The castle
The
turmoil and insecurity of the Arab raids against the Aegean islands in early
10th century declined significantly after the re-conquest of Crete by Emperor
Nicephorus Phocas in 961. During the period that followed, the seaways became
more secure boosting trade and the large ports were fortified as part of the
projects of the capital to secure order in the Aegean. The construction of the
Castle of Chios dates back to the last years of the 10th century, although
almost none of the Byzantine fortifications survive.
The castle is of an irregular pentagonal shape and encloses an area of 180,000 square meters and was built by the Genoese in the early
14th century. The fortified wall dividing the city into the Civitas Chii, the
area inside the city walls which was the seat of political and military
authority, and the Vorgo, the city outside the of walls.
Its present form is due partly to the additions and successive interventions of
the Genoese, the Venetians and the Ottomans, and extensive damage caused in the
19th century, by the bombing of 1828, the earthquake of 1881 and the demolition
of the southern part of the construction of the new harbor in 1896.
Both the land and sea walls of the castle were reinforced with nine bastions,
of which eight still survive today. The land walls were surrounded by a moat.
Three gates provided access to the interior of the castle: the Central Gate
(Porta Maggiore), at the southern end, the West Gate (Portello) and the Water
Gate (Porta di Marina), which has not survived.
Interesting buildings and monuments are preserved within the walls, including
the Palace Giustiniani, a two-storey building dated to the 15th century, the
seat of the Genoese administration, the Dark Prison, a place where in 1822 74
island notables were jailed and then hanged, the Ottoman cemetery Kara Ali- the
tower-observatory also known as Koulas, and the Cold Fountain, the main cistern
of the castle. Finally, inside the castle the church of St. George which was
converted into a mosque during the Ottoman occupation still survives.
From this
phase also survive the Medrese and the fountain in the church courtyard.
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