Around the 13th and 12th century BC a new tribe the Molossi settled in Eastern and Central Epirus. They acquired family bonds with the Macedonian Kings when the sister of the King of Molossi Alexander, called Olympias, got married to Philippus the King of Macedonia, and became the mother of Alexander the Great.

An important personality in the history of Epirus was King Pyrrhus who united all the Epirot tribes and beat the Carthagenians in Sicily. The name of the town, Ioannina, is first mentioned in a document of a Byzantine emperor in 1020. It was conquered by the Normans and in 1204 after the conquest of Konstantinople by the Francs it became the most important town of the Despotate of Epirus. During that period, the first monasteries were established on the little island Nissi in Lake Pamvotis.

In 1430 the inhabitants of Ioannina became subject to the Ottoman Turks. However, they managed to obtain a lot of social, financial and ecclesiastical privileges from the Turks. Similar privileges were obtained by other areas as Zagorochoria and Metsovo. The area met with a great development. The merchants of Ioannina did business with major trading centers of Europe. A lot of schools and monasteries were established, big mansions were built and decorated with wonderful frescoes.

And then the time of Ali Pasha came, in 1788 when he was installed Governor of Ioannina and Thessaly. During his domination the town reached the height of economic and cultural prosperity. Many of the legends of the town are connected with Ali Pasha, his court and his personal life.

The town was liberated in 1913 and became part of the Greek State. The monuments of the town, the castle, the monasteries on Nissi with their wonderful frescoes, the Mosques, the Synagogue, the old mansions give witness to the rich history of this extraordinary town.

The town seems to be divided in two parts. One part lives in the pace of modern life and the other part is somewhere in the past, lost in the centuries. You will feel that when you walk in the old town inside the well-preserved walls of the castle. You enter the gate, you walk in the cobbled alleys and time stops, the noise of the city is gone and you forget the outside world. The castle of Ioannina is one of the oldest in Greece. It was built during the time of Justinian, the Byzantine emperor, on a small headland into the lake Pamvotis.

The mosque of Aslan Pasha of the 17th century at the northwestern end of the Fortress houses the Popular Art Museum. In this museum you can see remarkable collections of silverwork, textiles, traditional costumes and weapons. The exhibits cover the three communities that lived in the town during the Ottoman Empire: Christian, jewish and muslim.

Walk to the northeastern side of the castle following an uphill paved street to enjoy a wonderful view of the lake and a cup of coffee at the old stone kafeneio (coffee house).

Visit the Byzantine Museum, which is in the Inner Fortress in the building erected in the ruins of the central part of Ali Pasha`s seraglio. In the seven rooms of the museum you will see finds of excavations, like sculptures, coins and ceramics from the early Christian era until the post Byzantine times as well as icons and relics from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Next to the Byzantine museum the so-called treasury houses a silverware collection, items of a craft which has been flourishing in Epirus since the 15th century.

Outside the castle by the lake there are plenty of cafés and pastry shops where you can taste the special baclava made in Ioannina.

Take the boat from the Fortress and in fifteen minutes you will be on the picturesque island, Nissi, in lake Pamvotis, where monasteries of the 13th century are preserved. Visit the most important monastery of all, Monì Philanthropinon, to see ancient philosophers like Plato and Aristotle painted on the walls. You can also visit the monastery of Agios Panteleimon to see the place where Ali Pasha was shot by the Turks.

Starting from the monastery Philanthropinon walk around the island. It is a very pleasant walk ending at the house of Ali Pasha and the fish taverns where you can try the local specialities.
Back in the town visit the Municipal Art Gallery, housed in a beautiful neoclassical building of the 19th century to see a remarkable collection of paintings created by Greek artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.

In the Wax Museum of Greek History created by Pavlos Vrellis in Bizani 12 kms south of Ioannina historical events of Greece will come alive before your eyes.

4 km north of the town is the Perama Cave where you can have a guided tour along the 1700 – metre passages to admire the strange shapes of the stalactites and stalagmites.

Don’t miss the visit to the oldest oracle of ancient Greece, the Oracle of Zeus at Dodoni, 22 kms northwest of Ioannina. The main feature of Dodoni today is the Ancient Theatre of the 3rd century, one of the largest in Greece which is worth seeing.

Ioannina is one of the most beautiful towns to discover and it makes an excellent base to explore the less known part of Greece.

© Copyright 2004 Third Wave Travel