Whenever we go to Greece we like to do a combination of places that we know well and love to return to, while adding in a couple of places we’re yet to see.  This last visit, the first of our new destinations was the island of Kos, one of the Dodecanese group of islands located in the southeastern Aegean Sea.  Like so much of Greece, Kos is rich with ancient Greek and Roman landmarks such as temples, shrines, villas, an ancient Agora, picturesque villages, beautiful beaches, and a splendid 15^th century castle that dominates the town.  Other historic layers emerged as we explored the historic capital.

The Dodecanese is the closest group of Greek islands to the Turkish coast.  Indeed, Kos is only 4 kms across the water from the city of Bodrum, and at night it’s a lovely sight looking across to village lights all along that picturesque coast.  As the ferry ride from Kos to Bodrum only takes 30 mins., it’s possible to take a day trip there, and there is some arrangement between the two countries that these day trips can be done without having to obtain a Turkish visa.

Long, narrow Kos is the third largest island after Rhodes and Karpathos in the Dodecanese group and is approx. 42 kms x 12 kms in size.  The name Kos was mentioned in Homer’s ‘Iliad’, and the story mentions a contingent of Koans who fought with the Greeks in the Trojan War.  In the 7^th century BCE Homeric hymn to Delian Apollo, the island was visited by Herakles.  The island was said to be the birthplace of the goddess Leto, the mother of Apollo, and supposedly Leto’s father Coeus was the first inhabitant of the island.

The Minoans, attracted by the excellent harbour at the northeast tip, settled there during the 15^th century BCE.  Dorians invaded the island in the 11^th century BCE, establishing a Dorian colony with a large contingent of settlers from Epidaurus, whose Asclepius cult made their new home famous for its sanatoria.

Another ancient town, Astypalaea in the southwest, originally the capital of the island before the establishment of Kos, was the birthplace of Hippocrates (Ippokratis in Greek), about 460 BCE.  The Hippocratic oath is still taken by doctors today.

Proximity to the east gave the island access to imported silk thread.  Aristotle mentions silk weaving conducted by the women of the island, and the production of silk garments was done in large factories by female slaves.  The island was also known in antiquity for the manufacture of transparent, light dresses called “coae vestes”.  The origin of this term is unclear.

At the end of the 6^th century BCE, Kos fell under the ancient Persian empire of the Achaemenids, but rebelled after a major Greek victory at the Battle of Mycale in 479.  Archaeological finds have unearthed evidence of a small shrine to Greek deities Hemera and Helios, gods of the day and the sun respectively, dating from this time.

During the Greco-Persian Wars (approx. 499 BCE – 449 BCE), before it twice expelled them, Kos was ruled by Persian-appointed tyrants.  In the 5^th century BCE, it joined the Delian League, and after the revolt of Rhodes, it served as the chief Athenian stronghold in the south-eastern Aegean.

Kos was captured by Ptolemy Soter in the 4^th century BCE during the Fourth War of Alexander’s Successors, when the island reached the zenith of its prosperity.  It was valued by the Ptolemies, who used it as a naval outpost to oversee the Aegean.  It also became well-known as a seat of learning, housed a provincial branch of the museum of Alexandria, and was a favourite place for the education of the princes of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

As well as silk production, Kos also became known as a producer of oars and amphorae.  Economic development during the 3^rd and 2^nd centuries BCE saw the construction of a theatre, a new market with multiple covered walkways (stoas), a Temple to Apollo at Alisarna, the construction and expansion of the Asklepeion, extended fortification works also at Alisarna, and multiple, richly decorated houses.  The Asklepion was later transformed into an asylum, where people facing persecution could seek safe refuge.  This made Kos an attractive destination for merchants and pilgrims.  By this time, the island had a strong reputation for justice and was often called on to provide judges for arbitration disputes between other cities.

Aside from occasional raids by pirates and some severe earthquakes, the island was peaceful.  Like Rhodes, Kos treated the Romans with a friendly approach, who allowed the island to be a free, independent city.  It was recognised as a centre for learning with a fine library, and one of the people responsible for its construction was the Koan physician Gaius Stertinius Xenophon, the personal physician of the Emperors Tiberius, Claudius and Nero.  Hippocrates, Apelles, Philitas and probably Theocritus came from Kos.

In the ensuing centuries, the story of Kos was largely uneventful.  However, in the 11^th century, the island came under Genoese control.  The Genoese ruled Kos as a protectorate which lasted over 4 centuries.  The Knights of St John of Jerusalem had an establishment on Kos, paying rent to the Genoese republic.  Due to raids by Turkish pirates in the 14^th century, two towers were built in the main castle, and during a major Ottoman attack in 1455, the castle in the town of Andimacheia was largely destroyed.  The island ultimately surrendered to the Ottomans during the conquest of Rhodes in 1522.  However, the Greek orthodox people of the island were mostly left alone and allowed to continue practicing their religion.  In 1773 the Russians tried to capture the island, but failed.

Kos fell under Italian rule in 1912 after the Italo-Turkish War.  The Italians developed the infrastructure of the island, and after a disastrous earthquake in April 1933, which destroyed a great part of the main city, the Italians transformed the old quarters into an archaeological park, and developed new residential, administrative and commercial areas.  Many of these fine buildings survive, in excellent condition, to this day.  In WWll, as an Italian possession, it was fought over by the British and German forces after the surrender of Italy in 1943.  When 100 Italian officers refused to join the Germans, they were executed in what became known as the Massacre of Kos.  The island was finally ceded to the Kingdom of Greece in 1947.

One of the best-known sights on the island is the so-called Plane Tree of Hippocrates in the centre of town.  According to legend, Hippocrates taught his pupils the art of medicine under this tree.  The limbs of the now very elderly tree are supported by scaffolding.  There is also a Hippocratic Museum dedicated to the great man and a Hippocratic Foundation of Kos, plus the nearby ruins of Asklepion, where Herodicus taught Hippocrates medicine in the 5^th century BCE.

Hippocrates adopted a rational approach to diagnosis, and was the first to lay stress on the importance of the environment in therapy—as witness his treatise ‘Airs, Waters and Places’.  The Asklepion was as much spa and teaching facility as religious sanctuary, and the site itself had ample springs.  Today, a festival called the Hippocratia takes place in winter and summer months.

It features cultural events for all ages, including a re-enactment of the Hippocratic Oath that takes place at the Asklepion, where graduates from various medical schools take the Hippocratic Oath and promise an ethical code of conduct in an awe-inspiring ambiance.

The ruins of the Asklepion are open all year round (but closed on Mondays).  It lies 4kms S.W. of town on a series of terraces overlooking Kos town and the Turkish coast.  It’s easy to reach by walking, vehicle or the little tourist train, passing through the partly ethnic-Turkish village of Platani with its mosque and cluster of Anatolian-style tavernas at the main junction.  The site is on a slope and has three tiers, connected by broad stairways, with a Doric Temple of Asklepios on the top level, and a Roman Corinthian temple.  Unfortunately, the Knights Crusaders used the site as a easy source of ready-cut masonry, so little else remains standing.

The Agora of Kos was one of the largest commercial centres of ancient Greece.  At one end was a workshop which produced pigments, including Egyptian Blue (calcium copper silicate).  Coins, artefacts and copper statues from Roman times were later unearthed by archaeologists.  The agora has the remains of the fortifications of the city, the Sanctuaries of Aphrodite and Herakles, foundations of the houses, a part of the ancient harbour of Kos, and the Altar of Dionysus.  This dates back to the 2^nd century BCE, although the temple itself was damaged during an earthquake in 142 CE.  The frieze of the altar is decorated with scenes from the battle of the Amazons and Dionysian satyrs.

The ancient stadium of Kos is located opposite the church of Agia Anna in Kos town.  This stadium dates back to the first half of the 2^nd century BCE.  Today, there are fragments of marble columns and sections of the Doric style temple.

Close to the Plane Tree of Hippocrates is the Temple of Herakles as verified by inscriptions on stone remains.  Built upon a mound in a trapezoid shape, the only surviving parts include the foundations of the temple and some stone blocks built in the lower portion of the wall.

The Casa Romana is one of the most interesting monuments in Kos.  The architectural style showcases the features that used to dominate during the Hellenistic and Roman times, and resembles the houses in Pompeii.  The whole island was badly damaged during a strong earthquake in 1933, and the Italians reconstructed the entire building plan of the city.  The Casa Romana was fully restored by an archaeological team from Italy on the remains of an earlier Hellenistic house.  It’s one of the most beautiful monuments to visit in Kos, and not far from the main town.

Not far from the Casa Romana is the Roman Odeon of Kos, which was one of the most important buildings on the island.  The auditorium was originally designed for hosting musical competitions, but it was also used as the seat of the local senate.  The inner galleries were decorated with marble statues that are now exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Kos.  Today, the Odeon hosts numerous cultural events during the summer months.

Under the Ottomans, the Defterdar Mosque is located in the square of Eleftherias in the centre of town.  Built in 1780 for the finance minister of the Sultan, Ibrahim Afendi Pasha, and although it no longer operates as a mosque, it remains an architectural and historic landmark of the Ottoman Occupation.  It has a beautiful, tall minaret, which you’ll see before you spot the mosque itself.  The Lozia Mosque is located in Lozia square, close to the Plane Tree of Hippocrates.  It was built for Gazi Hnan Pasha in 1786, and was constructed using building materials from the ruins of the ancient city.

The Archaeological Museum of Kos is located in a fine building dating from the era of the Italian occupation, and is a protected monument.

The museum exhibits a rich collection of archaeological finds such as sculptures and mosaics, statues of the Hellenistic period, a fine mosaic from the Casa Romana, and not unsurprisingly, there is an impressive statue of Hippocrates.

The Folklore Museum of Antimachia, also known as the Stone House of Antimachia, is located in the main square of this lovely village.  It presents the folklore traditions and heritage of Kos through an exhibition of traditional furniture, old appliances and tools.  Also in the same square is the Traditional Flourmill of Antimahia, and is one of the island’s landmarks.  The village has a honey festival every summer.

In the village of Mastihari you will find the Cultural Centre, Ancient House, and Garden of Hippocrates.  It is an exact replica of an ancient Greek house of the 5^th century BCE, and shows the way of life during Hippocrates’ time.  There is also a Philosopher’s Arcade, a stone built theatre, Demeter’s museum featuring old farming implements, the stoa of Abaton, the Temple of Apollo and the Vineyard of Eros.  The Centre organises talks and events throughout the year.

Kos has as rich musical tradition dating back to antiquity when the island produced singers, guitar players, flutists and harpists.  Over the centuries, the island has successfully combined eastern and western influences from the Franks, who occupied the island after the Crusades and introduced new instruments such as the violin.  The Ottoman era brought the soulful so-called “aman” songs, and instruments such as the tsabouna (a kind of bagpipe), and pinauli (a flute made from reeds and oleander) played by shepherds.

There are a number of villages well worth visiting, such as Antimachia (where the airport is located) mentioned above, Asfendiou, a beautiful mountainous village on the north side of the island, Asomastos, another mountainous village in the centre of the island.  From its origins as a traditional fishing village on the island’s south side, Kardamena has now evolved into a cosmopolitan resort, yet still retains its traditional character.  The small harbour of this beautiful village offers excursion boats to various destinations including the neighbouring island of Nisyros.  Kefalos is a seaside village located on the S.W. side of the island.  Aside from its enticing beach, this delightful village with a number of lovely churches and cobblestone alleys, has retained the authentic traditional colours of its picturesque houses.

There are many other lovely, traditional villages to explore if you’ve time, so pay a visit to the Kos Tourist Information Office.  This is located at no. 3 Vasileos Georgiou, a road that runs along the waterfront of the town, next door to the Albergo Gelsomino, one of the island’s best hotels.  Very helpful staff who will offer lots of suggestions as well as brochures and maps.  You can also catch the little tourist train adjacent to the Tourist Office.

As well as some lovely beaches dotted all around the island, the town of Kos is a shopper’s delight.  Many of the streets are pedestrianised, making it a very pleasant and relaxing place to leisurely explore it on foot.  There are lots of good quality resort-wear, shoes and accessories boutiques, nice homewares, the expected souvenir shops, as well as a plethora of tavernas and restaurants serving not only traditional Greek dishes, but more contemporary takes on old favourites.

Also, pop into the municipal market near the Archaeological Museum, also built by the Italians in 1934-5, where you’ll find local treats to enjoy.

No matter how much time you have allocated to a stay on Kos, I can guarantee it won’t be long enough, meaning a return trip another time to explore even more of this beautiful island.