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Home , Knossos (modern history)

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Crete

Why Go? Iraklio ...... 261 (Κρήτη) is in many respects the culmination of the ...... 268 Greek experience. Nature here has been as prolifi c as Picas- ...... 274 so in his prime, creating a dramatic quilt of big-shouldered Anogia ...... 279 mountains, stunning beaches and undulating hillsides blanketed in olive groves, vineyards and wildfl owers. There Mt Psiloritis ...... 280 are deep chiselled gorges, including Europe’s longest, and Spili ...... 281 crystal- clear lagoons and palm-tree-lined beaches that con- Plakias ...... 281 jure up the Caribbean. Agia Galini ...... 284 Crete’s natural beauty is equalled only by the richness of Hania ...... 285 a history that spans millennia. The Palace of Knossos is but Samaria Gorge ...... 293 one of many vestiges of the mysterious Minoan civilisation. Gavdos Island ...... 298 Venetian fortresses, Turkish mosques and Byzantine church- Plateau ...... 301 es, meanwhile, bring history alive all over the island, but nowhere more so than in charismatic Hania and Rethymno. Agios Nikolaos...... 302 Ultimately, though, it’s humans – not stones – that cre- Sitia ...... 307 ate the most vivid memories. Crete’s hospitable and spirited Ierapetra ...... 310 people uphold their unique culture and customs, and tradi- tions remain a dynamic part of the island’s soul. Best Places to Eat When to Go » Avli Lounge Apartments Crete (Iraklio) Rainfall inches/mm (p277) °C/°F Te m p 40/104 8/200 » Balcony (p308) » Elia & Diosmos (p272) 30/86 6/150

» Oceanis (p305) 20/68 4/100 » Thalassino Ageri (p290) 10/50 2/50

0/32 0 Best Places to Stay J FDNOSAJJMAM » Hotel Doma (p289) Apr A painters’ Jun Hit the Oct Warm seas, » Lato Hotel (p304) palette of wild- beaches before blue skies and » Stavroula Palace (p300) flowers blankets they get crowded thinning crowds » Terra Minoika (p309) the island as and rejoice in the as the grape locals prepare for bounty of local harvest gets » Hotel Veneto (p276) Easter. produce. under way. 257 History Much of Crete’s most impressive surviving Although inhabited since times architecture dates from this period, which (7000–3000 BC), Crete is most famous for lasted until 1669 when Iraklio (then called being the cradle of Europe’s fi rst advanced Candia) became the last domino to fall af- civilisation, the Minoans. Traces of this still ter a 21-year Ottoman siege. Turkish rule enigmatic society were only uncovered in the brought new administrative organisation, early 20th century, when British archaeolo- Islamic culture and Muslim settlers. Cre- gist Sir discovered the palace tan resistance was strongest in the moun- at Knossos and named the civilisation after tain strongholds, such as rugged Ska fi a in its legendary ruler, the mythical King Minos. the southwest where the dashing Ioannis Minoans migrated to Crete in the 3rd Daskalogiannis led the fi rst notable rebel- millennium BC. Their extraordinary artis- lion in 1770. This and subsequent revolts tic, architectural and cultural achievements were put down brutally, and it was only with culminated in the construction of huge pal- the ’s disintegration in the ace complexes at Knossos, Phaestos, Malia late 19th century that Europe’s great powers and Zakros, all of which were levelled by an expedited Crete’s sovereign aspirations. earthquake around 1700 BC. Undeterred, Thus in 1898, with Russian and French the Minoans built bigger and better ones consent, Crete became a British protector- over the ruins, while settling more widely ate. However, the banner under which future across Crete. Around 1450 BC, when the Mi- Greek prime minister noan civilisation was in the ascendant, the and other Cretan rebels were fi ghting was palaces were mysteriously destroyed again, i Thanatos (Unity or Death) – unity CRETE possibly by a tsunami triggered by a volcan- with , not mere independence from CRETE ic eruption on Santorini (Thira). Knossos, . Yet it would take the Greek army’s the only palace saved, fi nally burned down successes in the (1912–13) to around 1400 BC. turn Crete’s de facto inclusion in the country HISTORY Archaeological evidence shows that the into reality, with the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest. Minoans lingered on for a few centuries in Crete suff ered tremendously during WWII. small, isolated settlements before disappear- Hitler wanted the strategically placed island ing as mysteriously as they had come. They as an air base, and on 20 May 1941 a huge were followed by the Mycenaeans and the fl ock of German parachutists soon over- Dorians (around 1100 BC). By the 5th cen- whelmed the Cretan defenders. The Battle of tury BC, Crete was divided into city-states Crete, as it would become known, raged for 10 but did not benefi t from the cultural glories days between German and Allied troops from of mainland Greece; in fact, it was bypassed Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Greece. by Persian invaders and the Macedonian For two whole days the battle hung in the conqueror Alexander the Great. balance until the Germans captured By 67 BC Crete had become the Roman Airfi eld, near Hania. The Allied forces fought province of Cyrenaica, with Gortyna its a valiant rearguard action, however, enabling capital. After the Roman empire’s division the British Navy to evacuate 18,000 of the in AD 395, Crete fell under the jurisdiction 32,000 Allied troops. The harsh German oc- of Greek-speaking Constantinople – the cupation lasted throughout WWII, with many emerging Byzantine Empire. Things went mountain villages bombed or burnt down and more or less fi ne until AD 824, when Arabs their occupants executed en masse. Neverthe- appropriated the island. less, the Cretans (with foreign assistance) In AD 961, Byzantine general and ill-fated waged a signifi cant resistance campaign that emperor Nikiforas Fokas (AD 912–69) won continually vexed and distracted their Ger- Crete back with 50,000 soldiers taking the man military rulers. island following a nine-month siege of Irak- lio (then called El Khandak by the Arabs). 8 Getting There & Away Crete fl ourished under Byzantine rule, but Air with the infamous Fourth Crusade of 1204 – Most travellers arrive in Crete by air, usually with when the Christian countries of the Latin a change in Athens. Iraklio’s Nikos Kazantzakis West targeted Byzantium instead of Muslim- Airport (www.-airport.info) is Crete’s controlled Jerusalem – the maritime busiest airport, although Hania (www. power of Venice received Crete as part of its -airport.com) is convenient for travellers head- ‘payment’ for supplying the Crusaders’ fl eet. ing to western Crete. Sitia is slated for expansion but for now only receives domestic fl ights.