Asklepieion
The healing sanctuary on three terraces, about 4 km south-west of Kos Town. Its earliest temple dates from around 300 BC. Go early or late in the day, as there is little shade.
Kos · History
2,500 years of Kos
The island of Hippocrates, a fortress of the Knights of St John, an Ottoman province and an Italian colony, rebuilt after an earthquake before it finally joined Greece in 1948.
Timeline
The story of Kos
c. 460–370 BC
Hippocrates and classical Kos
Hippocrates was born on Kos and taught that illness had natural causes, not divine ones. In 366 BC the islanders founded a new capital on the site of today's Kos Town, and it became one of the great cities of the eastern Aegean.
c. 300 BC – AD 400
The Asklepieion and Roman Kos
After Hippocrates' death a healing sanctuary of Asklepios grew on the hillside above the town, with temples, baths and treatment rooms on three terraces. Under Rome, Kos was a wealthy city with an odeon, baths and villas decorated with mosaics.
1315–1523
The Knights of St John
The Knights Hospitaller, who ruled from Rhodes, took Kos and built the castle of Neratzia at the harbour and the fortress of Antimachia. They held the island until Rhodes fell to the Ottomans, and handed Kos over in January 1523.
1523–1912
Ottoman Kos
For almost four centuries Kos was part of the Ottoman Empire. Mosques, fountains and the Loggia mosque beside the plane tree date from this time, and Greek and Muslim communities lived side by side.
1912–1943
Italian rule and the 1933 earthquake
Italy took the Dodecanese in 1912. On 23 April 1933 an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 destroyed much of Kos Town. The Italians rebuilt it to a new plan, with wide streets and public buildings, and excavated the ancient city the quake had uncovered.
1943–1948
War and union with Greece
German forces captured Kos from the British in October 1943 and held it until May 1945. After a period of British administration, the Dodecanese formally joined Greece on 7 March 1948.
Visit
Historic sites to see
Ancient Agora & harbour quarter
The market and harbour district of the ancient city, excavated by the Italians from 1935 to 1943, right in the middle of town.
Western Archaeological Zone & Odeon
Roman streets, baths and houses with mosaic floors, opposite a small restored Roman theatre.
Neratzia Castle
The Knights' harbour fortress, reached by a bridge over Palm Tree Avenue. Closed after the 2017 earthquake, it reopened in summer 2026; check opening times locally.
Antimachia Castle
A large 14th-century castle used by the Knights, with long walls over the south coast. Open all year, free to enter.