North Aegean Islands

The Northeastern Aegean islands, lying off the coasts of Turkey and Northern Greece, have very different histories, but share a rugged individualism and strong character. They are rarely cat-calendar cute.

However, just beyond the bustle and razzmatazz of their capital towns are deep, still villages and landscapes out of time, places to linger, to just be. With the exceptions of Sámos and Thássos, the Northeastern Aegean islands are the last frontier in Greek island tourism, if now on the front lines of migration crisis from Turkey.

Most of these islands were colonized in the 12th century BC, when Ionian Greeks of mainland fled the Dorian newcomers to seek new homes in the east. They occupied the coastal regions of Asia Minor and the islands, and, between the 7th and 6th centuries BC, seeded much of what we call Western civilization: the islands alone produced talents like Pythagoras, Sappho and probably Homer himself.