Ioannina is a city in Epirus, north-western Greece. It lies at an elevation of 600 metres above sea level. It is the capital of Ioannina Prefecture and of Epirus. The city lies on the western side of Lake Pamvotis.
The city was named Ioannina, and put under the patronage of St. John, in the early Christian period, supposedly in 51 AD. The city was founded in the 6th century by the byzantine emperor Justinian I.
Botanically, the region of Ioannina is dominated by robust, fragrant pine trees, many of which grow within the city itself, especially around the old castle, or fortress walls.
Within the castle in the centre of Ioannina city, the mosque of Aslan Pasha houses the Municipal History Museum, which includes works of folk art, as well as weapons and swords from the period of the Ottoman occupation of the area. The bizarre layout of the castle´s streets, with roads going in circles or leading to dead ends was supposedly designed to confuse pirates of old who breached the castle walls, so that they would get lost within the fortress, and be captured before escaping with their booty.
Ioannina is famous throughout Greece for its silverwork, with many shops selling silver jewelry and decor (serving trays, recreations of shields and swords, trinkets, etc.). The ornate style of the jewelry and artwork reflects more Turkish, rather than Greek, sensibilities, due to the long Turkish rule of the area.
Ioannina is also one of the few places in Greece where one can purchase a hookah. Hardly any Greeks smoke using hookahs; they are sold mainly to tourists as novelty items. The hookahs vary in size from tiny to enormous (sometimes 4-5 ft. tall) and are often quite attractive, even as a piece of decor. For those who would like to experiment smoking with a hookah, most hookah merchants carry a variety of flavored tobaccos.
The island in lake Pamvotis has a traditional settlement. The monastery where Ali Pasha was killed is now a museum. The Moni Panteleimonos monastery (which was once Ali-Pasha´s secret hideout) is now a museum containing paintings, information, and even re-creations of Ali-Pasha´s living quarters on his island hideaway. Passengers are ferried back and forth from the mainland to the island (about a 15 minute ride each way) on small motorboats which run on varying schedules, according to the season. (About once every half hour, or more, in the spring and summer, much less in the winter.)
The museum is not the only attraction on the island--there are many gift-shops, tavernas, churches and bakeries on the island´s quaint, winding streets. Some of the people of Ioannina even choose to make the tiny island their yearlong home, with simple rowboats moored outside their homes, or in small marines, just in case they need to get to Ioannina proper when the motorboats are not running.
Zagoria has many traditional villages, such as Papigo, Skamneli and Monodentri. The region is noted for its scenery and traditional food.
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It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ioannina"