The region of Filiates was known as Cestrine prior to the Ottoman period. The region is named for the ancient town of Cestria, in ancient Epirus, other ancient names for which were Cammania, Ilion, Epirus, Troy, Epirus and Troia and Epirusis; the site of ancient Cestria is probably over the Albanian frontier. The modern name Filiates is the result of the conversion of a surname. In particular it applies to a certain Filios with the addition of the Greek ending -άτες or -άταις. Filiates is known as Filat in Albanian, and as Filat in Ottoman Turkish.
Municipality
The present municipality Filiates was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 2 former municipalities, that became municipal units :
Filiates
Sagiada
The municipality has an area of 583.530 km2, the municipal unit 495.727 km2.
Province
The province of Filiates was one of the provinces of Thesprotia. It had the same territory as the present municipality. It was abolished in 2006.
Geography
Filiates is located in a largely mountainous area. The Mourgana mountains lie to the north, on the border with Albania. Filiates is located southwest of Konitsa, west of Ioannina, northeast of Igoumenitsa and southeast of Sarandë, Albania. The Greek National Road 6 and the Egnatia Odos motorway pass south of the municipal unit. The municipal unit Filiates has a land area of 495.727 km² and a population of 5,970. The population of the town Filiates, one of the biggest towns in the area, was 2,512 and the community population was 2,639. The largest other villages in the municipal unit are Keramítsa, Palaiochóri, Vrysélla, Leptokaryá, Trikóryfon, Aetos, Keramitsa, Kyparisso, Pigadoulia, Raveni and Kokkiniá. The municipal unit has a total of 42 communities. Because of its high altitude location on a west-facing slope, Filiates has one of the wettest climates in Greece.
History
Ancient history
In antiquity, the area of Filiates was inhabited by the EpirotGreek tribe of the Chaonians. In antiquity the area round the city was known as Cestrine , separated from Thesprotia by the River Thyamis. The region was named from the ancient town of Cestria, which was also known as Cammania, Cestria, Filiates, Ilion, Epirus, Troy, Epirus and Troia, Epirus. According to Pausanias, Cestrine took its name from Cestrinus, the son of Helenus, having previously borne the appellation of Cammania. The site of the ancient town of Cestria probably lies over the Albanian border.
Modern history
In 15th century Filiates came under Ottoman rule and became part of Sanjak of Ioannina. During 17th and 18th century Ottoman rule a significant part of the town's population converted to Islam. In 1911 during the period of the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Albanians of Filiates formed çetes, armed guerilla groups fighting for autonomy from the Ottoman Empire. On the other hand, the local Greek population displayed tolerance towards actions by the Albanians that didn't reveal chauvinist inclinations. Population movements to the town that occurred from the middle of the 19th century weakened the Muslim elite and led to the gradual Hellenization of former Albanian-majority towns in the area such as Filiates in the 1920s. During the interwar period, Filiates was mainly an Albanian speaking small town that after 1939 increasingly became Greek speaking. During the Greek-Italian War the town of Filiates was burned by collaborationistCham Albanian bands. Filiates region was until 1944, home to a Cham Albanian community. Almost the entire population of them fled during the liberation of Greece, because a large part of the community collaborated with Nazi forces. In September 1944, during the Axis withdrawal, the EDES resistance managed to quickly overcome the remaining Cham collaborator units stationed in the town. After the initial chaos and destruction that lasted for five days, the town's Cham community fled to Albania. The Cham leaders had managed to retreat together with the German troops. Almost all Cham Albanian monuments of Filiates were destroyed during World War II.
