The castle of the Chora on Kalymnos was the main settlement of the island in the Middle Ages, including the Hospitaller period. Its present form dates from the end of the 15th century and is due to the Hospitaller rebuilding of most of the enceinte. The oldest phase of the castle probably dates from the 10th-11th centuries. It is estimated that after its Hospitaller expansion it may have numbered about a thousand inhabitants. In the early 18th century a reduction of pirate raids coupled to a rise in population led to its gradual abandonment.