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The lush and seductive island of Samos was formerly joined to Asia Minor, until sundered from Mount Mykale opposite by Ice Age cataclysms; the resulting 2500-metre strait is now the narrowest distance between Greece and Turkey in the Aegean, except at Kastellorizo. There's little tangible evidence of it today, but Samos was also once the wealthiest island in the Aegean and, under the patronage of the tyrant Polykrates, home to a thriving intellectual community: Epicurus, Pythagoras, Aristarchus and Aesop were among the residents. Decline set in as the star of Classical Athens was in the ascendant, though Samos's status was improved somewhat in early Byzantine times when it constituted its own theme (imperial administrative district). Towards the end of the fifteenth century, the Genoese abandoned the island to the mercies of pirates; following their attacks, Samos remained almost uninhabited until 1562, when an Ottoman admiral received permission from the sultan to repopulate it with Greek Orthodox settlers recruited from various corners of the empire. The heterogeneous descent of today's islanders largely explains an enduring identity crisis and a rather thin topsoil of indigenous culture. Most of the village names are either clan surnames, or adjectives indicating origins elsewhere - constant reminders of refugee descent . Consequently there is no genuine Samiote music, dance or dress, and little that's original in the way of cuisine and architecture. The Samiotes compensated somewhat for this deracination by fighting fiercely for independence during the 1820s, but despite their accomplishments in sinking a Turkish fleet in the narrow strait and annihilating a landing army, the Great Powers handed the island back to the Ottomans in 1830, with the consoling proviso that it be semi-autonomous , ruled by an appointed Christian prince. This period, referred to as the Iyimonia (Hegemony), was marked by a mild renaissance in fortunes, courtesy of the hemp and (especially) tobacco trades. However, union with Greece in 1912, the ravages of a bitter World War II occupation and mass emigration effectively reversed the recovery until tourism appeared on the horizon during the 1980s. Today the Samian economy is increasingly dependent on package tourism , far too much of it in places; the eastern half of the island, and a large part of the south coast, has pretty much surrendered to the onslaught of holiday-makers, although the more rugged northwestern part has retained some of its undeveloped grandeur. The clientele is rather sedate and couples-oriented; the absence of an official campsite on such a large island, tame nightlife a world away from that in the Cyclades, and phalanxes of self-catering villas hint at the sort of custom expected. The heavily developed areas have unsurprisingly been the most afflicted by repeated wildfires , in particular one which lasted a week in July 2000, destroying twenty percent of the island's forest and orchards, and over ninety dwellings. If you mention Samos to other Greeks, they say "Ah, to nisi pou kaike" ("Oh, the island that burned"), and if you take into account other areas that had been torched since 1987, Samos is indeed about half-scorched. The trees will be a half-century in returning, and the tourist market a good few years in overcoming this stigma. Volunteer fire-lookouts have now sprouted at critical points, but it does seem a case of locking the stable after the horse has bolted.
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