A brief historic review of the town of Edessa is made in this article. Furthermore the architecture of the wall surrounding the city, which was built successively on two levels the plain and the acropolis, is examined.
In 1389 the town of Edessa was conquered by the Turks, who turned its walls into ruins. The town at that time was divided into twelve quarters of which only three were Christian. Varos, the most important of all on the SE side of the Byzantine acropolis, Hosnisin and Mahal. A thorough description of the architectural elements of the Varosi houses follows in the article that tells of the architecture employed there in relation to the inhabitants’ occupation ( breeding silk worms). The article concludes with the significant remark that Varosi is a unique entity, which has been preserved intact in the present urban landscape of Edessa and is one of the few relevant examples in Northern Greece.
