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Fanari (; ) is a region and a former municipality in the Preveza regional unit,
Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...
,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality
Parga Parga (, , ) is a town and municipality located in the northwestern part of the Preveza (regional unit), regional unit of Preveza in Epirus (region), Epirus, northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Kanallaki. Parga lies on ...
, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 205.893 km2. Population 6,943 (2021). The seat of the municipality was in
Kanallaki Kanallaki (, ) is a settlement in the regional unit of Preveza, Epirus in northwestern Greece. It belongs to the municipality of Parga and is simultaneous the seat of it. The number of inhabitants of the town amounts to 2,542 (2021). History Ka ...
.


History

The earliest Mycenaean pottery at the site of Ephyra at the mouth of the Acheron river dates to the Late Helladic IIIA (c.1400–c.1300 BC). The site of Ephyra is now located 4 km from the Ionian coast but in ancient times the coastline extended much farther inland. Fortification at the acropolis of Ephyra include two successive defensive walls in
cyclopean masonry Cyclopean masonry is a type of stonework found in Mycenaean architecture, built with massive limestone boulders, roughly fitted together with minimal clearance between adjacent stones and with clay mortar or no use of mortar. The boulders typic ...
and a gate in built similar to the
Lion Gate The Lion Gate () is the popular modern name for the main entrance of the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae in Southern Greece. It was erected during the thirteenth century BC, around 1250 BC, in the northwestern side of the acropolis. In modern time ...
of
Mycenae Mycenae ( ; ; or , ''Mykē̂nai'' or ''Mykḗnē'') is an archaeological site near Mykines, Greece, Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is located about south-west of Athens; north of Argos, Peloponnese, Argos; and sou ...
. In historical times the
Necromanteion The Nekromanteion () was an ancient Greek temple of necromancy devoted to Hades and Persephone. According to tradition, it was located on the banks of the Acheron river in Epirus, near the ancient city of Ephyra. This site was believed by devote ...
of Ephyra in Epirus was probably the best known oracle of this kind in
Ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...
. A fort is attested in the 14th century (''Castellanariam Fanarij'') at the Glykys river. In June 1386 the population of Fanari asked for Venetian protection. This indicates that Venice was the sole power in the region that could protect the local population against Ottoman expansion. As such, Marino della Roseaa, a Venetian from Corfu acquired the local fort for 100 ducats probably from its Albanian lord but soon abandoned it because of the frequent raids. Fanari was still in Venetian control in 1395 and 1399. During the late Ottoman period the local nationalist movement was weak while land property was the main point of contention: 90% of the arable land in Fanari and Paramithia was owned by a few absentee Muslim landlords while the situation of the Christian farmers was quite precarious. Since the late 19th century land disputes triggered national feeling and sympathies in favor to the
kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece (, Romanization, romanized: ''Vasíleion tis Elládos'', pronounced ) was the Greece, Greek Nation state, nation-state established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally ...
. Fanari is still a mainly agricultural area. Before World War II the local population supported the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
. At recent times local
Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...
farm workers are also Albanian speakers.


Axis occupation atrocities

During the Axis occupation of Greece, operation codenamed "Augustus" was undertaken by
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
and Cham Albanian militia units in August 1943. This affected the area south of Paramythia as far as Ammoudia and Parga. This resulted in several local settlements to be burnt to the ground and the murder of civilian population. On 30 September, the Swiss representative of the
International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a aid agency, humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of Law of ...
, Hans-Jakob Bickel, visited the area and concluded:
20,000 Albanians, with Italian and now German support, spread terror to the rest of the population. Only in the region of Fanari 24 villages were destroyed.
In 21 settlements in the vicinity of Kanallaki 400 inhabitants were arrested and forced to march to the nearest
concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
in Thessaloniki (KZ Pavlos Melas). When the march begun the armed groups did not hesitate to execute a diseased priest in front of the rest of the hostages. The looting and burning in the villages of Fanari lasted for 19 days while c. 800 armed troops of the Cham Albanian militia participated in the atrocities. In exchange of their support, German Lieutenant Colonel Josef Remold offered the Chams weapons and equipment. As a token of appreciation,
Nuri Dino Nuri is a place in modern Sudan on the west side of the Nile River, Nile, near the Fourth Cataract. Nuri is situated about 15 km north of Sanam, Sudan, Sanam, and 10 km from Jebel Barkal. History Nuri is the second of three Napatan bur ...
, the leader of the Cham security battalions, promised to secure the region of the
Acheron The Acheron ( or ; ''Acheron'' or Ἀχερούσιος ''Acherousios''; ''Acherontas'') is a river in the Epirus (region), Epirus region of northwest Greece. It is long, and has a drainage area of . The river's source is located near the vil ...
river, south of Paramythia, against Allied infiltration. During the subsequent operations, 600 Greek villagers were killed and 70 villages in the region were destroyed. 500 Greek citizens were taken hostages and 160 of them were sent to
forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...
in Nazi Germany. The small cultivators of Fanari who survived the atrocities saw the later arrival of the various resistance groups as an opportunity to return to their former properties and also to take advantage in terms of land due to the expulsion of the Muslim community.Tsoutsoumpis, 2015, p. 135


Subdivisions

The municipal unit Fanari is subdivided into the following communities: *Acherousia * Ammoudia *Andonia *Ano Skafidoti *Despotiko *Kanallaki * Kastri *Koroni *Koryfoula *Koukkouli *Kypseli *Loutsa *Mesopotamo *Mouzakaiika *
Narkissos Narkissos (Greek: Νάρκισσος meaning narcissus) is a village in the municipal unit of Fanari in the Preveza regional unit in the region of Epirus, in western Greece. In 2021 its population was 282. History Narkissos was one of the A ...
*Skepasto *Stavrochori *
Themelo Themelo (, before 1927: Ταμπάνια - ''Tampania'') is a village and a community in the municipal unit of Fanari in the Preveza regional unit in the region of Epirus, in western Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a c ...
*Valanidorachi *Valanidoussa *Vouvopotamos


References


Sources

* * * * * {{Parga div Populated places in Preveza (regional unit) Parga