{"id":367,"date":"2025-04-06T14:22:01","date_gmt":"2025-04-06T14:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondyesterday.org\/?p=367"},"modified":"2026-03-21T19:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T19:42:19","slug":"syrrako-kallarites-sereacu-calarli-stories-in-stone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondyesterday.org\/ka\/syrrako-kallarites-sereacu-calarli-stories-in-stone\/","title":{"rendered":"Syrrako &amp; Kallarites \/\u00a0 Sereacu &amp; C\u0103larli: Stories in Stone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-image-compare\"><div class=\"juxtapose\" data-mode=\"horizontal\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"369\" src=\"https:\/\/beyondyesterday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/28a-69-x-50-Sirako-Mk-1892.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"717\" class=\"image-compare__image-before\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"370\" src=\"https:\/\/beyondyesterday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_2400-copy-2.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"717\" class=\"image-compare__image-after\"\/><\/div><figcaption>Syrrako <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:45px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike Avdela and many other villages photographed by the Manakia brothers, Syrrako, a stone settlement, appears to be frozen in time. The houses and churches remain almost unchanged from one century to the next. The neighboring village, Kallarites \u2013 C\u0103larli in Vlach \u2013 shares this timeless quality, though its architecture is less visible in the picture. At an altitude of over 1200 meters, Kallarites perches on a barren plateau above a deep ravine with 500-meter vertical walls. An optical illusion makes Syrrako seem just a short walk away, but the ravine turns the journey into a trek of several hours. By car, it\u2019s a 20-kilometer detour with stunning views of cliff-edge villages. A spot near the Church of Saint George, built by the people of C\u0103larli, is where the Manakia brothers captured C\u0103larli in a photograph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These villages once had thriving economies, known for shepherding and silverwork \u2013 the Bulgari family hails from Kallarites. Legend has it that the fabric for Napoleon\u2019s army capes was woven in Syrrako. The Vlachs, facing harsh mountain climates, invented the first waterproof fabric, a mixture of sheep\u2019s wool and goat hair. Wace and Thompson noted that in the 19th century, each village had over 6,000 inhabitants. When I first visited Syrrako in February 2014, it was deserted, its stone architecture standing proud. In Kallarites, only 7 inhabitants remained, though in the summers, especially for the Feast of the Assumption, a few hundred residents return. A century of history has transformed these communities, making the unchanged photos seem like windows into very different worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-image-compare\"><div class=\"juxtapose\" data-mode=\"horizontal\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"371\" src=\"https:\/\/beyondyesterday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Mk-1896.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"717\" class=\"image-compare__image-before\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"372\" src=\"https:\/\/beyondyesterday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_2323-copy.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"717\" class=\"image-compare__image-after\"\/><\/div><figcaption>Kallarites <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unlike Avdela and many other villages photographed by the Manakia brothers, Syrrako, a stone settlement, appears to be frozen in 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