Greek Map

Margariti

The village is on a hill, height of 240m, and it lies to the right the new Parga- Igoumenitsa highway. One can see the ruins of the fort of Margaritis, on a rocky hill. At the village and the hill there were found remains of buildings and other monuments of the Hellenic-Roman years, the years of the Franks` domination and the years of the Turks` domination.

History

The mass islamization of "Chamides" (a group of people) of Margariti as well as the priviledges, which the Ottomans supported, gave them the opportunity of being the most powerful landowners in western Epirus. The Agas of Margarity became well-known because of their cruelty towards the Christian population of Thesprotia and in [ 1631 , 1668 ] there was a blood bath, between the Agas and the Greek revolutionists, which ended up in fighting and slaughter. The fort of Margarity was one of the most powerful military bases of the Turkish command in Epirus. In 1571, the Venetians tried twice to capture it. In March of 1571, they managed to sent the local people away and ruin the fort. It took part in the battles of Souli. In 1811 the area came under the rule of the Turk Ali Pasha of Ioannina. In 1831, the Agas of Margariti joined their forces with these of the pasha Moustafa of Skorda and in 1847 they joined the revolutionists of Giolekas. Until 1911 the fort of Margariti was used as a center of Military administration and a prison .
The area can be proud of Philippos Margaritis [1771-1844 ] , a refugee from Tirnabos, who brought in Smyrna a kind of industrial thread-making and his son Demetrios [1804-1833 ], who fought in 1821 and Philippos [ 1810-1892 ] who taught for 25 years in the School of Fine Arts in the Polytechnic.

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