Island of the Week - Cos (Kos)
Dateline: 3/06/98Clinging to the coast of Asia Minor, the islands of the Dodecanese grouping in the eastern Aegean are beautiful and varied. One of these, Cos, was prominent in antiquity because of the healing temple of Asclepius, founded after the death of the famed physician Hippocrates. The Asclepieon functioned for about a thousand years, finally falling into disrepair. After a long sleep, this temple has been excavated and partially restored. Asclepius and his disciple Hippocrates did not have a monopoly on healing here - other healing deities, including Isis and Sarapis, also had temples on Cos. While all the islands of Greece can be considered to be soothing and healing retreats, Cos may have the strongest historical claim to rejuvenating powers!
Passing through many hands in its history, including Persian, Turkish, Roman, and Byzantine, Cos has been left with an abundance of archeological remains. The island is a major tourist attraction in summer, particularly July - August. Unlike some islands, the high-season prices don't really take effect until then, and June bookings offer very reasonable prices.
Cos is relatively flat, at least in Cos City, and is sometimes called the "island of bicycles", which are easily available for rental. There's a fine Archeological Museum of Kos which includes objects from many of the excavations, including a statue that is believed to depict Hippocrates himself.
For a selection of photos of Cos, check out these from Helios - just click on the thumbnails to enlarge them.
There are a number of ways to get to Cos. Olympic airways has regular flights from Athens, and provides bus service from the remote village airport to their office in Kos City. Boats or ferries are available from Rhodes and Patmos, and hydrofoil service is increasing.
