Kavala: the Byzantine port of Greek Macedonia

The Kamares, a sixteenth-century Ottoman aqueduct, still crosses the city centre today with its imposing stone arches.

A few steps away, the Byzantine Fortress, built on the highest hill of the old town, offers a panoramic view over the port and the northern Aegean Sea.

Continuing you visit the birthplace of Mehmet Ali, founder of the dynasty that ruled Egypt until the twentieth century, now transformed into a museum.

As evening approaches, the old port of Panagia, with its colourful Ottoman houses, comes alive with fish taverns along the quay.

Mehmet Ali, born in Kavala in 1769, became Viceroy of Egypt and founded a dynasty that ruled the country until the 1952 revolution, a connection that makes the city a pilgrimage destination for Egyptian historians.

The city was a crucial stop on the Egnatian Way, the Roman road connecting the Adriatic to Byzantium, a strategic role that explains the wealth of Byzantine and Ottoman monuments that have survived to this day in the historic center.