Heraklion and Knossos (Crete)

Heraklion:

The Arabs were the first to “bomb” Herakion (then "El Khandak) as its capital. It would become one of the largest slave trade cities in Europe.

The Venetians would manufacture many buildings in the city that they would call Candia and it would cost the Turks 21 years to clear the fortress. During the battle of Crete Heraklion in WW2 was frequently bombed by the Germans - the old Venetian and Turkish city would almost disappear. Now Heraklion is the largest city in Crete with about 125,000 inhabitants. 

Most popular landmark of the capital Heraklion is the archaeological museum with numerous finds from nearby Knossos (see below). There are also various finds from the archaeological site Phaestus, such as the world famous Phaistos Disc in this museum. A well-known statue in the archaeological museum is that of the snake goddess, who holds a snake in the air in every hand. In the harbor lies the fort Koulés.

Another attraction is the old harbor with the Venetian fortress Rocca al Mare and the mighty city walls also built by the Venetians in the 15th and 16th centuries. These have seven bastions and four gates. An interesting museum is perhaps about the battle of Crete during WW2. This one has free entrance.

Knossos

The first palace, on what is now the archaeological site of Knossos, was built in the year 1900 BC as the home of the mythical King Minos. The palace contained well-appointed rooms with murals, some of life-sized people, bulls and dolphins. Other topics are religious parades, dancers, mythical animals, lilies and birds. Besides the palace, it would contain houses of notables and priests, but also houses of "ordinary" people and even a number of cemeteries.

Two hundred years later, it was destroyed by an earthquake and then rebuilt and improved, after which it would be hit again by an earthquake some 300 years later. Around the year 1400, the entire site was destroyed by an all-encompassing fire and abandonment. In 1900, the British archaeologist "Evans" would rediscover the site, buy the land and do 35 years of research. Evans then rebuilt the enormous palace on the ruins, as he suspected it must have looked like. Originally it consisted of stone constructions as a support of clay tile walls, above which beam constructions had been laid. 

Evans found pottery and vases, but also the oldest cobbled street in Europe, baths and school benches. The best known is therefore the statue of the serpent goddess, which can now be found in the museum in Heraklion. In addition to the 'throne room' small rooms with cachets (hidden storage spaces under the ground) were found, filled with statues of goddesses or priestesses. Some claim that Knossos was not a palace but a temple. Others are of the opinion that it was a collective warehouse of goods, especially food reserves, that was managed centrally.

The palace which would also serve as a town-hall would have been built around a central square. The function of this square would have been for people's meetings, possibly linked to festivals. The wide stairs would have been mainly sitting or standing places for spectators. Later, the square was surrounded by several buildings and finally the northern entrance was closed by a gate complex. The highlights of the partly reconstructed site of Evans are a number of beautiful human-large frescoes of a bull, a prince and servants who perform a procession. You can admire this in the open air, but also in the Throne Room and the Reception Hall where the States-rooms were. You can visit the theater, a piece of royal road, the grand staircase and the bathhouse. 

Other attractions:

• On the east side of Crete, among other things you can visit the famous palm beach of Vai and the leper island Spinalonga which are both also popular destinations.

The oldest signs of civilization on Crete date from about 6500 BC when people from Asia Minor went to the island. This period is known as the Neolithic and came to an end around 3000 BC. About 3300 BC developed the Minoan civilization (3300 - 1450 BC) on the island. It was the first great civilization of the area around the Aegean Sea. This period “produced” good sailors, traders and farmers.

Because they had virtually the entire eastern Mediterranean under control and had virtually no enemies, they could develop into a very high civilization. Knossos was probably an important ceremonial and political center. The fertile soil of Crete, which supplied oil, grain and wine, also caused great prosperity. The ruins of the palaces can be found on different parts of the island. This Minoan civilization came around 1200 BC to an end probably caused by a volcanic eruption. In this event one even sees the reason for the legend of Atlantis.

When the economy did not go well anymore, Crete was conquered by the Mycenaeans from the Greek area. The Minoan culture therefore remained intact. Around 1100 BC. there was a lot of unrest and uncertainty, which caused a migration wave to Cyprus. Around 1000 BC. the warlike Doric peoples traveled from the Greek mainland to Crete. The island was spared from wars against the Persians and also Alexander the Great left Crete to his own devices. 

The Romans take over

In the year 67 BC Crete was occupied by the Romans, the first foreign occupying power. The Romans provided peace and rehabilitation of the island and the construction of roads, aqueducts and temples. Crete re-emerged under Roman rule and several cities experienced great economic growth until it was again hit by a severe earthquake. In the 9th century, the Arabs conquered Crete. For about a century and a half they had the power on Crete, until the Byzantines conquered the island with as many as 3000 ships. Many inhabitants of Constantinople came to live in Crete. In 1210, Crete eventually came into Venetian hands that gave a lot of land to soldiers. Large forts were also built to defend the island.

In the principle this led to many uprisings, but because of fear of the larger enemy, the Ottomans, both peoples grew closer together. Many Cretans learned Italian and went to Venice to work or study. From around 1454 and for two centuries Crete had a huge cultural bloom, it was the time of the Cretan Renaissance. In 1645 the Ottoman Turks invaded Crete, which was the beginning of a long-lasting oppression of the local population by the Turks. The islanders were in constant conflict with the Turks and the resistance was intense. In 1898 the then great powers (England, France, Russia and Italy) forced the Ottoman Empire to leave the island - it became a British protectorate.

On 10 August 1913, Crete was finally included in the Kingdom of Greece after the Greek victory in the Balkan Wars. In May 1941, German parachutists landed in the west of Crete in an attempt to take over the island. The battle would last for 10 days and many Germans would loose their lives. Several resistance organizations fought with British aid in the following years, further against the German occupation. This occupation was cruel; villages were burned down and civilians executed. After the war there was poverty, but Crete is today one of the most prosperous areas of Greece, partly due to tourism and agriculture.