Saria: The Hidden Aegean Paradise Off the Shores of Karpathos

Saria, this tiny island of 20.4 sq. kilometers simply north of Karpathos, appears to comprise every little thing – historic monuments; beautiful seashores; a powerful gorge; sea caves that shelter the Mediterranean monk seal and different caves that function nesting grounds for Eleonora’s falcons and uncommon long-legged buzzards; 5 chapels; some early Christian church buildings; and a virtually completely preserved medieval settlement at Palatia, believed to have as soon as been a stronghold of Saracen pirates.

Our group of vacationers and locals set off on Captain Nikos’ boat from Diafani within the morning, when the fog descending from Olympos enveloped the excessive mountain peaks whose steep cliffs, riddled with caves, function a refuge for Aegean gulls and wild pigeons. It felt as if we had been crusing in direction of some legendary land, notably when the whole boat entered the Tourkalas sea cave, with its unbelievable crystal-clear waters, and everybody took a dip within the sea. And immediately, out within the open water once more, a miracle occurred as dolphins accompanied us for some time! As we crossed the Saria Strait, the slim channel which separates northern Karpathos from the islet of Saria, there appeared a panoramic bay with shimmering emerald waters gently caressing the pebbles on the seaside. The morning solar gilded the big boulders, completely interlocked and rising proudly among the many wild grass and thorns, detached to the passage of time and the fury of the weather.

As soon as on Saria, I climbed as much as the traditional settlement of Palatia, clambering together with the ocean on one aspect, and the gorge of the Entis River within the distance. On a peak above me, I spied the small chapel of Aghios Zaharias. I let my creativeness journey centuries again to historic Nisyros – the title given to Palatia by the geographer Strabo – which, together with three different cities on the island of Karpathos, fashioned the “Tetrapolis.” The city is talked about within the tax lists of historic Athens as one of many settlements on the island of Sarou, later often known as Saria. From right here, worshipers would depart by ship to the Temple of Poseidon Porthmios; from right here, Radios, a priest from Nisyros, would go away to satisfy his excessive duties, as famous in an historic inscription present in close by Tristomo. The stays of vaulted constructions round me, with their sq. bases and beehive-like domes, are remnants of an unknown civilization distinctive in the whole Aegean; related constructions could be present in historic Assyrian websites, too, suggesting that the Saracens, who roamed the Aegean for hundreds of years, used Palatia as a base.

These constructions had been inhabited for 3 centuries, till 961 AD, when the Byzantine basic Nikephoros Phokas arrived together with his naval forces. Saria had preserved some pre-Hellenic traces as nicely, as evidenced by a stone ax (Archaeological Museum of Cambridge) bought by the British archaeologist R. M. Dawkins in Olympos, together with bronze instruments from the Mycenaean period (at the moment on the British Museum). 

The toponym “Argos” for the northern settlement on the island additionally bears witness to this extra distant previous. These of us who had been up for an extra stroll took the trail by means of the gorge, accompanied by the tinkling bells of wandering goats, in direction of the ruins of that northern hamlet, a now-abandoned place with animal enclosures and threshing flooring, testimony to its erstwhile position as an agricultural space for the residents of Olympos on Karpathos. Yearly, they might collect their households and livestock, wade throughout the strait to the smaller island, and climb to search out a number of clearings on this wild land the place they may sow and harvest their crops whereas grazing their animals.

Again on the spectacular cove, a picturesque chapel and scattered historic columns, capitals and an impressive mosaic ground bore witness to the early Christian church (the Aghia Sofia Church) that after stood there. Alongside the Saria shoreline, we swam in splendid sea caves. In a single, the solar’s rays illuminated the inside simply as a college of fish – in all probability parrotfish – appeared, whereas in one other we exited by swimming underwater to emerge again within the majestic bay: an unbelievable expertise! On the seaside, we had been handled to a scrumptious meat and fish barbecue, accompanied by salads ready by Captain Nikos himself. We loved our meal underneath the tamarisk bushes, watched by wild goats lurking close by. Within the afternoon, again on the boat, our captain had one more shock in retailer; the boat motored right into a fjord-like passage of emerald waters flanked by towering cliffs to reach in a deep, sheltered bay boasting an unique sand seaside known as Alimounda, for one more unforgettable swim.

A Story from the Previous

That night, at Fillipakis’ café in Olympos, once I talked about that we had visited Saria, I used to be advised an exquisite story: “As soon as there was a shepherd named Minas who lived on Saria throughout the winter months. He had over a thousand animals. His mitato (cheese-making hut) and his animal enclosures had been all inside the massive cave of Arkeos. Sooner or later, a ship docked within the massive bay, and 6 or seven armed Turko-Cretan pirates got here ashore whereas the remainder of the crew remained on board. The pirates climbed the slope, reached the cave, and located Minas alone, making cheese. His pregnant spouse and two teenage sons had been additional up within the mountains with the animals. As quickly as he noticed that these strangers had been armed, he understood their intentions.

Nonetheless, life had taught him to stay calm in such conditions. He neither tried to flee nor confirmed any panic; as an alternative, he welcomed the boys warmly. He was making cheese, and had a big cauldron on the hearth. The pirates sat on the stone seats across the fireplace, leaving their weapons on the entrance. In any case, what did they must concern from somebody they regarded upon as an previous man? (Minas was middle-aged, they usually had been a lot youthful than him.) He supplied them what was obtainable within the hut, and contemplated on what may occur. These males had been clearly ready for the animals to return from grazing so they might make them their boat and whisk them again to Crete. That might be a catastrophe; a herd so massive took a few years to accumulate, and to lose it identical to that? All these ideas flooded his thoughts. What’s extra, he knew that his pregnant spouse may arrive at any second and take fright on the sight of the weapons and the pirates. He needed to do one thing. Whereas they ate, he devised a daring plan.

The cauldron on the hearth contained the whey for making mizithra (a kind of Greek cheese). He added extra wooden, and the hearth blazed. Once they requested what he was making, Minas replied, ‘Some excellent cheese.’ The whey boiled away and, as he pretended to stir it, he poured some right into a container, after which wheeled round and threw it at them. The burning sensation on their faces and of their eyes was excruciating. Aside from one man who was solely barely scalded, the others fell down, writhing and blinded. The one who had prevented severe hurt now bolted, working quickly downhill; Minas grabbed one of many rifles and shot him earlier than he might attain the boat to alert the others. The shepherd then placed on all of the bandoliers the pirates had been carrying and set off to search out his household. From then on, Minas wore these cartridge belts (‘balaskes’ in Greek) as trophies, and that’s how he acquired the nickname ‘Balaskas,’ which ultimately turned the surname of his descendants.”