An 18th century tower house among the few houses of the village of Asimi in the Municipality of Evrota in Laconia.

History

Asimi belonged to the so-called (in the 18th century) Bardounochoria of Laconia.

During the Turkish occupation, after 1715, in this area the Ottomans had settled Turks, Albanians and converted Greeks. The region was of strategic importance to the Ottomans because it bordered the always unruly and problematic Mani, so the settlement of a Muslim population was part of a plan to limit and control Mani.

In Bourdounohoria, many towers were built in the 18th century (until the beginning of the 19th) which were usually tower houses (we are not aware of any defensive tower, exclusively for military use).
Their number is estimated to have been between 50 and 80. Several of these towers are preserved until this day.

The Muslims fled Burdounohoria with the outbreak of the revolution of 1821. Then the Greeks came to the area, but the village was captured twice by Ibrahim Pasha's forces.

The tower seems to have been inhabited also later, perhaps until the beginning of the 20th century.

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The tower survives to its original height but in poor condition as the entire east side has collapsed. One of the remaining walls has been covered with ivy.

Today no defensive elements can be seen on the tower (judging from the available photos), probably due to newer interventions. However, all these towers in Bordounochoria certainly had a defensive character.

Sources