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Karpathos island is a small and mountainous Greek island located between the islands of Rhodes and Crete. It has a history dating back to the Minoan era and Mycenean tombs and settlements going back to the second millennium B.C.
In the Doric times (1000 BC) it was referred to as Tetrapolis, after the four famous cities, Potideo (Pigadia), Arkessia (the present Arkasa), Vrykous and Nissyros (in the area of Olympos).
In the Classic and Hellenistic periods the history followed the rest of Greece.
In 42 BC Karpathos was conquered by the Romans and later became part of the Byzantine Empire.
From the 7th to 10th century A.D. Karpathos was ravaged by pirates. People who lived close to the sea moved to the mountains. The island was invaded by the Genoans, St. John's Knights, the Venetians and the Turks. In the 1821 revolution Karpathos was liberated and in 1830 was given back to the Turks under a treaty. In 1912 the island was conquered by the Italians and in 1948 it was liberated and joined the rest of Greece.
Karpathos aims at tourism, its authentic pure natural beauties, its unique wealth, all enhanced by the hospitality of its residents. Its magnificent beaches, its secluded small bays, its imposing mountain peaks and its local inhabitants who dress up in their traditional costumes.
Karpathos has 10 villages with a total pupulation of approximately 6,000. The capital of the island is situated in the South East and called PIGADIA (Karpathos). It is also the islands main port.
Links: karpathos.2link.be
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