HISTORY OF KALAMATA

Kalamata is located the southwestern tip of the Peloponnese Peninsula in Greece Like many other Greeks, it can boast an ancient pedigree. It was first mentioned by Homer, under the name Farai, in the 8th century BC In the ancient era, Kalamata did not gain much political and cultural importance, giving way to centers such as Sparta and Corinth The city flourished in the Middle Ages, when it was part of the Byzantine Empire.

The city appears in the hagiography of Saint Nikon the Metanoeite, a monk and preacher who lived in the 10th century. The city was considered large and populous, as noted by the 12th-century cartographer al-Idrisi in his description of the world. The times of the crusades brought a change of nationality

In

1205

the city was captured by the Crusaders led by William I of Champlitte and Geoffrey I of Villehardouin Kalamata became part of the Principality of Achaia. After Wilhelm's death, Gottfried took over In the following decades it passed from hand to hand It finally returned to the bosom of the Byzantine Empire in 1428.

The fall of Byzantium in 1453 put Kalamata in the Ottoman Empire With a short break between 1685 and 1715, when it was ruled by the Venetians, it remained part of the Turkish Sultanate until the 19th century Kalamata is the first city to be liberated from the Turks during the Hellas War of Independence. This event took place on March 23, 1821. Since then, Kalamata has been part of independent Greece.