Thessaloniki_EN

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on the area’s history is shown
in a special room.
1.1 Military Museum
of the Balkan Wars.
It is located in Gefyra village,
25km NW of Thessaloniki, and
it is housed in the mansion
of J. Modiano (1906, P.
Arrigoni). This is where the
Greek army headquarters were
set up by Constantine, the
then heir to the Greek throne,
on October 24-27, 1912;
the final negotiations with
the Turks about surrendering
Thessaloniki took place on that
spot. Rare relics are on display
such as maps, uniforms, arms,
medals, documents, items of
daily use, and so on, as well
as photos and paintings with
similar subjects. The mansion
grounds are decorated with
authentic furniture of that
time so as to provide a faithful
depiction of the then style.
1.2 Giannitsa.
This modern town has a
population of 35,000 and lies
10 km W of Ancient Pella.
The place used to be a sacred
town for the Muslims since
this is the burial place of Gazi
Evrenos [Gazi Evren Bey], one
of the major Ottoman army
commanders, as well as of
Seyh Abdullah al Ilahi, his
teacher and spiritual father.
Some of the greatest ottoman
monuments in Greece are
to be found in Giannitsa.
Visit the mausoleum of Gazi
Evrenos (1417, reconstructed
in the 19 th c.), a twostorey
rectangular elegantly
decorated building, which
was recently renovated and
is currently used as a cultural
events venue. Within a short
distance (on Strantzis St.) lie
the 14 th century hamam of
Gazi Evrenos (a.k.a. Kaiafa
bathhouse) which is the oldest
ottoman monument in town,
the impressive 25-metrehigh
clock-tower (1668)
and a bit further to the north
(on Strantzis St.) lies the
two-storey mausoleum of
Ahmet Bey Evrenosoglou
(the grandson of Evrenos), a
construction of the 2 nd half
of the 15 th century. Iskender
Bey mosque (1511) at the
town entrance and Seyh Ilahi
mosque (15 th c.) located in
Kapsali army camp are two
other very interesting ottoman
places of worship. At a short
distance from Giannitsa, you
will find some lovely green
areas with flowing waters,
where outdoor activities
can be practiced. These are:
Aravissou springs (15 km
NW) where you can enjoy a
meal at the local tavernas;
the artificial Platanopotamos
Lake, near Agrosykia village,
(17 km NE) where you
can visit the ruins of Pelit
fortress, dating to the times
of Alexander the Great, and
Profitis Ilias country chapel;
and the recreation area in
Dytiko plane-tree forest (3.5
km NE of Agrosykia village).
How to get there. Ancient
Pella is located 40 km W of
Thessaloniki. If you go by car,
take the national road towards
Edessa town and then follow
the signs that will lead you
to the archaeological site. To
reach the military Museum of
Balkan Wars, take the 68 bus
departing from the station at
the horseshoe-shaped point
on Aristotelous Street (where
Aristotelous and Egnatia
Streets meet).
2 VERGINA
(AIGES or AIGAI)
As far back as the 10 th -8 th
c. BC Aiges was already a great
town and the capital of the
Macedon state until the 5 th BC
when King Archelaos moved
the capital to Pella. It was
situated in the centre of
the area which was called
“Macedonian Land” by
Herodotus [an ancient Greek
Historian]. The first magnificent
palaces of the Macedonian
Kings were built here and
the foundations of the great
Macedon State were laid at
that time. It was the sacred
town of the Macedonians
and remained so after the
5 th c. BC as Aiges was the
place of origin of the Royal
House of Argeades whose
members were thought to be
descendants of the House
of Timenides and Hercules.
In 168 BC the town was
destroyed by the Romans and
finally got deserted in the 1 st
c. AD. On the grounds of its
importance, the archaeological
site has been included in the
UNESCO World Heritage List
as a Multiple Thematic Focus
Museum.
MUST SEE:
Royal Tombs. In 1977,
the archaeologist Manolis
Andronikos unearthed the
royal tombs inside a big earth
mound (Megali Toumpa -
Great Tumulus). The tombs
and the mound interior have
been restructured into an
amazing museum where the
DAY EXCURSIONS
85
98 & 99.
The Pella
Archaeological
Museum:
(left) mosaic
floor with
representation
of a lion
hunting scene
[325-200 BC];
(right) marble
head of
Alexander the
Great (325-
300 BC].
100.
Entrance to
the Royal
Tombs of
Vergina.
98 99 100