Description of the attraction
Pyrgos Himarou Tower is one of the main attractions of the Greek island of Naxos, as well as an important historical and architectural monument. The tower is located in the southeastern part of the island, halfway between Mount Zas (the highest peak of Naxos) and the sea, towering on top of a hill.
Pyrgos Himarou Tower is an impressive circular fortification, originally four stories high, presumably built in the 4th-2nd centuries BC. The height of the tower today is almost 15 m, and its original height was about 18 m. The tower was erected from local marble without the use of mortar and has double walls. The outer walls of the tower are laid out of rectangular blocks of approximately the same size, on some of them you can still see the mark of the ancient masons - “E. V. O . The thickness of the walls is 1, 1 m, while the outer diameter of the structure is 9, 2 m. The entrance to the tower is located on the south side and above it at a height of 10 m (the level of the second floor) there is a single window of the building. To the left of the entrance begins a marble staircase built into the wall. Along the perimeter, the tower was protected by additional walls about 1 m thick and 2 m high, which are only partially preserved to this day.
Such towers were widespread on the islands of the Aegean Sea, but in most cases only the foundation has survived. The Tower of Pyrgos Himarou is a rare exception - it is quite well preserved to this day. True, it is worth clarifying that only the outer walls of the tower are well preserved (with the exception of the upper part), but its inner part is in a deplorable state - the inner masonry is crumbling and most of the stairs are destroyed. Some scientists suggest that the roof of the tower was flat and was surrounded by a low battlement wall, but no reliable data has been found to support this version.
Pyrgos Himarou Tower was one of the most important defensive structures of the island. The tower is mentioned in local folklore. Today the tower is under reconstruction.
