Museum Ali Pasha and Revolutionary Period in Ioannina Island, Greece
Ioannina is a beautiful Greek city located on the shores of Lake Pamvotis. The history of Ioannina begins in pre-historic times and continues to this day. Inside the lake is an island, the largest lake island in Greece and one of the few inhabited in Europe. The island has no-name, simply called the Island (=Nissaki in Greek).
From the 13th to the 15th century, prominent Byzantine families founded monasteries there and by the 17th century they established the Island’s settlement. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, Ioannina was handed over to the Ottomans. The undisputed ruler of this period was Ali Pasha.
During his reign (1788–1822), Ioannina became an important economic, cultural, educational and commercial center of the Ottoman Empire. In 1820, Ali Pasha turned against the Sultan and was accused of treason. In March 1821, when the Greek War of Independence broke out, 60,000 of the Sultan's soldiers began to besiege Ioannina. In February 1822, Ali Pasha found refuge in the Monastery of Agios Panteleimonas at Nissaki, where he was killed.
The caves of the monastery had been used as hermitages in the 15th-16th centuries. In November 1940, during WWII, the Island’s residents resorted to these caves, to protect themselves from the bombings of the Italian air force.
The monastery and the caves are housing the Museum Ali Pasha and Revolutionary Period, since 2012. The museum exhibits some 6,000 items from the collection of Fotis Rapakousis family, including personal belongings of Ali Pasha, artifacts and weapons. The holes of the bullets that killed Ali Pasha are visible on the floor.
The Museum at Nissaki is a witness of a 700-year-old history.