Pangaio or Enniakorfos (1956 AD), Nysa according to Homer, is located between the mouths of the Strymons and Aggitis. It was the bone of contention between Athenians and Macedonians over the rich gold and silver mines that existed there. Considered by Homer, the mountain where Dionysus was born and raised. On its top there was an altar of Dionysus, where the ceremonies of the Orphic Mysteries took place. Orpheus was devoured by the Maenads in Pangaeo. The Phoenicians were the first to exploit its mines, then came the Thasians and finally the Athenians. There are forests with beech, oak, fir, plane trees as well as a ski resort, a mountain refuge, chalets and a Forest Village. At the beginning as Neapolis, then as Christoupoli and until World War II, the city of Kavala and the surrounding areas were a bone of contention for many conquerors. The Athenians developed Neapolis considering its great strategic importance due to its port, but also its short distance from the gold-bearing Pangaeo. The Macedonian King Philip II exploited the gold mines of Pangaeus and gave his name - Philippi - to the city of Datos, which grew up after the battle between the Democrats of Rome and Caesar's assassins, in 42 AD. The battle marked the end of the Roman Republic. Pangaeo also has a leading role in the history of the place, where Thucydides owned rich mines and is said to have written the history of the Peloponnesian war there. We meet Kavala as Christoupolis at the beginning of the 8th century. In 1185 the city was burned by the Normans. With the recapture of the Byzantine capital by Michael VIII Palaiologos, it returned to the territory of Constantinople, until its occupation by the Ottomans in 1387. The history of the region as Kavala began at the beginning of the 16th century. Its development was rapid. The aqueduct (Kamares) was built, which is one of the most recognizable points of the area. In 1769, the founder of the Egyptian dynasty, Mohammed Ali (Mehmet Ali), was born here. The house where he was born and raised is preserved in very good condition. In 1817, he founded the Imaret, an exquisite building of Islamic architecture, of which a large part is preserved to this day in its original form, while the rest was reconstructed and operates as a luxury hotel. In 1850 the development of the tobacco trade began and the fame of Kavala went beyond the Greek borders. At the beginning of the 20th century, huge tobacco warehouses, majestic buildings and luxurious houses appeared, giving Kavala the title of megacity. In 1922, 25,000 refugees settled in the area and contributed a lot to the development of trade, economy and the Arts.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou