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Geography and history

Crete is the largest island of Greece and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean. It has an area of about 8300 sq.km.A mountainous island, it lies south of the Aegean Sea, a link between Europe, Africa and Asia. This geographical position, being at the junction of major civilizations and cultural currents, has influenced its history throughout the past 6000 years. The palace found at Malia is the third largest palace of Minoan Crete after Knossos and Phaistos.
The island has an elongated shape, 260 km long from east to west and between 15 and 60 km wide. The coastline is over 1000 km long and consists of both sandy beaches and rocky shores. The high mountains are a characteristic of the Cretan landscape. They form three mountain complexes, each with its own 'personality'. Between the ranges lie semi-mountainous zones which cover the greater part of the island. There are also a few low lying plains as well as a number of high plateaux.
Crete has about 600.000 inhabitants, of which over a third live in the towns of Iraklion, Hania and Rethymnon. The rest of the island is sparsely populated, with large tracts of mountainous areas frequented only by shepherds

Crete had the first European civilization over 4000 years ago with the Minoans. Once this civilization came to an end around 1400 BC. Why is still not clear and theories abound.

From then on, Crete was invaded by all the neighbours, starting with the Mycenean, then the Dorians and later the Romans. The fall of the Roman Empire put Crete under the rule of the Byzantine Empire and Christianity was further established.
The Arabs invaded and conquered Crete in the 8th - 9th century, it was taken back by Byzance and eventually sold to the Venetians in the early 13th century. The rule of the Venetians prevailed until 1669 when the island surrendered to the Turks. Turkish rule lasted until 1898 when Crete was placed under international administration. In 1913, Crete was officially attached to Greece.

Palace of Malia from Ancient Minoan Era

The Palace of Malia is situated on the North coast of Crete, East of Heraklion. To the south lie the Lasithi mountains. At 7,500 square metres, it is the third largest of the Minoan palaces. The Minoan name for the Palace is not known and it takes its name from a local town. The first habitation in the area probably dates from EM II and there is evidence to be found all over the palace site and in the town to the north. The town itself probably was not founded until EM III or MM IA.

The first palace to be constructed on the site was built around 1900 BCE. Little is known of this palace though some finds from the Old Palace period attest to the wealth of the Old Palace at Malia. This palace was later destroyed, probably by an earthquake.

The second palace, the ruins of which we see today, was built about 1650 BCE and is similar to the old one. The second palace was destroyed around 1450 BCE, along with the other Minoan sites in Crete. The various functions of a palace -- religious, political, economic -- are all in evidence here.

The first attempt to excavate the site was made in 1915 by Joseph Hadzidakis but the full excavation of the Palace and much of the surrounding town was conducted by the French Archaeological School under F. Chapouthier and are still continuing today. Like the other palaces Malia has a west court. The west wing of the Palace, which probably had two storeys, contained magazines, cult rooms and official apartments.

 The palace found at Malia is the third largest palace of Minoan Crete after Knossos and Phaistos. It occupies 7500 square meters at the edge of a fertile valley near Hersonissos in Northern Crete. The palace's proximity to the sea was obviously important in the development of the site into a cultural hub for its ancient inhabitants. It was first built around 1900 BC, a time of feverish development for the entire island population. It subsequently followed the same cycle as the other palaces of the time, and it was destroyed by unknown reasons around 1650 before it was immediately rebuilt.

Hania

Scholars have been trying for years to analyse the etymology of the name "Hania," and to decide on the time when the name was changed from "Kythonia" to "Hania". The new name is first met as "Cania" in the document "Sexteriorum Cretensiu in Militias divisio" in 1211. Then the name "Canea" is mentioned in the document which relinquishes the Hania area to the Venicians in 1252. As for the change of the name from "Kythonia" to "Hania", the most convincing point of view is that of Prof. N. Platonas, who associates it with the existence of a big village "Alhania", named after the God "Valhanos" (Vulcan). The Sarasin Arabs found this name easier to use but confused it with their own word "Al Hanim" (the Inn). After the departure of the Arabs, the syllable "Al", probably taken to be the Arab article "Al" (the), was dropped when the name was translated into the Greek "Hania" and the Latin "Canea".

Historically and Archaelogically, the hill of Kasteli is one of the most significant parts of the city, as it has been inhabited since Neolithic times. The factors which contributed to the uninterrupted use of Kasteli as a residential area were : its geographic position and the fertile plain on the south, both of which contributed to making the district an important commercial and transport junction. Excavations have brought to light remains dating from the first Minoan period (2800-2000 B.C.). The houses of that period are large with well constructed rooms. The walls and floors are painted with a bright red colour. The Kasteli area was also inhabited in the Post-Minoan period (1580/1550 - 1100 B.C.).

According to the evidence offered by the clay tablets in Linear A scripture found on the hill, the area was reserved for royal use. Between 1380 and 1100 B.C. it developed into a commercial centre which was in constant communication with the rest of Crete and Greece.A historically significant ceramics workshop, known as "the Kythonia Workshop" has also been found in the Hania area. It now belongs to the post-royal period.

In Crete the earth and its crops have been concurrent with mythology and the ancient gods. The purity of the products, their rich in vitamins content, and their spectacular taste, have been and are for the lovers of healthy food, the subject of study for the scientific community, while their beneficial qualities for the avoidance of heart disease has been proven. The geologic conditions, the cultivating care, and mainly the love for tradition and quality, are the reasons for which the Cretan goods have recognized quality

Heraklion

Heraklion is an interesting town. The locals are proud of it and have good reason to be. However, tourists who are looking for peace, quiet, and tranquility may wish to stay elsewhere. If we were to do it over we would probably have made Matala our Central Crete HQ. However, there are several reasons to at least visit Heraklion. Anyone in central Crete will presumably be visiting the famous site of Knossos which is just outside Heraklion--so you might as well check out a few things inside Heraklion while you're nearby.

First and foremost is the wonderful archeological museum. This museum contains many splendid artifacts from different time periods and localities. Artifacts include the famous clay Phaestos disc, a detailed bee pendant, sculptures of the snake goddess with a serpent in each arm and a cat on her head, and the Hall of Minoan Frescoes among numerous other items. In our opinion, this museum rivals the National Archeological Museum in Athens and should be considered a must see. We weren't able to take any good pictures of these items but trust us on this one! It's a great museum!

In Heraklion is also wild nightlife. Many Bars, clubs, live music, discos, dance
clubs, places to drink, dance and party! Also of interest in Heraklion is the Venetian harbor fortress named Koules. Our guide books pretty much just stated that it existed but didn't explain how interesting of a place it is! You get to explore the fort inside (which is nice and cool) and out. It was both interesting architecturally and sufficiently unique that it stands out in our minds. It should take less than an hour to thoroughly look it over and it is well worth the time spent. After that, if you have the energy and time, you can take a LONG walk down the harbor's protective sea wall. That thing must be a mile long at least!! Below is a series of pictures of the Koules fortress.

The archaeological site of Knossos is sited 5 km southeast of the city of Iraklion.
There is evidence that this location was inhabited during the neolithic times (6000 B.C.) . On the ruins of the neolithic settlement was built the first Minoan palace (1900 B.C.) where the dynasty of Minos ruled.
This was destroyed in 1700 B.C and a new palace built in its place.
The palace covered an area of 22,000sq.m, it was multi- storeyed and had an intricate plan. Due to this fact the Palace is connected with thrilling legends, such as the myth of the Labyrinth with the Minotaur.
Between 1.700-1.450 BC, the Minoan civilisation was at its peak and Knossos was the most important city-state. During these years the city was destroyed twice by earthquakes (1.600 BC, 1.450 BC) and rebuilted.
The city of Knossos had 100.000 citizens and it continued to be an important city-state until the early Byzantine period.

Knossos gave birth to famous men like Hersifron and his son Metagenis, whose creation was the temple of Artemis in Efesos, the Artemisio, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

The site was discovered in 1878 by Minos Kalokairinos. The excavations in Knossos begun in 1.900 A.D. by the English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans (1851- 1941) and his team, and they continued for 35 years.

The White Mountains (Lefka Ori)

The White Mountains or Lefka Ori occupy a good part of the centre of West Crete and are the main feature of the region. They are made of limestone and called White Mountains because they are covered in snow until late in the spring. In the summer, the sun reflected on the limestone summits makes them appear white as well.
The highest summit is Pachnes (2453m) and there are over 30 summits that are higher than 2000m. The White Mountains also have about 50 gorges, the most famous being the gorge of Samaria.
Another characteristic of the mountains are the high plateaux in the centre of the mountains. The best known is the plateau of Omalos which is a round plain surrounded by mountains, at an altitude of 1100m.

There are only a few roads leading into the White Mountains: the road to Omalos and the entrance of the Samaria gorge and the road to Chora Sfakion through the plateau of Askifou. There are also a few dirt roads leading to a higher altitude but if you really want to experience the mountains you will need to walk.