Exploring Worlds, Old & New

Showing the World to the World.

December 13, 2020 – Kavala.

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THOMS SUNDAY TRAVEL SECTION.

WHERE TO?                       TASTE.                        SEE.

Starting as the Neapolis acropolis, this hill is the center of town.
The Old Town section of Kavala (Neapolis).

In a previous blog, we read about the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Philippi. It is a major city on the east-west Via Egnatia, connecting Byzantium-Constantinople-Istanbul to Italy.

But what if they come by sea?

King Philip II was very quick in establishing (seizing) a harbor for his new city circa 356 B.C. Neapolis, an existing port ten miles southeast of Philippi will do nicely.

His son, Alexander the Great, will launch his Grande Tour of Asia from Neapolis.

Alexander's fleet will launch from Neapolis.
Alexander the Great.

Neapolis will follow the history of Philippi.

Around 168 B.C., the Romans seize Philippi and with it, Neapolis. They move the capital to Thessaloniki, dropping Philippi’s importance, and that of its harbor.

In 49 A.D. the Apostles Paul and Luke, along with Silas, step foot in Europe for the first time in the harbor.

Neapolis will remain the first port in Europe coming from Asia.
Paul, Luke, and Silas first arrive in Neapolis.

In 330 A.D., when the Roman and Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantine, divide, both become targets for other countries.

Somewhere around this time, Neapolis becomes Christoupolis, City of Christ.

Thanks to great fortifications, Christoupolis keeps most of the invaders at a distance until the 1387 arrival of the Ottomans.

They remain until 1813. Everyone likes Greece. Sometime during this period, Christoupolis becomes Kavala.

During WWI, Bulgarian troops carry out ethnic cleansing of more than 12,000 Greeks in Eastern Macedonia. They are not good losers from the previous Balkan Wars.

In WWII, Bulgarian troops round up more than 4000 Eastern Macedonian Jews, sending them to camps in Poland. Very few return.

Neapolis and Philippi did not have a synagogue, but there were probably Jews living here.
During the Ottoman period, Christians and Jews were able to worship.

Today, there are no Jewish families in Kavala and no synagogue left.

 

Kavala (Neapolis) Today

If you look at the Greek map, you see Kavala is in Northern Greece. This is a place many non-Greeks don’t know about.

And it is east of Thessaloniki. A real dead end for visitors.

Let’s see what people are missing when they do not explore the Eastern Macedonia region of Greece.

You will see Kavala or Neapolis has a lot to offer.
The old town of Kavala (Neapolis).

The Old Town encircles the acropolis hill. The only remains from the Greek period are now in the local museum.

The Roman ruins are also memories.

The Byzantine, and later Ottomans, will rebuild several Roman structures, probably using the original Roman bricks and stones.

Most of the interior structures are gone.
The Kavala Fort offers great views.

The fort on top of the Neapolis Acropolis today, mainly walls, dates from the Byzantine and Ottoman times.

The views over Kavala are the reason to climb.

Many of the structures in this area are several hundred years old.

You can see Kavala's Byzantine, Ottoman, and new Greek styles of architecture. Neapolis is no longer visible.
Ottoman architecture dots the old town.

 

Today, the harbor is home to a small fishing fleet. Also, it’s the jumping-on point for ferries going to different Greek islands.

The old section of town has windy streets where you can lose yourself.

Kavala is a charming port in northern Greece.
Kavala (Neapolis) waterfront.

 

There are some great seafood restaurants near by.
The Kavala waterfront has sights, sounds, and smells.

Kavala (Neapolis) Aqueduct.

Spanning almost 300 yards, and rising more than 80 feet at the middle, this aqueduct dates to 1530. It is on the site of and probably incorporates blocks from a previous Neapolis Roman aqueduct destroyed in 1391. This Ottoman aqueduct was bringing water to the city until the early 1900s.

If this was all Kavala had, that would be enough. But there is so much more.
The Aqueduct of Kavala, popularly known as the Kamares.

 

There is little doubt that many of these bricks and stones are from the Neapolis aqueduct.
Sunset through an aqueduct.

 

Tobacco Museum

The museum includes objects and archival material dating from the 1800s, when everything was manual, to the mid-1900s. This includes commercial and agricultural processing, tobacco products, and a glance into Kavala’s social history,

It also houses the Kavala folklore museum.
The Tobacco Museum is in an old warehouse.

Tobacco is the cash crop for many years. As you walk around the lower part of town, you will see several large buildings, once tobacco warehouses. Today, one is a shopping mall.

Mohammed Ali Museum

Dating from circa 1790, this was the largest house in Kavala at the time. It is the home of a future ruler of Egypt, not the kid from Louisville who floats like a butterfly.

The house is one of the finest examples of 18th-century Ottoman architecture surviving in Greece.

He will begin the last ruling dynasty in Egypt.
The house of Muhammad Ali, founder of modern Egypt.

Halil Bey Mosque

Dating from circa 1530, this mosque was also home to a madrasa (seminary school) adjacent, that also survives. The mosque is now a space for cultural exhibits.

It is rare to see a mineret with a mosque. It is the first thing the Greeks dcestroy when the Ottomans leave.
Halil Bey mosque.

Neapolis Coastal Wall

Dating from circa 1530, you can see the walls rebuilt on earlier walls protecting Neapolis. The walls are above the Kavala ferry dock.

They protect the lower city while the fort has additional walls.
The Coastal Walls.

Imaret

Circa 1817, Mohammed Ali, establishes a religious, educational, and charitable institution – an Imaret.

In 2001, after a major restoration, it opens as a deluxe hotel. 30-minute tours are available in some of the major areas.

It is a lovely place for a break.
The Imaret is now a hotel.

 

You can see Kavala's harbor from many rooms in the hotel.
The Imaret consists of several buildings.

 

The Municipality (City Hall)

The white building to the Great Hall’s right, which looks like a Gothic castle, is today the city hall. It dates from circa 1890 and was originally the residence and offices for Hungarian tobacco merchant Baron Pierre Herzog.
Kavala has great architecture all around.
The City Hall.

Monument to the Apostle Paul

By the church of St Nicholas is a mosaic wall depicting the Apostle’s arrival in Kavala circa 49 A.D. The town was Neapolis at that time, and the docks were probably nearby. Traveling with him is Luke the evangelist, Apostle Timothy, and Saint Silas.

The old Neapolis port was nearby so Paul was somewhere close by.
The mosaic to St Paul is out front.

There are not many places in Kavala to follow in the footsteps of Paul.

Writings indicate he came ashore here and set off for nearby Philippi. The mosaic and church came long after. The streets and harbor of today are on top of the ones from Paul’s days.

West of Kavala is a section of the Via Egnatia. I have never been able to find one sign or arrow directing people, so ask a local.

Here, there is about one mile of the original Roman road between Kavala (Neapolis) and Philippi.

To this day, there is no light-rail connecting the two cities, so Paul, Luke, and Silas were walking here.

No imagination is necessary.

Unfortunately, the Greeks do not feel warmly towards mosques. They knock most of them down.
If you like churches, Kavala has many including the Orthodox Church of the Assumption.

Kavala (Neapolis) Summary.

The city is easy to see in a day, but you want to spend at least one night to see it after dark.

Visit old Neapolis for its many scenic points.
The Old Town lit up at night.

It is a great base for seeing Philippi, the Greek wine region of Drama, or both.

You can hop on a ferry to nearby Thasos for a day of sightseeing.

The National Park of Nestos Delta and lakes Vistonida-Ismarida is less than an hour’s drive east.

Neapolis was a gateway for many religious pilgrims coming to Macedonia.
Monastery of St. Nicholas in Lake Vistonida.

Here, there are over 300 species and subspecies of plant and animal life in and around the lake. And a few scenic churches and a monastery.

Whichever direction you head, Kavala is an excellent base for exploring Eastern Macedonia.

 

 

Read more about Kavala.

 

Please scroll down to the “Enter your comment here” section at the bottom. Please comment or tell me your thoughts on: 

“Long before footprints in wet concrete, people were standing in the footsteps of others. Whose footsteps would you like to stand on, and where?” 

Please help me spread the news by rating, commenting, and sharing this blog below. – THANKS!

 

“See the World” Continued on Page T3.           “Taste the World” Continued on T11.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michael Bassford says

    I am endlessly fascinated by ancient architecture. So due to the almost complete elimination of the original Greek structures in Neopolis, I would like to walk in the footsteps of the Ottoman engineers who built the grand aqueduct and city walls. Their 500 years of occupancy shows the creativity in building massive functional structures that still stand strong.

  2. Beth Will says

    The religious histories in these Sunday morning travel writings are fascinating, and to follow the footsteps of early Christians would be so inspiring. I enjoy the photos of the churches and monasteries- just imagine the faithful servants who cared for the buildings and ministered to the people throughout history. Thank you!

  3. Ann Lukes says

    I am drawn to walk this history and hope it will be in the very near future – like 2021!!! Awesome travel trip today❤️