Editing Pylos (section)

===First Venetian and first Ottoman periods ===
[[File:Pylos Festung 380.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The new fortress (Neokastro)]]
In 1423, Navarino, like the rest of the Peloponnese, suffered its first Ottoman raid, led by [[Turakhan Bey]], which was repeated in 1452.<ref name="Savvides2" /> It was also at Navarino that Emperor [[John VIII Palaiologos]] embarked in 1437, heading for the [[Council of Ferrara]], and where the last [[Despot of the Morea]], [[Thomas Palaiologos]], embarked with his family in 1460, following the Ottoman conquest of the Despotate of the Morea.<ref name="Savvides2" /> After 1460, the fortress, along with the other Venetian outposts and [[Monemvasia]] and the [[Mani Peninsula]], were the only Christian-held areas in the peninsula.<ref name="Savvides2" /><ref name="EI2" /> Venetian control over Navarino survived the [[First Ottoman–Venetian War]] (1463–79), but not the [[Ottoman–Venetian War (1499–1503)|Second]] (1499–1503): following the Venetian defeat in the [[Battle of Modon (1500)|Battle of Modon]] in August 1500, the 3,000-strong garrison surrendered, although it was well provisioned for a siege. The Venetians recaptured it shortly after, on 3/4 December, but on 20 May 1501, a joint Ottoman land and sea attack under [[Kemal Reis]] and [[Hadım Ali Pasha]] retook it.<ref name="Savvides2" /><ref name="EI2" />

[[File:Antico acquedotto, Pylos.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Ancient aqueduct]]
The Ottomans used Navarino (which they called {{Transliteration|ota|Anavarin}} or {{Transliteration|ota|Avarna}}) as a naval base, either for piratical raids or for major fleet operations in the Ionian and Adriatic seas.<ref name="EI2" /> In 1572/3, the Ottoman chief admiral ([[Kapudan Pasha]]) [[Uluç Ali Reis]] built a [[New Navarino fortress|new fortress]] at Navarino ({{Transliteration|ota|Anavarin-i Cedid}}, "New Navarino", or {{lang|el|Νεόκαστρο}}, {{Transliteration|el|Neokastro}} in Greek), to replace the outdated Frankish castle.<ref name="EI2" />

The Venetians briefly captured Navarino in the 1650s during the [[Cretan War (1645–69)|Cretan War]].<ref name="EI2" />

In 1668, [[Evliya Çelebi]] described the city in his ''[[Seyahatname]]'':
<blockquote>
Anavarin-i Atik is an unequalled castle... the harbor is a safe anchorage...<br>in most streets of Anavarin-i Cedid there are many fountains of running water... The city is embellished with trees and vines so that the sun does not beat into the fine marketplace at all, and
all the city notables sit here, playing backgammon, chess, various kinds of draughts, and other board games....
</blockquote>