The castle

The turmoil and insecurity of the Arab raids against the Aegean islands in early 10th century declined significantly after the re-conquest of Crete by Emperor Nicephorus Phocas in 961. During the period that followed, the seaways became more secure boosting trade and the large ports were fortified as part of the projects of the capital to secure order in the Aegean. The construction of the Castle of Chios dates back to the last years of the 10th century, although almost none of the Byzantine fortifications survive.

The castle is of an irregular pentagonal shape and encloses an area of ​​180,000 square meters and was built by the Genoese in the early 14th century. The fortified wall dividing the city into the Civitas Chii, the area inside the city walls which was the seat of political and military authority, and the Vorgo, the city outside the of walls.

Its present form is due partly to the additions and successive interventions of the Genoese, the Venetians and the Ottomans, and extensive damage caused in the 19th century, by the bombing of 1828, the earthquake of 1881 and the demolition of the southern part of the construction of the new harbor in 1896.

Both the land and sea walls of the castle were reinforced with nine bastions, of which eight still survive today. The land walls were surrounded by a moat. Three gates provided access to the interior of the castle: the Central Gate (Porta Maggiore), at the southern end, the West Gate (Portello) and the Water Gate (Porta di Marina), which has not survived.

Interesting buildings and monuments are preserved within the walls, including the Palace Giustiniani, a two-storey building dated to the 15th century, the seat of the Genoese administration, the Dark Prison, a place where in 1822 74 island notables were jailed and then hanged, the Ottoman cemetery Kara Ali- the tower-observatory also known as Koulas, and the Cold Fountain, the main cistern of the castle. Finally, inside the castle the church of St. George which was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman occupation still survives.

From this phase also survive the Medrese and the fountain in the church courtyard.

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