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SEE HERAKLION

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Table of Contents: 
ANCIENT HERAKLION
SEE HERAKLION
NEARBY HERAKLION

SEE CRETE.

After you see Heraklion, away from the commercial port area, you will wonder why it took you so long to get here.

Once you see Heraklions older sections, you will forget about the commercial port.
The old Venetian harbor at Heraklion.

Massive Venetian architecture greets you upon arrival at the port. The Venetian walls still surround the old town of Heraklion. You can walk the ramparts for a different angle on the city. Within the walls are centuries of Greek, Venetian and Ottoman history.   Just outside of the town is perhaps the most magnificent Minoan site. Why are you waiting? Let’s see Heraklion.

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Ancient Sites.

The most ancient site near Heraklion is the Minoan palace of Knossos. The building is in remarkable shape for its age.  It dates from 3,000 B.C. It also sits in an area with a history of earthquakes.

Parts of the palace may be more than 5000 years old.
The ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization. (3500 – 1100 B.C.)

 

Several of these are original.
Hand-painted walls (Frescos) are the predecessor to wallpaper.

 

Evidence points more to leadership by a council rather than a single king.Perhaps not a king’s palace, it was undoubtedly an important building.

 

It proceeds the Romans Apian Way by 1700 years.
This road leading to the palace dates to before 2,000 B.C., making it the oldest excavated road in Europe.

Heraklion Archeological Museum

The museum is home to a majority of the items found at Knossos. You can also see findings from other important Minoan sites.

It clearly shows the clothing and jewely of the time.
The museum’s Snake goddess (mother goddess) dates from around 1500 B.C.

 

The disk is about 5.9 inches in diameter and covered on both sides with a spiral of stamped symbols.
The museum’s Phaistos Disc is from the second millennium B.C. Its meaning or use are debated to this day, making it one of archaeology’s most famous mysteries.

If you visit no other sites while in the Heraklion area, the archeological site and museum should be at the top of your list.

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Within the City Walls

First, we should talk about the walls themselves. The major fortification began around 1212 A.D. by the Venetians. Most of the walls and some of the structures still stand.

A visit to the fort should be near the top of the list.
The most visible walls are around the Venetian harbor and Fort Koule.

 

Learn more about the Venetian occupation with up close displays.
Fort Koule has a museum inside.

The Rest of the City.

Make sure to go inside and see the courtyard.
The Venetian city hall and loggia.

 

It is the main Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
The Agios Minas Cathedral.

 

The govenor of the time was responsible for the city's water.
The Venetian Lion fountain was once the end of an aqueduct.

 

At one time, this was the city social center.
A Greek fountain and an Ottoman pump house sit in a Plaka near the market.

 

It sits under the city wall near the grave of Nikos Kazanatkis
Renaissance park’s medieval Ottoman ablution fountain.

Around every other corner, or down that street, you are apt to stumble across another architectural or historical (or both) find. Get out and see Heraklion.

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Near Heraklion.

Just beyond the archeological site of Knossos is the village of Archanes. Here you will see Heraklion in a different light.

It is approximately a 20 minute drive from Heraklion.
Archanes Town, a typical Crete village near Heraklion.

 

Actually there are four different sites, including a cemetary.
Archanes is excellent for just strolling, but there are also minor Minoan sites to see.

There are (currently) four minor archaeological sites, including a Minoan palace they have only begun to uncover. Unfortunately, there is a town on top of it. It may have been a rival to Knossos. There are the Fourni Minoan Cemetery and a Minoan villa near Vathypetro, (two.) There is another site at Anemospilia. Unfortunately, none of these sites are open to the public, and there is not much to see from the outside.

The good news is that many of the artifacts from these sites are at the Archaeological Museum of Archanes. The museum is usually open every day but Tuesday. I recommend calling to confirm hours.

Nearby is mountain Juktas. Once a Minoan sacred area, today it is home to a small chapel and breathtaking views over Crete.

On a clear day, the views are incredible.
A chapel shares the peak of Mount Juktas with a private Minoan excavation site.

There are paths for hiking if you need some fresh air.

In nearby Myrtia is the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum.

Also in this area are wineries where you can sample their products. A nearby traditional olive mill offers tours and tastings by appointment.

See Heraklion

Explore the world of the Minoans. Hike Venetian walls. Admire the remains of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture. Or just enjoy the local Cretan cuisine, wine, and wonderful hospitality.

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