Palia Pyli

On a rocky hill east of Kavala, overlooking the modern National Road near the 477th kilometre, stands a tower that now carries a painted Greek flag on one side. Locals call it the Tower of Palia Pyli, meaning "Old Gate", a name inherited from the Turkish "Eski Kapi". Its history is unknown, though the construction suggests the 15th or 16th century rather than Byzantine origins. The tower measures 9 by 10.5 metres, with two narrow vaulted chambers inside and small windows on each face except the north-eastern side, where the entrance sits. It likely served as a military guard post, watching the road to Kavala below and the hill paths that might bypass it. An 1860 engraving by Mary Adelaide Walker shows a taller structure, so the tower may once have risen higher. Less than 80 metres away stands the much older Wall of Akontisma, a single fortification line probably defunct before the tower was built. Nearby, several 1914 Greek Army forts from the post-Balkan Wars period complete the defensive landscape.