title: Sarakini
text: # Sarakini
  
  Sarakini (Greek: Σαρακίνι) is a village and a community in the municipal unit of Gortyna, western Arcadia, Greece. It is situated on a hill above the right bank of the river Alfeios, at about 450 m elevation. It is 2 km northwest of Vlachorraptis, 4 km northeast of Theisoa (Elis), 7 km northwest of Karytaina and 8 km southwest of Dimitsana. In 2011 Sarakini had a population of 8 for the village and 51 for the community, which includes the villages Kryonero and Palaiokastro.
  
  ## History
  
  The village of Sarakini is first recorded in 1665, and was built, according to tradition, by settlers from Constantinople. Palaiokastro is the site of a Mycenaean-era settlement (Homer's Phere), with a cemetery and a nekromanteion having been found. The ruins of a nearby medieval fortress have been identified with the Araklovon Castle. The village of Kryoneri is first mentioned in the Ottoman tax registers of 1698/1700, although its present site is more recent, as the village was moved from its original location.
  
  ## Population
  
  | Year | Population | Community population |
  | - | - | - |
  | 1981 | - | 156 |
  | 1991 | 56 | - |
  | 2001 | 37 | 114 |
  | 2011 | 8 | 51 |
  