Koukouli, Ioannina
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Koukouli () is a village of the
Zagori Zagori (; ), is a region, a municipality, and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Asprangeloi. It has an area of some and contains 46 v ...
region, in the municipal unit of
Tymfi Tymphe (in Latin and English usage) or Tymfi (in the Greek government's preferred transliteration), Timfi, also Tymphi (, ) is a mountain in the northern Pindus mountain range, in northwestern Greece. It is part of the regional units of Greece, ...
, in northwestern
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 ...
. The village is situated at the southern end of the
Vikos Gorge The Vikos Gorge or Vikos Canyon () is a gorge in the Pindus Mountains of northwestern Greece. It lies on the southern slopes of Mount Tymphe with a length of about 32 km, depth ranging from 120 to 1350 m, and a width ranging from 2500 m to ...
.


History

The village takes its name from the Greek word of silkworm cocoon; silk production in the wider region of Zagori was popular during the past centuries. The village appears to be founded somewhere in the 13th century. It was included in the treaty signed between the villages of Zagori (there were 14 at the time) and the
Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
at 1430, which marked the beginning of Ottoman rule in the region. The villages of Zagori formed an autonomous federation for the next centuries. The privileges which were granted to the federation of Zagori and which are due, in the biggest part, to the influence of notable Zagorians over the
Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( or ''Babıali''; ), was a synecdoche or metaphor used to refer collectively to the central government of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It is particularly referred to the buildi ...
, were preserved until 1868. According to these privileges, Zagori was autonomous and self-governed under the surveillance of the Vekili of Zagori. Many inhabitants during the 18th century became merchants, traveled abroad and made huge profits. The Plakidas family was one of those that made a fortune. Alexios Plakidas, a local benefactor, donated huge amounts of money for the village and the Zagori region. Prior to the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Koukoulians used to migrate to Asia Minor and the United States. Inside Greece, they mostly migrated to Macedonia.A.Kathareios (Inspector of the 1st educational region of Epirus) ''Report of Inspection of Zagorohoria in 1913'' Today, like the rest of
Zagori Zagori (; ), is a region, a municipality, and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Asprangeloi. It has an area of some and contains 46 v ...
, the village is a tourist destination, mainly in winter season. Buildings of traditional architecture such as the 2 schools and the historical Inn, serve as hotels for the tourists.


Notable people

* Manthos Iconomou (1754–1822), scholar and advisor of Ali Pasha. * Alexios Plakidas, merchant and benefactor. * Konstantinos Lazaridis, scholar and botanologist, founder of the natural museum of Koukouli. * Lefteris Zagoritis, former member of the Greek parliament. * Demetrios Stroubos (1806 - 1890), professor.


References


External links

* http://www.koukouli-zagoriou.gr Site of the Koukouli cultural organization (Greek).
Prefecture of Ioannina. Tourist department of Greece
{{Zagori div Populated places in Ioannina (regional unit) Zagori