Western Archaeological Zone is a somewhat uninspired name for a very interesting archaeological area of Kos Town which is freely accessible. It is situated opposite the ancient Roman Odeon and contains the remains of some of the most important monuments of ancient Kos.
The plane tree of Hippocrates is a famous oriental plane tree (Platanus orientalis) in the city of Kos, it is one of the most famous trees in the world. The tree is named after the ancient physician Hippocrates of Kos. According to legend, Hippocrates is said to have planted the tree and taught his pupils under the tree. If this was true, the tree would be older than 2400 years. Paul the Apostle is said to have preached under this tree some centuries later.
Casa Romana, the Roman house, is the reconstruction of a Roman villa on its original remains. The building, which is unremarkable from the outside, is located on the road Leoforos Grigoriou V in the immediate vicinity of the western excavation field and the Roman Odeon of Kos, opposite the Altar of Dionysus. The building stands on the site and on the original foundations of a Roman villa of the ancient city that belonged to a rich, aristocratic family.
The Odeon of Kos is one of the most important extant Roman buildings on Kos. Built in the 2nd century AD, it is preserved to this day in its basic features. The partially rebuilt 14 rows of seats give a good impression of the size of the originally covered building, the stage house is, however, preserved only in its foundations. Although the Odeon seems to be rather small, it could accommodate up to 750 people in ancient times.
On July 21, 2017, at about 1:30 local time, a seaquake occurred with a magnitude of 6.7 on the Moment magnitude scale. It caused destruction especially in Kos town with two people killed and at least 100 wounded. During the earthquake, the Shadirvan (well) of the Loggia Mosque was destroyed (see photo). At Eleftherías Square, the minaret of the Defterdar Mosque collapsed, its Şadırvan bore severe damage and also threatened to collapse.