It was a station on the Via Egnatia and a port at the far end of the
lake. The polygonal fortification wall is reinforced with rectangular and circular
towers. The central arched gateway on the south side led to the harbour. Monograms
of the Palaeologoi and IC-XC-NI-KA can be seen on the surface of the towers and
on the large gateway. To emperor Justinian I are attributed the repair of the
coastal wall and the construction of a long wall, which was used both as a defensive
structure that blocked the Via Egnatia and as an aqueduct which carried water
from Rhodopi to the city.
In this area, at the beginning of the 14th century, an historic battle
was fought, the result of which was the disbanding of the Catalan Company.
