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Photo: originaly uploaded by TB5050, transrered to commons by Μυρμηγκάκι, Attribution via Wikimedia Commons
A small island close to Moudros, which can be reached via a causeway. The island is an important archaeological site, with possible links to Troy. On display there is nothing spectacular, but the hike over the dam and the views of the Gulf of Moudros are worth the detour.
Koukonesi (Κουκονήσι) is a small island, situated in the Moudros harbour, west of Poliochne, on the island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea. The island is an important archaeological site. The best preserved settlements found on Koukonesi are from the Middle Bronze Age, 2000 BC—1650 BC. The findings have shown that Koukonesi's inhabitants had close commercial relations with Asia Minor, other Aegean Sea islands and mainland Greece. Greek archaeologists also discovered Mycenaean ceramics of the late 13th century BC which may prove that a permanent settlement was established around the epoch of the Trojan War.
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3 km south of Moudros Fanari (also called Fanaraki) is one of the most popular beaches in the region. The long sandy beach extends over several meters and is surrounded by green hills. The beach has some tourist facilities, such as umbrellas and sun beds. The beach is protected from the strong winds and has gentle waves. The way to the beaches is not paved. Fanaraki beach consists of Micro Fanaraki and Megalo Fanaraki. Micro Fanaraki is in a small bay 300 m south of Megalo Fanari. The rock caves and rock bridges on the edge of the beach are a very popular photo spot.
Makris Gialos is a particularly beautiful sandy beach and is 7 km away from Moudros. The beach has crystal clear water and stretches up to several kilometers. It's a good place for swimming and ideal for surfing because of the constant winds. Nearby is Poliochni, an important historical site where many facilities and hotels are located. In the area there are quite a number of other beaches as Skidi Beach or Parthenomytos Beach with its green water. They can be reached only on dirt roads. On this beach a number of trees were planted that are specially maintained for the visitors to provide some shade. On Parthenomytos beach is a small cafe where you can order drinks.
From autumn to spring you can find many different bird species in this marsh area. The shallow lake dries out in summer.
The beach is in the picturesque bay of Kotinas with its small fishing port and the very interesting Chapel on a small hill. Under the chapel you go down into a cave. In the bay there are good restaurants and the beach is equipped with beach chairs, umbrellas and beach bar. The bay is one of the "must see" places in Lemnos!
9 km east of Moudros near the village of Kaminia, this important archaeological site was the best-known city in the northern Aegean after Troy in the 3rd millennium BC. It started as a small Neolithic village and evolved into a thriving city that lived from copper. You can see ancient pottery, ruins of houses, barns, aqueduct, theatre and a parliament. The small museum explains in detail the history of the place and is worth a visit. The view from the archaeological site of the sea and the surrounding area round out a visit.
The ancient site of Ifestia, located near the village Kontopouli, was from the Neolithic to the early Christianity an important religious centre. The excavations show remains of a large settlement, with ruins of a castle, a cemetery, a baths, an Hellenistic theatre and a temples of the mysterious, once only on Lemnos and its neighbouring island of Samothrace manicured worship of Cabeiri, a “Sanctuary of the Great Gods”. The identity and nature of the deities venerated at the sanctuary remains largely enigmatic, in large part because it was taboo to pronounce their names. Literary sources from antiquity refer to them under the collective name of "Cabeiri", while they carry the simpler epithet of Great Gods, which was a title or state of being rather than the actual name. The cult of the Great Gods existed in ancient Greece as one of several mystery cults in addition to the worship of the Olympian deities. Mystery cults are cults or religion whose religious doctrines and rites are kept secret from outsiders. The inclusion in such a community of worship was usually carried out by special initiation rites. Because the mystery cults have broadly maintained their secrets, their myths and rites are hardly reconstructed and there are only a lot of conjectures based on ancient writings and archaeological finds. The sanctuary was destroyed by the Persians in 511 BC. The Athenians conquered Lemnos in the early 5th century and rebuilt Ifestia again, but introduced their politically democratic system. In the early Byzantine period Ifestia was abandoned because the natural harbour silted up due to continuous soil erosion and developing Christianity was averse to the old mystery cult.