Ruins of an old Turkish tower house on a low hill north of Efpalion, Phocis.
Locally, the surviving name is “Koulia of Suleiman Agha” or “Serai of the Agha of Sule”. (“Sule” was the old name of Efpalio.)

The history of this particular tower is not known, nor is it known who Suleiman Agha was. Apparently, he was, at some point, the owner of the tower and of the tsiflik.

During the Ottoman period, the entire fertile plain of Mantilo or Mavromantilo, as the tributary of the Mornos that crosses the plain north of Eupaliou is called, was a tsiflik (estate). It seems that this koulia was the residence of the Ottoman landowner. In the estate belonged many small villages in the area, including Soule.

In the past, there were other such tower houses in the wider area. There was a koulia in Efpalio that was demolished and the Efpalio High School was built in its place. Relatively close by (8 kilometers to the NW) is the Koulia of Kanavos, which seems to be of a similar style.

This type of tower house in Turkish estates survives in several places throughout Greece. As a rule, they are called “koulia” and we usually find them in agricultural lands, outside the villages. For the most part, these are constructions of the 17th or 18th century (rarely of the early 19th century). The specific Koulia of Efpalio is of approximately the same era. The most likely dating is around the end of the 18th century.

Around the tower, other ruins can be seen, which belonged to auxiliary buildings, as well as the remains of a large threshing floor.

The tower is currently in ruins; traces are preserved of all four exterior walls. One of them is preserved at a height of approximately 5 meters.

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