Tyros (Tsakonika: Tere) is a seaside town in the prefecture of
Arcadia. It was the seat of the Municipality of Tyros and the
current seat of the Municipal Unit of Tire of the Municipality of
South Kynouria. It includes three settlements: Ano Tyros, Kato Tyros
and Tyros beach.
It is located in the middle of Kynouria,
between the foothills of Mount Parnon and the shores of the Myrtos
Sea.
It is one of the oldest naval states of the Peloponnese
and belongs to the area of historic Tsakonia where the Tsakonian
dialect is still spoken and the traditional Tsakonian dance is
danced.
Tyros is 180 km from Athens, 71 km from Tripoli, 70
km from Argos, 20 km from Leonidio, 30 km from Astros and 14 nm from
Spetses.
Tyros has been inhabited since prehistoric times, it
was one of the ports of ancient Sparta, on the hill above the
present port, there are the ruins of a prehistoric settlement -
castle of Lygaria that helped oversee the port of Komi of Tyros
which was located 100m. inside the current Karavostasi location.
Tyros has taken its name from the sanctuary of Apollo Tyritis
(APELLONI TYRITA), a local deity worshiped in the area.
The
location of the sanctuary is located on the hill of Profitis Ilias
southwest of the town.
Extensive excavations were made by
Professor Romaios, ancient finds have been found in both the
Paliochora plateau of Tyros and Mount Orion (1,194 m).
The
findings from the area are now in the museums of Sparta, Tripoli,
Astros, the Benaki Museum as well as the Louvre museum.
In
the Laconic of Pausanias it is referred to as "earl after port".
In Tyros from 1860 to 1939 operated barite mines at
Cape Trikeri northeast of the town. Their last owner was the
Athenian businessman Sgourdas.
In the area of Tyros are
also the geological layers of Tyros, of the Tripoli zone which,
according to geologists of the University of Patras, is found only
in the area. It is a very hard rock of blue and green hue, which the
locals call "Gerania".
Tyros belongs to the
historical Tsakonia and its inhabitants still speak the Tsakonian
dialect which comes from the ancient Doric dialect.
The
Tsakonian dialect, apart from Tyros, is spoken in Leonidio, Prastos,
Kastanitsa, Agios Andreas, Sitaina, Pera Melana and Vaskina.
During the 2011 census, T.D. Tyrou had 1,211 inhabitants and the T.D.
Sapunakaikon 568 inhabitants actual population. These two local
apartments are residentially united in a single whole with 1,779
inhabitants and form the well-known spa town of Tyre.
T.D.
belongs to the Municipal Unit of Tyros. Pera Melano with 337
inhabitants. The entire Municipal Unit has 2,116 inhabitants.
The
main occupations of the inhabitants are tourism, commercial shipping and
fishing. Tire also has many immigrants to America, Canada and Australia,
who return to their homeland for vacation every year.
It has a
modern tourist infrastructure and on its 18 km of coastline there are
many organized beaches such as Tigani beach and Krioneri beach.
In the port of Tire, the fishing boats of the region find shelter, as
well as tourist boats of all kinds. At the beginning of 2016, it changed
form after a series of works were carried out such as the extension of
the pier, the construction of beach quays and boat ramps as well as the
paving of the beach zone.
In Tyros, every Easter you will see
some of the most beautiful Easter customs of Greece, on M. Friday there
is a procession of the epitaphs along the coastal road of the town
accompanied by fishing boats, on M. Saturday night at the time of the
Resurrection, the burning of Judas takes place in the sea on a floating
platform by Tsakone conjurers who accompany it with dynamite and
sparklers. Thousands of candles that young children throw into the sea
early on Saturday symbolize the souls of the lost sailors and fishermen
of Tsakona.
On Easter Sunday, the Tsakonian feast takes place in
the central square, with the reading of the Gospel in the Tsakonian
dialect.
On the feast of the Transfiguration of the Savior, on
August 6, every year, near the church of the same name and next to the
port of Tyre, a large fair is held.
The following clubs operate
in the Municipal Unit of Tyre: the Apollon Sports Club, the Apollon
Cultural-Educational Club, the Pera Melanon Cultural Club, the Tire
Fishing Club and the Tire Pedestrians Club.
On the Paleochora
plateau of Tyre, at an altitude of 690m, is the Dersios cave, known
since ancient times, which in recent years has been explored by foreign
and Greek speleologists.