Kalamata or Kalámai , city (1991 pop. 44,052), capital of Messinia prefecture, S Greece, in the Peloponnesus; a port on the Gulf of Messinia. It is an agricultural trade center and ships olive oil and fruits. Silk, flour, and liquor are manufactured. The city developed after c.1205, when it became a fief of the Villehardouin family. It later came under the rule of Venice and (1459-1821) the Ottoman Turks. It was destroyed (1825) by Ibrahim Pasha during the Greek War of Independence.