SEE KAVALA

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SEE KAVALA
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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.

Here, you can walk the same roads as many historical figures, most of them great.

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See Kavala

Since the seventh century B.C., Kavala (then Neapolis) has been an important harbor for its inhabitants. 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 Fort

What you see remaining are from the Ottoman reconstruction of 1425. There are no ancient Greek or Roman remains, although a few artifacts are in the local museum. The views over Kavala are the reason to climb.

Kavala 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 Roman aqueduct destroyed in 1391. This Ottoman aqueduct was bringing water to the city until the early 1900s.

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

You can see Kavala has many different sites to explore. Many of them are on the acropolis hill but see the whole city.

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See Nearby Kavala.

Kavala is less than two hours from the UNESCO sites of Thessaloniki and Mount Athos. But right in its backyard is the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Archaeological Site of Philippi.

The city begins circa 360 B.C. as a colony. Philipp II (Macedonia) claims it for himself a few years later.

The Romans claim it circa 168 B.C. They soon build the Via Egnatia through it and make Philippi a Roman city.

Brutus and Cassius will commit suicide after losing to Marc Anthony and Octavio in the Battle of Philippi.

So by the time the Apostles Paul and Luke arrive, it is a thriving city.

Paul arrives in Philippi, and as there is no synagogue, he approaches women washing clothes along the river. After preaching to them, Lydia has him baptize herself and her staff. She then offers the travelers a place to sleep in her home.

Ancient Theater

The Roman theatre sits on top of a theater built by Philip II  circa 4th century B.C.  The current theater has Romans alterations from the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D.  Check for performances in the summer months.

Basilica A

This Christian basilica is from circa 5th century A.D. Unfortunately, an earthquake destroys it soon after its completion. It is, to date, the largest basilica in Philippi. The ruins of the Baptistry are on the north side, between the basilica and Acropolis hill.

 

Roman Forum

Below the road is the sprawling forum dating from the 2nd century A.D. The forum is along the Via Egnatia, bringing travelers to the administrative and commercial center. Shops surround a central square. On the east and west sides are the remains of temples.

Basilica B

The basilica, using pillars and building material from the Greek agora, dates from circa 550 A.D.  The architectural plan is similar to those of Hagia Sophia and Saint Irene in Constantinople, which it was to rival. Later, the Ottomans will call it the Direkler (Turkish for pillars). Unfortunately, the pillars do not support a heavy second dome, and the basilica collapses before they finish. They do not rebuild. The remaining sections give you an idea of the size of the original.

The Basilica of Paul.

The basilica is under a metal roof. It is not the first church in the city. That was a small building probably consisting of only a prayer-house. A mosaic on the floor identifies this structure as the Basilica of Paul, dating from circa 340 A.D. It is possibly sitting on the spot of the original church. They also call it the Octagonal Basilica.

Via Egnatia

It parallels the main road, which probably sits on top of it in many areas. This was the city’s main street, passing east to west, and is approximately in the middle of the ancient city. Similar to a “Main Street” when you pass through small towns.

Archaeological Museum Philippi

Unfortunately, like all of Greece’s sites, they did not know what they were holding until it was too late. Greece does not start protecting its archeological sites until the 1830s. By then, many pieces are in foreign museums or supporting a farmhouse nearby. The Philippi collection is not large, but it is informative.

Baptistery of Saint Lydia of Thyatira.

Further west, outside of the once western gate, is the small Zygaktis (stream) river. Many consider this the traditional spot where the Apostle Paul meets the ladies doing laundry, including Lydia. Therefore this is the location of the first European baptism (conversion) to Christianity.

Much of Philippi disappears in an earthquake circa 619 A.D., and the city never fully recovers. People move to Thessaloniki, Kavala, or other places still prosperous. By the end of the century, it is only a village.

We know from an inscription in Basilica B that circa 838, the Bulgarians took it for a military location. By 969 A.D., it is back in Byzantine control. The Emperor rebuilds the Acropolis fortifications and part of the city.  Circa 1077, with the Bulgarian threat at bay, the local Bishop oversees the rebuilding of additional defenses inside the city. Written reports from circa 1150 mention Philippi as a thriving center of business and wine production.

It will belong to the Franks, then Serbs, and Byzantines again before it drops off the radar, circa 1400. Reports from the 1500s mention there are no people, and the Turks are using it for building supplies.

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See Kavala Summary

Thirty minutes north of Philippi is the Drama Wine Region making award-winning wines.

From Kavala harbor, you can jump on ferries to Greek islands, including nearby Thasos.

There are Philippi and the other nearby UNESCO sites.

And there is Kavala itself. Thousands of years of history in a neat little package.

Come, see Kavala and discover for yourself.

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