Kastellorizo (alternatively spelled Castellorizo, plus officially named Meyisti/Megisti) is the island furthest from the Greek mainland. It forms part of the Dodecanese archipelago, located on the eastern edge of the Aegean Sea, where it meets the Levantine Sea. Despite being a small, remote island, it has a lot to offer, especially in terms of natural beauty paired with a rich history.
Name
Kastellorizo is the smallest of the archipelago’s 12 major islands -it should be noted that Dodecanisa actually signifies “(group of) twelve islands”- and, in fact, smaller even than some of those considered among the archipelago’s “minor” islands, such as Chalki, Leipsoi plus Agathonisi; its original Greek name, however, means “largest/greatest” (megisti is the female superlative of megas “big”). This is probably because it is the largest of the smaller kelompok of islands in its vicinity; this includes Ro, Strongyli plus a number of smaller islets.
Although Megisti remains its official administrative name, the island is mostly referred to as Kastellorizo, a name of Italian origin. The first part of its name derives from castello, the Italian word for castle, due to the existence of a castle of the Knights Hospitaller. The second part is generally considered to come from rosso, meaning red – the island’s name is, in fact, Castelrosso. There are however other theories; the island is identified as Castel Ruggio in some old maps plus depictions. Some theories link it with the word Rhoge, the ancient name for the nearby islet of Ro, while the historian I.M. Hatzifotis claimed that his research proves it originates from the Greek rizovouni “foothill”, since the town was founded at the base of the mountain where the castle stands.
History
The island was populated since the Neolithic period, plus belonged to the historical region of Lycia; colonised by Dorian Greeks, it was named Megisti. During the Hellenistic period, it formed part of the Rhodian Peraia, a region controlled plus colonised by the nearby island of Rhodes. It later formed part of Alexander’s empire, plus then the Roman Empire, serving as a base for the Roman fleet in its campaigns against Cilician pirates. During the Byzantine era, it was included in the Theme of the Cibyrrhaeots.
In 1306, the island was taken over by the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (usually referred to as Knights Hospitaller), a Catholic military order who arose in Jerusalem in the early 11th c. The conquest formed part of their expedition to conquer the island of Rhodes, led by Grand Master Foulques de Villaret; Rhodes eventually fell to them, becoming the centre of a crusader state which encompassed Kastellorizo. The Hospitallers -often referred to as the Knights of Rhodes- used the island mainly as a place of banishment; to this end, they built a prison-castle at the entrance of the port, on the foundation of an ancient fortress of the Doric era. This is generally believed to have given the island its current common name, due to the reddish hue of the rocks where the castle stands.