Efpalio, Eupalio

On a low hill north of Efpalion in Phocis stand the ruins of a Turkish tower house, probably built towards the end of the 18th century. Locally it is remembered as the “Koulia of Suleiman Agha” or the “Serai of the Agha of Sule”, Sule being the old name for Efpalio. Nothing is known of Suleiman Agha himself, but he was evidently the Ottoman landowner whose estate, or tsiflik, covered the fertile plain of Mantilo, crossed by the Mornos tributary. Several small villages, including Soule, belonged to this estate, and the tower served as the proprietor’s residence. Traces of all four exterior walls survive, one standing about five metres high, alongside remnants of auxiliary buildings and a large threshing floor. Similar koulias once dotted the region; one in Efpalio was demolished to make way for the high school, while the Koulia of Kanavos, eight kilometres northwest, appears to be of comparable style.