Pordoselene Kulesi
Visitors say
A perfect getaway for a holiday. It has a wonderful sea. Suitable for all kinds of water sports. A hidden paradise accessible by a waterway leading to Pordoselene Island. There is also a water source 15 km away on the way to Cunda Island.
Maden Island, which you can reach by walking across the sea from Cunda Island, is a must-visit. Walking on the sea and crossing to another island was incredibly enjoyable.
About
Pordoselene Kulesi takes its name from two distinct layers of history layered upon this windswept corner of northwestern Lesvos. Pordoselene is an ancient toponym recorded by classical geographers to describe this stretch of coastline and its associated islets, a name that evokes the island's deep roots in the Aegean world of antiquity. The word kulesi is Turkish for tower, a reminder that the structure visitors encounter today dates to the long Ottoman period that shaped Lesvos from 1462 until Greek reunification in 1912. Ottoman administrators built watchtowers and small forts along exposed coastlines throughout the Aegean to monitor maritime traffic, guard against piracy, and signal warnings to inland settlements, and this tower served exactly that strategic purpose on a coast that faces the open sea toward the approaches from Anatolia.
The fort occupies a position that commands sweeping views over the surrounding coastline and sea, chosen with the practical logic that governed all Ottoman coastal fortifications. Though modest in scale compared to the grand Genoese castle at Mytilini, structures like this one formed the backbone of the island's defensive network, part of a chain of observation points that could relay warnings rapidly across the island. The masonry reflects Ottoman military building traditions adapted to local stone and terrain, and the site retains enough of its original form to convey the scale and character of these frontier installations.
Today Pordoselene Kulesi rewards visitors who make the effort to reach it with an atmosphere of quiet historical resonance and exceptional natural scenery. The surrounding landscape of the northwestern Lesvos coast is among the island's most dramatic, with rocky headlands, sparse olive groves, and the deep blue of the Aegean stretching toward the horizon. It is a place where the island's layered identity, ancient Greek, Byzantine, Genoese, Ottoman, and modern Greek, feels especially tangible, written into the stones themselves and the ancient name that the tower still carries.
Before you go
What to expect
The tower occupies a raw, windswept headland where the strategic logic of its Ottoman builders is immediately clear — nothing moves on the sea approaches from Anatolia without being seen from here. Up close, the surviving masonry is modest but evocative, and the surrounding landscape of rocky capes and spare olive groves feels genuinely remote. Come expecting solitude, no facilities, and one of the more thought-provoking views on the island.
Best time to visit
Spring and early autumn are ideal; summer is hot and fully exposed with almost no shade.
How to get there
From Mytilene, drive northwest toward the far northwestern tip of the island — allow roughly an hour or more depending on your route. The final stretch can be rough, so ask locally about road conditions before you set out.
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Visitor Reviews
Kuax
August 2025
It has a very beautiful view, but climbing it can be a bit dangerous if you don't have the necessary equipment. However, the path to the island, the ancient tower, the other abandoned houses on the island, and the bay at the other end of the island are worth seeing. As a side note; be careful of sinkholes and depressions on the way up, some of them are meters deep. Also, finding the path to the top is not very easy.
Zeytinlibogaz Permakültür Çiftliği
July 2025
Walking to the mining island and then the tower.. This place is so beautiful.. like two different seas.. The sea was cold in Ören, we swam here at 7 in the morning, it was warm.. Small beautiful bays.. The roads are bad, maybe it's a good thing they are bad, they are places that can get dirty quickly..
Songül Yel
June 2025
Pordoselene Tower is a very impressive structure that carries historical traces to the present day, located at one of the highest points of Cunda Island, off the coast of Ayvalık. Located among the ruins of the ancient city of Pordoselene, this tower fascinates those who see it with both its archaeological and cultural value. Visitors can both breathe in the historical atmosphere and watch the breathtaking view of Cunda and the Aegean Sea from a bird's eye view. Although it requires some effort to walk up since it is located on a hill, the view you see when you reach it is worth all the fatigue. It is a must-see spot, especially for photography enthusiasts and history enthusiasts. Although there are limited informative signs around it, the texture of the region is quite impressive. I definitely recommend everyone who comes to Cunda Island to add Pordoselene Tower to their route; both a walk in touch with nature and a stop alone with history await you.
Alper Altun
December 2024
Don't waste your time going to see it, there's nothing there.
Hakan Hayat Welma Reklam Bahçesi
July 2023
A perfect bay, a must-visit, the sea is amazing, perfect for diving. Welma was here.
Tunç Burak Ünal
April 2023
A perfect getaway for a holiday. It has a wonderful sea. Suitable for all kinds of water sports. A hidden paradise accessible by a waterway leading to Pordoselene Island. There is also a water source 15 km away on the way to Cunda Island.
Nazmiye Demirtaş
September 2022
We drove a certain distance and then went trekking. Be aware that the road by car is unpaved and difficult. By September 25th, it had become a pristine area. There was nobody around; you could swim wherever you wanted. We couldn't walk to the tower. We couldn't cross between the two mountains because the water level had risen. There was only the sound of silence; I thought it was magnificent.
Komodo Ejderi07
February 2022
Another place where you can't get enough of the Aegean Sea. There's a waist-deep stone path between it and Cunda Island. Crossing can be quite enjoyable in the summer, but in winter, combined with the cold, it becomes impossible. It has clear and unspoiled surrounding bays; the paths leading from the land may be closed. If you have a boat, you can explore it.
egrostero
September 2021
The road is dirt by car, but it's difficult if your vehicle is low. There are fishermen on the shore. I didn't cross over, I turned back halfway, but you can easily cross with water shoes. You need to be careful of sea urchins, there are plenty of them, and you can see the bottom of the sea anyway.
Erol Simsek
August 2021
Maden Island, which you can reach by walking across the sea from Cunda Island, is a must-visit. Walking on the sea and crossing to another island was incredibly enjoyable.