The Castle of Ioannina – A Village Within a City Part 1

Ioannina is a place that needs to be savoured. Even during my 10 day stay, I left feeling as though I’d barely scratched the surface of the place even thought I crammed in as much as I could! The Castle of Ioannina dominates the old town and this alone would take several days to see in any great detail. Thankfully the place I was staying in was almost within touching distance of the castle walls so I set about exploring it, a bit at a time. To be honest, the castle is such a magical place that I visited it almost daily not only to explore new areas but to re-balance myself and escape the hubub of the town. The castle is a haven of tranquillity and as soon as I stepped through one of the many gates, I was immediately transported into another world and another time.

My explorations of the castle were done ‘free-stylee’ – without a guide so most of what I have written, I’d discovered first-hand during my visits though it was helpful to go armed with a bit of historical information for context – so here is a bit of that.

When staying in Ioannina, you will see that a lot of the tourist activity is centred around the old town and the castle. The castle sits on a square-shaped promontory poking out into Lake Pamvotida. The fortified walls that were once surrounded by a moat, trace the natural perimeter of the peninsula. The defensive moat used to be fed by the water from the lake. Over a hundred years ago the moat was filled in and now in its place is a broad tree-lined park, a popular place to cycle, jog or take a leisurely stroll.

It’s early October and the season is in the midst of change. The huge plane trees running along the edge of the lake are dressed in their autumn clothes, leaves in shades of pale yellow, gold and orange through to burnt umber. Once I’d decided to finally make it to Ioannina, I knew that I had to be there in autumn. I’d always imagined the town with a misty lake, cloud-capped mountains and autumnal leaves and I’ve timed it perfectly.

It’s natural to head straight inside the castle but it is worth taking a little bit of time to walk around its exterior. The park is dotted with pieces of public art and if you look closely you will also find interesting references to the castle’s history including a small statue of Dionysios the Philosopher – but more on him later. The views across the lake to the surrounding mountains are breathtaking and worthy of the 2 kilometre walk. Alternatively, you can take a horse and carriage.

It’s impossible to give chapter and verse on centuries of a complicated history, but here are some key points. The interior of the castle covers 20 hectares so there is a lot of ground to cover. There are many different gates into the castle and I enjoyed discovering new ones all with their distinctive architecture. It doesn’t matter which gate you enter by as all gates lead to – well everywhere! The Central Gate can be found by the Tower of St Thomas opposite the main drag of tourist shops. It’s decorated with several interesting stone reliefs and it’s as good a starting point as any.

What remains of the castle is predominantly Ottoman with some earlier Byzantine structures though recent excavations show the existence of Hellenistic settlements that pre-date this. The castle and indeed the city have had a complicated and turbulent past falling to successive regimes (including the Normans, Serbs, Florentines) each adding to or reconstructing parts of the castle.

Two citadels were established during Byzantine times taking advantage of natural elevations above the lake – one on each lakeside corner of the square peninsular. The acropolis in the northeast still has remnants of a Byzantine fortification but today is marked by the minaret of the Aslan Pasha Mosque. In the other corner of the peninsula is the southeastern citadel today identified by the minaret of the Fethiye Mosque.

In 1430, Ioannina was handed over to the Ottomans by the existing despot Carlo I Tocco who was the current ruler of Kefalonia and Lefkada. The population were given special privileges and Christians, Jews and Muslims lived side by side in and around the castle complex . They had the freedom to trade and practice their religions and so little changed – to begin with. A significant place of worship was converted into a mosque but as a sign of conciliation, a monastery was built on the shores of the lake.

In 1611 Bishop Dionysios Philosophos led local farmers in an unsuccessful rebellion against the Turkish rulers. Although caught unawares, the garrison of Aslan Pasha was able to contain the attack. Dionysios fled to a cave outside the castle walls but was later captured and brought in front of Osman Pasha. Dionysos was defiant in his commitment to freeing the people from the tyranny of the Ottomans. He was subsequently tortured to death and his body was paraded through the streets. Those loyal to the Pasha gave Dionysios the name of ‘Skylosophos’ a play on the name ‘Philosophos’ meaning dog philosopher.

The failed rebellion changed everything for the Christians. Those living within the castle walls were effectively evicted and their privileges revoked. Nearly 20 churches and monasteries were destroyed. One of the most significant buildings in the northeast citadel was the Church of St John. It has been suggested that the city of Ioannina was named after the church, though other theories abound. The Church of St John was destroyed and the monks were murdered in the process.

Aslan Pasha’s success in curbing the rebellion was recognised by having a new mosque built and attributed to him. To rub salt into the wound it was built on the site of the Church of St John. The mosque not only towered over the citadel but was visible from the monasteries on the island of Lake Pamvotida. This statement re-enforced the authority of the Ottomans and sent a physical and symbolic message of who was in charge.

Outside the castle walls you will find the statue of Dionysios Philosophos and a small cave with a plaque stating that on September 11 1611, this was the place that Dionysios Philosophos was martyred leading the revolution against the Turks. It is easy to pass right by and never know his story.

Ioannina was under Ottoman power for nearly 500 years but it was under the rule of Ali Pasha in the early 19th century that the castle undertook its largest phase of reconstruction. Despite the upheaval, Ioannina continued to thrive and became a noted centre for commerce and education. When Ali Pasha came to govern in 1788, he further exploited this to his own advantage. It’s fair to say that he contributed much to the development of Ioannina but his priority was always to increase his power and wealth. Ali Pasha built a palace within the castle walls and much of what remains of the Castle is attributed to him. During the seige prior to the fall of Ali Pasha in 1822, most of the castle buildings were destroyed. A further fire in 1870 also destroyed a large part of the castle.

Northeastern Citadel

Now into the castle. It’s apparent when you walk around the residential area of the castle that the houses are modern but have been built sympathetically in the style of the 18-19th century residences. A lot of reconstruction took place in the 1970’s and was originally a place for the working classes. This area has now become one of the most desirable and expensive places to live in Ioannina. Despite being a relatively ‘new’ residential area, the streets still feel labyrinthine. After getting lost several times I can testify to that. The houses are far from ‘cookie-cutter’ and it’s still possible to find the patina and charm expected in an old kastro area.

On the way to the northeast acropolis is the Epirus Historical Archives on the left. The building was constructed between 1850 – 1820 by Ali Pasha as the Soufari Sarai or Cavalry School. On the right is the Ottoman Baths which unfortunately for me, is undergoing major refurbishment and is covered in hoardings and scaffolding (I do love a mooch around an old hammam!).

The approach to the Aslan Mosque is ‘one’ of my favourite views in the castle area. If you imagine the scene without the cars and public furniture, you can instantaneously be transported back to 18th century Ioannina. The attractive building in the foreground with the ‘danger don’t enter’ sign and it’s gorgeous slate covered roof is the Ottoman Library. This needs to be restored! Behind the former library there are some delightful tumbledown buildings full of the derelict charm that I love.

An arched entrance behind the old library leads into an open complex of buildings where you will find rows of old canons and piles or rusting cannonballs. The Aslan Pasha Mosque now serves as the Ethnographic Museum of Ioannina. The vaulted archways on the front elevation of the mosque were used for ablutions but at the moment is a storage space for headstones from the cemetery and a collection of stoneware.

In the grounds are the remains of the Estia or Kitchen-hearth topped with a hexagonal chimney. Opposite the main complex is the madrassa, one of only four in Ioannina. There have been attempts to restore this building but it is currently closed. The grounds also house an underground prison and a cemetery. The position on top of the acropolis provides fantastic views over the lake in one direction and the city of Ioannina in the other.

The Ethnographic Museum pays homage to the Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities that lived side by side for centuries in Ioannina. The exhibits are divided into three sections exhibiting ethnographic artefacts from all three communities. Here there are fine examples of beautifully embroidered clothing, silverware, religious books, pottery and items from everyday use.

The interior of the museum is adorned with frescoes and inscriptions in Arabic dating back to 1618 when the mosque was built. The Mihrab, the beautifully adorned niche is the focal point for prayer and indicates the direction towards Mecca. To the right of it is the Minbar, the pulpit from which the Imam delivers the sermon with its 7 steps representing the 7 steps to heaven. There are 75 steps leading to the top of the Minaret.

The Southeastern Citadel will follow in the next post.