Ali Pasha Museum

Small museum on the island marking the death of Ali Pasha

The small museum on Ioannina Island, inside the Monastery of Pantelimon, marks the spot where Ali Pasha of Ioannina was killed by Ottoman troops in January 1822. The reconstructed monk's cell where he died still has visible bullet holes in the floorboards, along with weapons, costumes, paintings, and personal effects of the pasha and his court.

It is a small museum but a memorable one. The combination of the lake setting, the slightly creepy reconstructed crime scene, and the romantic figure of Ali Pasha — visited and admired by Lord Byron — make this one of the most atmospheric history museums in Greece.

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The room reconstructed inside the museum is said to be where Ali Pasha was shot in January 1822. Bullet holes in the wooden floor are pointed out to visitors. His severed head was sent to Sultan Mahmud II in Constantinople — the Ottoman authorities believed only physical proof would convince his many supporters that the old warlord was really dead.