submitted by
George Poulos
on 01.06.2005

An internal search under Amir reveals that there have been 30 entries posted re: Amir Ali.
Most are photographs by Rowan Parkes. Other contributers include Stephen Trifyllis, Alexandra Ermolaeff, George Poulos, and the Karavitiko Symposium - as you would expect -Amir Ali being a "suburb" of Karavas.

Theodori Magonezos has given the following history of the connnection between Mavrogiorganika and Amir Ali:

"It was at the time when the Turks were on the island. Amir was one of them, a warrior of their army. One night he went down to the spring, but for some reason his horse slipped and fell, bringing him down with it. The rest of the Turks however assumed that the locals had somehow played a part in the act, and they ransacked a few houses, taking the men, one of whom (Giorgi) they killed as revenge.
When the locals heard they began to say “Poor black Giorgi” (mavro=black), black being a symbol of bad luck, and so the surname Mavrogiorgi came into being… and the most beautiful part of the island was named after Amir Ali…".

I have added that:

"This story explains the origin of the place called Mavrogiorganika - a place centred on a group of largely "iripia" ruined buildings, (2004), on the northern hillside of Karavas - opposite the Church of Ayios Haralambos.

I believe it does NOT explain the origin of the name Amir Ali.

Amir Ali was a senior Turkish administrator, who maintained his Summer Residence in Northern Karavas.

And further that:

The

http://www.hri.org/infoxenios/english/ionian/kythera/sights.html

website informs us that Amir Ali, was "..a Turkish tax-collector who died here during the Ottoman rule."

submitted by
Peter Vanges
on 01.06.2005

Amir Ali is
"...one of the most picturesque loactions at Karavas where a nightclub operates during the summer months. The name is connected with the short period of Turkish occupation of Kythera."

page 224. Kythera. A History. Peter Vanges. 1993. Kytherian Association of Australia.