Byzantine Museum are located. The north-eastern citadel is dominated by the Aslan Pasha Mosque and also contains a few other monuments dating from the Ottoman period. The old Jewish Synagogue of Ioannina is within the walls of the castle and is one of

11868-525: The neighboring languages (e.g., Albanian : Janina or Janinë , Aromanian : Ianina, Enina or Enãna , Macedonian : Јанина , Turkish : Yanya ). The first indications of human presence in Ioannina basin are dated back to the Paleolithic period (24,000 years ago) as testified by findings in the cavern of Kastritsa. During classical antiquity the basin was inhabited by the Molossians and four of their settlements have been identified there. Despite

11997-459: The new overlord of Ioannina. Thomas proved a deeply unpopular ruler, but he nonetheless repelled successive attempts by Albanian chieftains including a surprise attack in 1379, whose failure the Ioannites attributed to intervention by their patron saint, Michael. After Thomas' murder in 1384, the citizens of Ioannina offered their city to Esau de' Buondelmonti , who married Thomas' widow, Maria . Esau recalled those exiled under Thomas and restored

12126-582: The northeastern citadel of the Ioannina Castle to the 10th century, with additions in the late 11th century, including the south-eastern citadel, traditionally ascribed to the short-lived occupation of the city by the Normans under the leadership of Bohemond of Taranto in 1082. In a chrysobull to the Venetians in 1198, the city is listed as part of its own province ( provincia Joanninorum or Joaninon ). In

12255-539: The old synagogue. The last time a Bar Mitzvah (the Jewish ritual for celebrating the coming of age of a child) was held in the synagogue was in 2000, and was an exceptional event for the community. A monument dedicated to the thousands of Greek Jews who perished during the Holocaust was constructed in the city in a 13th-century Jewish cemetery. In 2003 the memorial was vandalized by unknown anti-Semites. The Jewish cemetery too

12384-407: The oldest and largest buildings of its type surviving in Greece. Several religious and secular monuments survive from the Ottoman period. In addition to the two mosques surviving within the walls of the castle, two further mosques are preserved outside the walls. The Mosque and Madrassa of Veli Pasha are in the centre of the city, and Kaloutsiani Mosque can be found in the area of the city with

12513-638: The period from the 4th to the 19th century. The newest addition to the city's museum, the silversmithing museum, is also in the south-eastern citadel. It is housed in the western bastion of the citadel and outlines the history of the art of silversmithing in Epirus. Outside the walls of the castle, close to the town centre, one will find the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina . It is in the Litharitsia fortress area. It includes archaeological exhibits documenting

12642-577: The port of Igoumenitsa on the Ionian Sea . The city's foundation has traditionally been ascribed to the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD, but modern archaeological research has uncovered evidence of Hellenistic settlements. Ioannina flourished in the late Byzantine period (13th–15th centuries). It became part of the Despotate of Epirus following the Fourth Crusade and many wealthy Byzantine families fled there following

12771-476: The presence of 1,900 shops and workshops. The great economic prosperity of the city was followed by remarkable cultural activity. During the 17th and 18th centuries, many important schools were established. Its inhabitants continued their commercial and handicraft activities which allowed them to trade with important European commercial centers, such as Venice and Livorno , where merchants from Ioannina established commercial and banking houses. The Ioannite diaspora

12900-479: The priests Georgios Sougdouris (1685/7–1725) and Anastasios Papavasileiou (1715–?), the monk Methodios Anthrakites , his student Ioannis Vilaras and Kosmas Balanos . The Balaneios taught philosophy, theology and mathematics. It suffered financially from the dissolution of the Republic of Venice by the French and finally stopped operation in 1820. The school's library, which hosted several manuscripts and epigrams,

13029-563: The properties confiscated by him. In 1389, Ioannina was besieged by Gjin Bua Shpata , and only with the aid of an Ottoman army was Esau able to repel the Albanians. Despite the ongoing Ottoman expansion and the conflicts between Turks and Albanians in the vicinity of Ioannina, Esau managed to secure a period of peace for the city, especially following his second marriage to Shpata's daughter Irene in c.  1396 . Following Esau's death in 1411,

13158-516: The region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Born in Tepelenë , he maintained diplomatic relations with the most important European leaders of the time and his court became a point of attraction for many of those restless minds who would become major figures of the Greek Revolution ( Georgios Karaiskakis , Odysseas Androutsos , Markos Botsaris and others). During this time, however, Ali Pasha committed

13287-409: The relative prosperity Zagori enjoyed during the period of Turkish rule . Schools for boys and, from the 18th century onwards, also for girls were built. Additionally, new churches and watermills to grind the corn were constructed, while the water wells were often decorated with ornamental fountains. In the 17th century, the villages of Western Zagori were also admitted to the Treaty , so that by 1678

13416-524: The same name. The now derelict "House of the Archbishop", near the football stadium, is the only old mansion that survived the fire of 1820. Some of the notable landmarks in the city centre also date from the late Ottoman period. The municipal clock tower of Ioannina, designed by local architect Periklis Meliritos, was erected in 1905 to celebrate the Jubilee of sultan Abdul Hamid II . The adjacent building houses

13545-445: The study of experimental physics and chemistry that aroused the interest and suspicion of Ali Pasha. The Kaplaneios was burned down along with most of the rest of the city after the entry of the Sultan's armies in 1820. These schools took over the long tradition of the Byzantine era, giving a significant boost to the Greek Enlightenment . "During the 18th century", Neophytos Doukas wrote with some exaggeration, "every author of

13674-580: The surveillance of the Vekylis of Zagori . Another important privilege that the Zagorians had was the freedom to practice their Christian faith. The absence of direct Ottoman rule helped the inhabitants attain a good standard of living. The main source of income in the 18th and 19th centuries was from remittances from expatriates , as elsewhere in Zagori . Orthodox Albanians , locally called "Arvanites", have settled

13803-561: The time, Greek-language education retained its prominent position. Even the city's prominent Muslim families preferred to send their children to well-established Greek institutions, notably the Zosimaia . As a result, the dominance of the Greek language in the city continued: the minutes of the city council were kept in Greek, and the official newspaper, Vilayet , established in 1868, was bilingual in Turkish and Greek. By 1908 an Albanian association

13932-606: The total number of villages in Zagori had increased to 60. Traditional medicine flourished in the form of " Vikos doctors ", who gathered herbs for their preparations from the Vikos gorge . As such Zagori became a major center of folk medicine . These herbal healers used special recipes that were often copies of ancient Greek recipes of Hippocrates or Dioscorides and became famous beyond the borders of Greece. The growing prosperity, aided by privileges obtained by Phanariotes of Zagorisian descent and benefactions from expatriates, allowed

14061-633: The train carrying them reached Auschwitz-Birkenau . Only 181 Ioannina Jews are known to have survived the war, including 112 who survived Auschwitz and 69 who fled to join the resistance leader Napoleon Zervas and the National Republican Greek League (EDES). Approximately 164 of these survivors eventually returned to Ioannina. As of 2008, the remaining community has shrunk to about 50 mostly elderly people. The Kehila Kedosha Yashan Synagogue remains locked, only opened for visitors on request. Emigrant Romaniotes return every summer and open

14190-410: The universal value of Zagori's architecture as a representative example of traditional, stone-built settlements. This recognition highlights its significance in the shared heritage of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture within the broader Balkan region. Unique customs are associated with Hellenistic or Christian festivals. The larger churches and monasteries celebrate their nominal saint feast with

14319-506: The village after the 15th century and were later assimilated into the local population. Sarakatsani have settled at the beginning of the 20th century. Vitsa became a cultural center for the Zagori region and was the birthplace of people such as the Sarros family (among them politicians and engineers involved at the Suez Canal works in the 19th century) and Nikolaidis (man of literature). Since

14448-594: The village of Kipoi (Κἠποι). The Vikos Gorge or Vikos Canyon at the heart of the Vikos–Aoös National Park , is the most impressive natural feature of the region. A seasonal river runs through the Vikos Gorge which is about 38 km long. The deepest part of the gorge is about 12 km long. In the middle of its main part, far from road access or villages, it is traversed by Megas Lakkos, an equally deep secondary gorge. The Voidomatis river has its source in

14577-584: The village of Greveniti and the monastery of the Transfiguration near Kleidonia , founded in the 7th century by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IV Pogonatus and the monastery of St John of Rogovou near Tsepelovo founded in 1028 by the sister of Emperor Romanos III Argyros. From 1204 to 1337 the region was part of the Despotate of Epirus . In the 14th century, when various Albanian clans made incursions into Epirus , Zagori

14706-452: The village of Vitsa is referred to in other documents from 1321 to 1361, under the name of Vezitsa . Some buildings from Byzantine times are still preserved. The village is divided by a chasm in two districts that were once different villages called Ano Vitsa and Kato Vitsa (Upper and Lower Vitsa). These two villages were always considered, along with Monodendri , as more or less one village, due to their small distance. After 1430, when

14835-408: The weight of the tiles above them. The stone roof therefore requires continual upkeep, subjected as it is to heavy snowfalls during the winter months. That older type was developed through the 18–19th centuries into more complex styles all the way to the multi-storied manors of the wealthier families of the late 18th century. Many houses are fronted by a walled courtyard or garden. The courtyard gate

14964-440: The western shore of Lake Pamvotis ( Παμβώτις ). It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the capital of Ioannina regional unit and the region of Epirus . Ioannina is located 436 km (271 mi) northwest of Athens , 290 kilometres (180 miles) southwest of Thessaloniki and 90 km (56 miles) east of the port of Igoumenitsa in the Ionian Sea . The municipality Ioannina has an area of 403.322 km ,

15093-418: Was 42.4 °C (108 °F), while the absolute minimum ever recorded was −13 °C (9 °F). According to the 2021 census the resident population fell by 4.2%. Men constitute 48.9% and women 51.1% of the total population. One of the most notable attractions of Ioannina is the inhabited island of Lake Pamvotis which is simply referred to as Island of Ioannina . The island is a short ferry trip from

15222-401: Was already active in Ioannina with the goal of removing the Albanian schools and churches of Ioaninna from the Greek's Patriarchate sphere of influence. During the Ottoman period ( turcokracy ) the religious-linguistic minority of "Turco-yanniotes" ( Τουρκογιαννιώτες ) existed in Ioannina and neighbouring areas. These were islamized "Yaniotes" (= people from Ioannina), who spoke Greek. There is

15351-512: Was also burned the same year following the capture of Ioannina by the troops the Sultan had sent against Ali Pasha . The Maroutses family, also active in Venice, founded the Maroutsaia School , which opened in 1742 and its first director Eugenios Voulgaris championed the study of the physical sciences (physics and chemistry) as well as philosophy and Greek. The Maroutsaia also suffered after

15480-515: Was also culturally active: Nikolaos Glykys (in 1670), Nikolaos Sarros (in 1687) and Dimitrios Theodosiou (in 1755) established private printing presses in Venice, responsible for over 1,600 editions of books for circulation in the Ottoman-ruled Greek lands, and Ioannina was the centre through which these books were channeled into Greece. These were significant historical, theological as well as scientific works, including an algebra book funded by

15609-413: Was evicted by Nikephoros II Orsini . The attempt of Nikephoros to restore the Epirote state was short-lived as he was killed in the Battle of Achelous against Albanian tribes., but Ioannina was not captured. It thus served as a place of refuge for many Greeks of the region of Vagenetia . In 1366–67 Simeon Uroš, having recovered Epirus and Thessaly, appointed his son-in-law Thomas II Preljubović as

15738-403: Was founded in 1647 by a Greek merchant of Ioannite origin resident in Venice, Epiphaneios Igoumenos. The Gioumeios School was founded in 1676 by a benefaction from another wealthy Ioannite Greek from Venice, Emmanuel Goumas. It was renamed Balaneios by its rector, Balanos Vasilopoulos , in 1725. Here worked several notable personalities of the Greek Enlightenment , such as Bessarion Makris ,

15867-457: Was liberated in 1913 during the Balkan Wars . Following the union with Greece after the Balkan Wars , the area suffered a demographic decline partly due to emigration to Greek urban centres. The area of Epirus around Zagori bore the brunt of the Italian attack on Greece in 1940. The area became additionally affected by the conflicts between the Germans and the partisans of Napoleon Zervas during

15996-524: Was occupied by the Empire of Nicaea , and Ioannina was placed under siege. Soon, however, the Epirote ruler Michael II Komnenos Doukas , aided by his younger son John I Doukas , managed to recover their capital of Arta and relieve Ioannina, evicting the Nicaeans from Epirus. In c.  1275 or c.  1285 , John I Doukas, now ruler of Thessaly , launched a raid against the city and its environs, and

16125-541: Was repeatedly vandalized in 2009. As a response to the vandalisms, citizens of the city formed an initiative for the protection of the cemetery and organized rallies. In the municipal election of 2019, independent candidate Moses Elisaf , a 65-year-old doctor, was elected mayor of the city, the first Jewish elected mayor in Greece. Elisaf won 50.3 percent of the vote. Elisaf received 17,789 votes, 235 more than his runoff opponent. Ioannina lies at an elevation of approximately 500 metres (1,640 feet) above sea level , on

16254-582: Was sparse. The passage of the Slavs during the early Byzantine period is testified to by numerous placenames. The placename "Zagori" itself is probably derived from the Slavic Zagore meaning "beyond the mountains". Under the Byzantine Empire , Zagori occasionally attracted groups of soldiers who built villages and settled there. Several monasteries were royal endowments, including the monastery of Votsa near

16383-535: Was spoken by the Ottoman officials and the garrison, and the Albanian inhabitants used Albanian, but the lingua franca and native language of most inhabitants was Greek, including among the Tourkoyanniotes , and was sometimes used by the Ottoman authorities themselves. The city also soon recovered from the financial effects of the revolt. In the late 17th century Ioannina was a thriving city with respect to population and commercial activity. Evliya Çelebi mentions

16512-406: Was superseded by the newer collegial institutions within the city. The island's winding streets are also home to many gift-shops, tavernas, churches and bakeries. At the south-eastern edge of the town on a rocky peninsula of Lake Pamvotis , the castle was the administrative heart of the Despotate of Epirus , and the Ottoman vilayet . The castle was in constant use until the late Ottoman period and

16641-413: Was the source of soldiers that served in the Ioannina garrison. In turn, as the center of Greek rule, Ioannina shielded Zagori against Albanian attacks. As a result of the campaigns of Andronikos III Paleologos in 1337, the Despotate of Epirus and, therefore, Zagori along with Ioannina and the surrounding region came again briefly under Byzantine rule. The region came under Serbian rule in 1348 and

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