Nisos Lésvos

(Lesbos, Mitilini, Mytilene)

One of the largest islands in the Aegean after Crete and Evia and the largest of the eastern Sporades, Lésvos is the jewel of the group. It is grander, greener and more fertile than any of the other islands. A prosperity founded on agriculture and local industry provides an economic balance rarely seen in the Greek islands and tourism simply provides the icing on the cake.

The island is roughly oval in shape with two deep landlocked gulfs on the southern side. It is mountainous throughout, rising from Mt Ordhimos (512m, 1,680ft) in the west to the twin peaks of Mt Olympus in the southeast and Mt Lebetimnos in the northeast (by coincidence they are both 958m or 3,176ft). In the west the island is mostly barren and rocky, but the interior and the east are forested with olives, chestnuts, oak, pine and poplar, though sadly forest fires raze large areas on a regular basis. The flat land is cultivated with market gardens and fields of tobacco. The olives of Lésvos have long been celebrated and today the plump olives and Lésvos olive oil are among the best in Greece.

Just as the spacious and wooded island is pleasing to the eye, so the ancient associations are memorable ones of the gentle arts of music and philosophy. Greatest of all is the poetess Sappho who was born on Lésvos about 612 BC, although it is uncertain exactly where she was born - perhaps Eressos or Mitilini. Allegations that Sappho was a lover of her own sex gave the word Lesbian to the world, although this is based on just a few lines of her poetry (to Atthis - Ί was in love with you once Atthis, long ago . . .') and appears to have been contrived to cast a slur on her character and poetry after the 7th century AD. Today allegations of homosexuality matter less and we are only just beginning to uncover fragments of her poetry. For nearly 1,000 years Sappho was regarded almost as a goddess, Plato called her the tenth muse and later only Catullus and Horace came close to her flowing and sensual poetry. These lines are from a translation by Catullus:

'Godlike the man who
sits at her side, who
watches and catches
that laughter
which (softly) tears me
to tatters: nothing is
left of me, each time
I see her,
. . .tongue numbed; arms, legs
melting, on fire; drum
drumming in ears; head-
­lights gone black.'

Sappho is said to have died in true poetic style, jumping off the cliffs on the southwest corner of Levkas when rejected by her lover Phaon - though in fact there is no real evidence that she ever visited Levkas. Still, it's an appropriately tragic story.

Sappho did not emerge from a cultural vacuum. The names associated with Lésvos are a rollcall of gentle artists and wise sages: Terpander the father of Greek music; Arion the dolphin-loving poet; Alcaeus, a contemporary of Sappho; Pitticus, who d the cities of the island and whose wise rule won him a place among the Seven Sages of Greece; Epicurus, whose benign humanitarian philosophy was forgotten after Christianity and only later rediscovered; Aristotle, who resided for some time here; and Aesop who wrote many of his fables on Lésvos. Indeed it is difficult to find anybody who was nasty living on Lésvos in ancient times, though I'm sure they were lurking in the background.

The geographical position of Lésvos and its sheltered natural harbours meant that from ancient times the island was an important trade link between Asia and Greece. Mitilini is still reminiscent of the Levant and the old trading days, but the division between Greece and Turkey severed communications and destroyed the island's role as a commercial intermediary. After prosperity in ancient Greek and Roman times the island suffered from Saracen invasions and Byzantine expulsions of the invaders and, not surprisingly, the local inhabitants moved away from the sea to the hills. Not until the 14th century, when Lésvos was given to that remarkable Genoese adventurer Francesco Gattelusio, did the island again enjoy some measure of calm and prosperity. For a century the island was once more a trading centre. In 1462 the Turks occupied Lésvos and it effectively remained under Turkish occupation until 1912.

The heritage of the island is largely literary and cultural and its archaeological remains are few and undistinguished. It was Sappho who said that poets attain immortality and long after hewn stones have gone, her poetry and her loves will be remembered.

MITILINI (Mytilene)

BA 1675
Imray-Tetra G27

Approach

Conspicuous Two red and white-banded chimneys of the power station immediately Ν of Mitilini are conspicuous from all directions. Closer in, a large circular building and a monument in front of it are conspicuous. The squat round structure on the S end of the Ε breakwater helps to identify the entrance to the harbour.

Note

1. Work is in progress on a new breakwater enclosing Vorios Limineas Mitilinis on the Ν side of Ak Kástro and the castle. This is expected to be the new commercial port.
   
2. A detached breakwater has been built across the entrance to Mitilini harbour. Entrance is between the Ε end of the detached breakwater and the old Ε harbour breakwater. The ends of the detached breakwater are marked by a green buoy at the W end and a red buoy at the Ε end.
   
3. A new yacht marina is under construction immediately Ν of the yacht club in the S of the harbour. The outer piers, slip and travel-hoist bay are complete and the inside has been dredged to 3-4m. Works continue but it is not yet open to yachts.

By night Use the lights on Ak Kástro (the castle headland) Fl(3)14s6M, on the outer breakwater Fl.G.3s7M, and at the entrance to the inner basin Fl.G.1·5s3M/Fl.R.1·5s3M. The Fl.G at the entrance to the inner basin is weak and cannot be confused with the Fl.G on the outer breakwater. The detached breakwater is lit Q.G and Fl.R.3s5M, and the yacht club pier Q.R.4M.

Mooring

Proceed into the inner harbour and moor alongside or stern or bows-to on the Ν or Ε side. The bottom is soft mud and some plough-type anchors will drag through it. The harbour can be smelly at times from sewage emptying into it.
Shelter Good all-round shelter, although the harbour can be uncomfortable with strong S winds. Moor in the SW corner of the inner harbour during these winds.
Authorities A port of entry: port police, customs and immigration authorities.

Facilities

Services Water and electricity on the Ν quay from the 'water man'.
Fuel Near the quay. A mini-tanker can deliver.
Repairs General mechanical repairs and light engineering work. A yard on the Ν side of the castle can haul yachts. Good hardware and tool shops.Limited chandlery.
Provisions Excellent shopping for all provisions.
Eating out Good tavernas including some fish tavernas on the S quay. The fishermen's café by the miniature fishing harbour on the W side of the entrance to the inner harbour is a pleasant spot to while away an hour or so at sundown. Other PO. OTE. Banks. ATMs. Greek gas and Camping Gaz. Hire cars and motorbikes. Buses to the principal towns and villages. Ferries to Piraeus and Ayvalik in Turkey. Internal flights and some European flights in the summer.

General

Mitilini is the commercial heart of the island. Coasters, trading caiques and large fishing craft clutter the harbour. The town hums with local industry. In the old town the narrow winding streets are lined with market stalls and local craft shops -the atmosphere is redolent of an Oriental bazaar. The whole combines into a likeable Levantine mixture and the city, at first noisy and grubby, in the end charms the visitor.

On the waterfront and scattered around the outskirts of Mitilini are some grand old baronial houses dating from the prosperous mercantile era of the harbour. The archaeological museum houses finds from the classical period and some wonderful mosaics from a Roman villa showing figures from Menander's comedies.