Bizani itself was a relatively small fort on a hill southeast of Ioannina but it held the key to the city. The Ottomans were certain that one day the Greeks would try to liberate Ioannina, so they established a broad network of fortifications that formed a circle with a circumference of 50 km around the city and blocked all the roads to the city. The Greeks neglected to take even the most basic precautions to prevent the erection of these forts, even allowing shipments of cement from Piraeus to proceed to Epirus. As a result, the initial Greek attack against Bizani in early January 1913 were repulsed and the army’s advance grounded to an inglorious halt.