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Kastellorizo

Kastellorizo or Megisti is an island of 9 km2 of area with about 300 inhabitants and is bathed by the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The small island of Kastellorizo enjoys a very particular geographical position: it is off-center from the rest of the archipelago. It is located in front of the Turkish city of Kaş, less than seven kilometers away, and about 130 kilometers east of Rhodes.

More known as Kastellorizo, the bay surrounded by neoclassical and colorful houses is guarded by the fortress of the knights of the Order of Saint John, built on red rocks. This is why this fortress was called Kastel Rosso by the Italians, then Kastellorizo by the Greeks.

The only village on the island is Megisti. There you can visit an archaeological and folklore museum, as well as some churches. The Church of Agios Konstantinos and Eleni was built partly with materials from the ancient temple of Apollo in 1835, while the church of Agios Nikolaos was built over the same temple.

Kastelorizo, which lives mainly from tourism, is totally dependent on its water and food supply. It is mainly supplied by Rhodes and also by Kaş for fruit and vegetables.

The coasts of the island are rocky and there is no beach. Nevertheless the waters are crystalline. On the northern coast of the island you can visit by boat the beautiful cave of Parastra or Fokiali, a cave of stalagmites and stalactites. In the natural basins filled with rainwater, one can admire the blue reflections lit by the rays of the sun. The visit is only by boat.

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