Lokkinokastro Symi

Kokkinokastro, the "Red Castle" of Symi, is a Byzantine fortification of uncertain date, possibly from the so-called Dark Centuries. Rather than a single enclosed circuit, it uses the mountain's natural terraces, each secured by dry-stone walls up to 1.60 metres thick, creating layered lines of defence not unlike the Kastro Ajios Ioannis on Astypalaia. The 1.40 metre wide gate retains holes for a bar beam, and traces of mortar with a reddish aggregate in this area likely explain the castle's popular name. The masonry around the gate is noticeably more careful than elsewhere. A secondary barbican may have been added, which would suggest the fort remained in use into the late Middle Ages; comparable examples exist on Tilos. The site, east of the monastery of Megálou Sotíri and near the road to Panormítis, is freely accessible on foot from the war memorial, though its history is otherwise unknown.