Yperkalos

The tower called Yperkalos, which is Byzantine Greek for "very beautiful", is a singular survivor within the fortress of Kavala. It is the only Byzantine remnant in an otherwise Ottoman stronghold, which was rebuilt from scratch in 1425 and given its final form in 1530. The name comes from an anonymous marble inscription carved by a humble builder, whose unartistic hand praised the tower's beauty and invoked divine protection, without dating it or naming a lord. The structure was raised in at least three phases, using stone blocks of varying sizes and brick fragments. Its lower section dates from the early Christian period, while the upper part belongs to the early Middle Byzantine era, most likely the beginning of the 9th century, when Caesar Alexios reinforced the city's defences against Bulgarian raids. It once formed the joint between the main castle and the wall of Christoupolis, running from the sea to the mountains north of the city, perpendicular to Via Egnatia. Today it stands attached to the citadel walls, in poor condition, having lost its defensive value when the 15th-century Ottoman fortress changed the castle's shape.