Kastellorizo, the ‘Red Castle’ Island With a History Beyond Its Size

Kastellorizo, Greece’s easternmost island, occupies a small corner of the eastern Mediterranean, where its proximity to the Turkish coast gives its location particular significance.

Part of the Dodecanese archipelago, the island lies only about two kilometres from the Turkish coastal town of Kaş. That short distance places it close to the shores of a neighbouring country while remaining part of Greece’s island geography.

Known as the “Red Castle,” Kastellorizo is presented as an island whose historical importance reaches beyond its modest size. Its name evokes the heritage at the heart of that identity.

The island’s story brings together geography and history: a small stretch of Greek territory at the country’s eastern edge, with a past larger than its physical footprint.