Anafi

According to mythology, Anafi received its name when Apollo made the island appear to the Argonauts as shelter from inclement weather using his bow as a torch, i.e. the island name Anafi is derived from anafinen meaning, "he made appear”.

The Argonauts were a group of heroes in Greek mythology, around 1300 bc, who accompanied Jason to Colchis in his efforts to search for the Golden Fleece in the years prior to the Trojan War. They built a temple dedicated to Apollo, whose worship was widespread on the island. Remains of this can still be found near the Monastery of Panagia Kalamiotissa at the top of Mount Kalamos.

Part of the Duchy of Naxos in the Middle Ages, it became the stronghold of several Venetian royal families. In 1207, it came under Frankish rule. At this time, the Castle of Krispi, or Glezos Tower, was built on the hill of Hora to be used as a shelter from pirates. The Ottomans, who then took control, were very harsh. In 1537, an attack by Barbarosa, resulted in the selling of all male inhabitants as slaves and the slaughter of women and children. After the Greek War of Independence, the island was liberated in 1830 together with the rest of the Cyclades. Due to its poor economy, many of its inhabitants emigrated to Athens in the 1830s-1940s settling in the district of Plaka, in the centre. The neighborhood they formed called Anafiotika, directly below the Acropolis, is one of the most picturesque in the area. Source: Wikipedia / Anafi

According to mythology, Anafi received its name when Apollo made the island appear to the Argonauts as shelter from inclement weather using his bow as a torch

It took me at least ten years of staring across at Anafi from Ios and Santorini to finally get there, and its personality has remained with me ever since. Freediving was the focus of my first visit. Especially memorable are the dives directly below Kalamiotissa monastery atop Mount Kalamos, and the two islands of Pachia and Makra to the south. More recently, I visited for research of the project trekking in all directions, and though exhausted at the end of each day, I enjoyed it just as much.