The little harbour of Bouka

In the heart of Fry, next to the main port, a small anchorage full of colorful fishing boats and caiques is perhaps the most photographed corner of Kasos. Bouka is not just picturesque — it carries centuries of history, from a pirate hideout to a symbol of the island's rebirth after the disaster of 1824.

Next to the main port of Fry is Bouka, a small, traditional anchorage full of wooden fishing boats and caiques, which is considered one of the most characteristic and photogenic spots on the island. The area still retains the atmosphere of an old, almost pirate port, with the traditional cafe on its shore still functioning as a meeting point where fishermen sell the catch of the day. Some of the most important buildings and monuments of Fry have been built around Bouka — the impressive church of Agios Spyridon, the N. G. Mavri Municipal Library and the Monument to the Heroes of 1821 — making it, in practice, the symbolic core of the capital.

Beyond its image, Bouka also carries a deeper emotional charge for the people of Kasos themselves: it is traditionally associated with moments of separation and return — the port from which sailors departed for their voyages and where they returned to the island after a long time at sea. This connection takes on special meaning if one considers the island’s more recent history: after the Holocaust of 1824, the few surviving Kasos initially fled to neighboring islands, only to return around 1840 and devote themselves to shipbuilding, gradually transforming Kasos into one of the most important shipbuilding centers of the eastern Mediterranean. Bouka, as the island’s gateway port, witnessed precisely this slow but steady rebirth.

A modern touch

In the summer of 2020, the then Mayor of Heroic Island of Kasos, Michalis Erotokritos, installed underwater lighting in the harbor, giving a completely new, modern look to the nighttime image of Bouka — an intervention that combined the traditional character of the area with a more contemporary aesthetic, without altering its character as a lively, working harbor. Today, Bouka remains one of the first places one will encounter upon arriving in Fry, and often the starting point for a walk to the rest of the capital's attractions.