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( Monemvasia)
Monemvassia (Greek ???eµßas?a, ???eµß?s?a, ???eµßas??), and known by the Franks as Malvasia , is a well-known medieval fortress with an adjacent town, located on a small peninsula off the east coast of the Peloponnese in the Greek prefecture of Laconia. Its remains include the defensive structures and the small adjacent town and Byzantine churches , and its name derives from two Greek words, mone and emvassia, meaning "single entrance". Many of the streets are narrow and fit only for pedestrians&_160;; the bay of Palaia Monemvassia is to be found in the north. Monemvassia's nickname is the Gibraltar of the East or The Rock. The rock is 300 m tall and 1.8 km long. The village is situated on the southeastern side of the rock, which overlooks the Palaia Monemvasia bay. A small hamlet with about 10 houses lies to the northwest. A field of grass covers the northwest and top, accessed by a rocky, zig-zagging pathway. The fortress lies on the north side of the colorful rock, which ranges from grey to peach melon and pink. The founding of the town and fortress of Monemvassia most probably occurred in the 6th century CE. The town was founded in 583 by people seeking refuge from the Slavic and the Avaric invasion of Greece. From the 10th century CE, the town developed into an important trade and maritime center. The fortress withstood the Arab and Norman invasions and conquests in 1147. Cornfields that fed up to 30 men were grown inside the fortress. It was a Byzantine town that existed continuously under the domain of the Empire until 1460, when it was sold to the Pope by the Despot of Morea Thomas Palaiologos (in 1464 the Pope sold it to Venice because the Papal State was not able to protect the city in the upcoming Turkish-Venetian war.) It was successively governed by Venetians and Ottomans in intervals
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