Kasos, the most southern of the
Dodecanese,
is only 27 nautical miles northeast of
Crete.
Its first inhabitants are thought to have been the Phoenicians. Homer mentions
it in his catalogue of the Greek cities that took part in the Trojan War.
Kasos is a mountainous island with a steep, rocky coastline and few
beaches. In the 18th century, kasos established its own merchant fleet and grew
rich from trade. It played an active role in the Greek War of Independence of
1821, earning the revenge of the TurkoEgyptian armada, which set fire to the island
in May 1824 and subsequently slaughtered its inhabitants. Only a few survived.
The capital of the island is
Fri,
built on picturesque Bouka Bay. Its old stone houses- many of them constructed
by sea captains - extend on both sides down to the sea.
To the east and very near
Fri
is
Emborios, the island's
other coastal village. It boasts a beautiful church dedicated to the Nativity
of the Virgin. Other villages include
Agia
Marina, set on a hill lust one kilometre southwest of
Fri,
and
Arvanitohori, southeast
of Agia Marina, nestled in the island's only valley. Two kilometres from
Agia
Marina there is a cave called Sellai, 30 metres deep and 8 metres wide, with
impressive stalactites.
Swimmers will find pleasant beaches at
Fri,
Emborios, Ammouda and on
the nearby islet of
Armathia.
