Karpathos Island history information • Lefkos, Pigadia, Arkasa, Diafani, Ammoopi, Olympos
OLYMPOS Karpathos |
| The village of Olymbos is located in the northern part of the island of Karpathos.
Olymbos is described as a living museum, and in many ways, Olymbos is still an open living museum, of architecture, ethnology, linguistics, musicology. It is also the most famous place for tourists and the village is one of the few places in the world that is ruled by women. Women over forty, still wear their colorful traditional robe, and seem to be doing all the work, unlike men, who only seem to be eternally involved in singing dancing and playing the lyra (local music instrument resembling a violin). It is certain that the village was named after the notorious tall mountain of the mainland, Olympus, home of the 12 Gods of ancient Greece. This is because the village is built on the side of the equally tall Mt. Profitis Elias. The general region of Olymbos lies north of Mt. Kymaras and includes the northernmost part of the island as well as the island of Saria, which is agricultural in nature. Saria is separated by the mainland by a straight of about 100m wide. The region of Olymbos is comprised of mainly mountainous areas totaling up to 37 km2 but many areas are covered with woods or offered for cultivation and livestock feeding. Some of the mountains are Profitis Elias (720m), Orkili (715m), Kymaras (700m), Stehoi (640m), Malo (635m), Koryfi (590m), Oros (570m), Asia (540m) in the region of Olymbos and Pachis Vounos (630m) in Saria. Fertile land areas include the regions of Avlona, Achorthea, Pei (pronounced as "pay") and Koilios in Olymbos and Pyla, Ammoe, and Nappa in Saria. Those lands produce olives and olive oil, grains, fruits, vegetables, and grapes, used mostly for making excellent local wine. An interesting element of the local geography is the partition of the region by the sea. The region is surrounded by many natural harbors and bays which offer habitats for wildlife, sealife, people and their boats. |
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