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The
county of Chios stretches over
904 square kilometres with a
population of 52.184 residents.
It is comprised of 3 islands,
Chios (the fifth largest Greek
island), Oinousses and Psara.
Chios is part of the Northeastern
Aegean islands, at close proximity
to Asia Minor and opposite the
Erithrea peninsula.
At Chios, it's worth noticing,
apart from the capital Chora,
as it is called by the locals,
the villages at the south part
of the island (Notiochora or
Mastichochoria), the villages
at the north (Voreiochora) as
well as the villages at the
Kampos area (Kampochora).
At the island's capital one
can find branches from all public
services (administrative, financial,
health, public order etc.) serving
the island's citizens and its
visitors. |
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Chios
was one of the richest and most
powerful states of ancient Greece,
possessing the most well-trained
war fleet in the Aegean. That
is why it was never conquered
by the Persians, despite providing
its support to the Ionian cities
at 499 BC and despite suffering
great disasters by the Persians
after the Greek defeat at the
Ladis battle at 479 BC. Chios
had always been a matter of
dispute between Spartians and
Athenians, but the people of
Chios would always benefit by
every alliance. The historical
phrase "under the terms
that the people of Chios form
an alliance" is a clear
testimony of the fact that the
people of Chios were exemplary
diplomats for all ancient Greeks.
With the spread of Christianity,
Chios came under the rule of
the Byzantine Empire for many
centuries, with the exception
of brief time periods when it
was ravaged by the Saracenes. |
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Over
the 13th century, after the
4th Crusade, the Venetians first
and the Genovese later, settled
at Chios. Chios prospered under
the Genovese rule, but it was
conquered by the Turks in 1566.
On 1821, Chios along with Samos
took part in the national revolution,
but over the following year
the Turks decided they should
punish Chios, by slaughtering
25.000 people and selling another
80.000 as slaves. The few remaining
residents fled to other islands
and to various cities throughout
the world.
Later on in the same year, Admiral
Kanaris bombarded the battleship
of the Turkish fleet in the
port of Chios, killing Admiral
Kara-Ali and many other Turks.
Many renowned artists and academics,
such as Delacroix and Hugo,
depicted through their art the
tormenting moments of the 1822
slaughter. A powerful earthquake
in 1881 led to the death of
many people at the island, but
life on the island soon found
its usual rhythm and in 1912
Chios was typically united with
the rest of the country. |
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Over
the centuries, many conquerors
have tried to occupy the island
and thus to control the production
of mastich, which comes from
the mastich-producing lentisk,
a plant that makes the Chios
flora unique. This tree-like
bush seems to have been known
from antiquity, since the island's
name means mastich in one sense.
Currently, mastich is a protected
good and has been included at
the Brand Protection scheme.
It can be consumed in its natural
form, or as a gum, in desserts
and in drinks. The mastich oil
is much sought after and apart
from its use in cooking and
pastry-making it can be used
for perfumes, the production
of varnish, liquor and medicines.
The collection of mastich is
done through small incisions
on the lentisk's trunk and thicker
branches (the lentisk's stinging,
as the locals call it), so that
the fragrant mastich can pour
down in the form of a crystallized
resin. The "stinging"
is performed three times per
year. |
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Chios
has been renowned since antiquity
for its wines, which have been
praised by many writers, from
Aristophanes in his comedies
to Athineos at this play "Dipnosofistes".
The Ariousios wine especially
was of great quality and was
used for healing purposes too.
The wines of Chios were also
in great demand during the Byzantine
era. The imperial dinner table
would always include "the
superior wine of Chios".
During the Turkish occupation
however, wine production was
discontinued in favour of the
mastich.
Another significant product
of Chios was its silk. Chios'
strategic position, between
the Pontus Euxinus and the Mediterranean
Sea, contributed to the development
of silk's commercial exchange
which was in great demand throughout
the East. |
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Chios,
due to its geographical position,
among various rich civilizations,
has been greatly influenced
by them and has therefore developed
an interesting variety of cultural
elements in its history. Nonetheless,
its great naval tradition and
its contact with often contradictive
cultural, social and financial
models, has led to the formation
of a unique mentality as far
as the citizens of Chios are
concerned.
Nowadays, despite Chios' influence
by contemporary "modern"
cultures, it maintains elements
of its uniqueness and the cultural
elements that make it unique
in the Aegean. It is at this
frontier of Greece that we will
try to walk you through, through
these pages, believing that
your decision to visit this
land will be totally justified. |
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