The island has been designated a Natura 2000 protected area because it is covered in lush vegetation and is home to a variety of rare plant and animal species. The avifauna is home to one of the most important ornithological reserves in Europe with more than 150 species, including the Éléonore’s hawk, the Audouin’s gull and the scops owl.
The island, with the implementation of the Just Go Zero Tilos program, which is an integrated circular waste management program that begins with door-to-door collection and ends with the complete utilization of waste produced in Tilos, in fact the first island in the world. a zero waste world. The percentage of materials recovered and composted from waste exceeds 85%. Thanks to technologically advanced equipment, it eliminates landfills and public trash cans and with new management infrastructure, all municipal waste produced on the island is used, thus reducing its polluting footprint.
In June 2017, Tilos received two awards in the European Union Sustainable Energy Week competition, for its innovative idea of using green energy, i.e. wind and solar, to power itself.
Also in 2020, she received the third EU RESponsible Island Prize, with a cash prize of 100,000 euros. The award recognizes the island’s innovative energy solutions and its contribution to a sustainable and climate-friendly Europe.
History
According to legend, the island takes its name from Tilos, son of Helios and the nymph Rhodes. The first recorded settlers on the island were the Dorians, arriving in the 10th century BC. Later, the island came under the control of the Persians, Macedonians and Romans. During the Byzantine era, Tilos was a prosperous island, known for its agriculture. In the 13th century, the island came under the control of the Knights of Saint John, who built a castle there to protect it from pirate attacks. In the 19th century, Tilos, like many other Greek islands, suffered the consequences of Ottoman occupation. However, during World War II, the island played an important role in the resistance against the Germans.
According to the results, 45,000 years ago, elephants appeared by crossing land bridges or swimming and existed until 3,500 to 4,000 years ago. They were called dwarf elephants because they reached about 1.5 meters in height and weighed about 500 to 600 kilograms. They were generally no more than 40 to 50 years old and were probably the last elephants in Europe.
Manners and customs
The cup dance On July 28, a party took place with songs and dances. The leader (leader) holds the cup in which the one who puts a sum of money as a donation to the local church, becomes the leader and takes the cup in his hands, until the next one is found.
Types of tourism
Cultural tourism, religious tourism, wine tourism, professional tourism, social tourism, marine tourism, sports tourism, hiking tourism, alternative tourism, ecotourism, even botanical tourism.
Beaches
With a sandy beach | With stones | With rocks |
Cloudy + rocky | Saint Anthony | |
Eristos+pebble | Saint Sergius | |
Slab+pebble | Secretly | |
Boats+pebbles | Organized meadows | |
Stavros |
Tourist attractions
1. The medieval castle of the Knights of Saint John from the 15th century.
2. Lambros or Stavros Castle.
3. Agrosykia Castle.
4. Agios Panteleimon Monastery.
5. Tilos Paleontological Museum.
6. Small village of Tilos.
7. Byzantine castle.
8. Brigade Commander Archangel Michael.
9. Church of Panagia Politissa.
10. Church of Panagia Kamariani.
11. Dwarf Elephant Museum
Natural attractions
1. Harkadio Cave.
2. Gaidaros Island.
sport
Diving, boating, jet skiing, boat fishing, water skiing, hiking, running, windsurfing, etc.
Local recipes and local products
1. Teliac cheese (type of feta).
2. Myzithra.
3. Chondros Tilos (cut wheat cooked with water or milk).
4. Pouches.
5. Xerotigan.
6. Herbs.
7. Melocuni.