Travel Guide Mesopotam

Mesopotam/Mesopotami, or Μεσοπόταμος/Mesopotamos in Greek, has around 2,000 inhabitants and is part of the municipality of Finiq (population approx. 8,000). The village lies on the SH 99 road between Saranda and Gjirokastra, 11 km northeast of Saranda, 31 km southwest of the Kakavia border post and 41 km southwest of Gjirokastra. One bus or minibus per hour links Saranda and Gjirokastra.This mainly Greek-populated village is well worth a stop on the way from Saranda to Gjirokastra. There are three important sites to visit: the magnificent church of the medieval monastery of St. Nicholas, the site of the ancient city of Phœnicè and the Blue Eye spring. An important commercial and religious center during the Byzantine period, Mesopotam owes its Greek name of Mesopotamos ("at the center of the river") to its position between two branches of the Bistrica, a small coastal river that rises not far from the village of Bistrica and joins the Ionian Sea in the Bay of Saranda. Nearby (4 km to the west), the village of Finiq, or Φοινίκη/Finiki in Greek, also predominantly populated by Greeks, is the heir to the city of Phœnicè, which was the political center of the powerful Greek tribe of Chaonians from the5th century BC onwardsC. Mesopotam is a popular stopover for cyclists on the "Unesco Cycling Route", an 8-10 day tour from Lake Ohrid to Berat, via Korça, Gjirokastra and Butrint.