Follow the mythological trail to Crete
Jan 22, 2007, 09:12
As most visitors flying in to Crete's Heraklion airport will testify, the island is not short of a few crumbling ruins.
Having escaped the antiquated airport's clutches, visitors of a historical bent will be keen to visit the sites and learn the fascinating history that makes up Crete, which lies a hundred or so miles off the southern Greek mainland.
Although it was seemingly a busy island in the glory days of the Ancient Greeks, it is only once their Italian cousins got going that a detailed history of the island emerges due to the Romans' penchant for writing things down.
The Minoans are thought to have been in charge for three millenia at the very least prior to the Roman period, providing a wealth of myths for ancient writers and modern day scholars to enjoy.
Conquered by the Romans in 69 BC, the island then led a relatively quiet existence as a Byzantine beauty until raiding Arabs turned up in 824. The Byzantines recaptured the island in 960 thanks to Nicephorus Phocas, before the Venetians took control between 1204 and 1669.
The Ottomans then had a go up until the Greek War of Independence, with control of the country and the island finally being granted to the Greek nation in 1832 following a decade of fighting.
Sadly the island's exceptionally bloody history was not yet over, as it saw the Battle of Crete during World War II, in which the German forces drove out the British regiments in 1941, remaining until 1945.
No visit to Crete would be complete without a trip to the Minoan settlement of Knossos. Just five miles south of Heraklion, it is thought to have been the centrepiece of the Minoan culture in the millenia before the Romans turned up. The site gave rise to many popular Greek myths including tales of Theseus and the Minotaur and King Minos,
the veracity of which will remain something a mystery for all time.
There are a huge number of ruins to explore and trotting round them all can be warm work in the summer months.
Those keen to learn more about the settlement can visit the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, which contains many artifacts from the site as well as other Minoan settlements on the islands. A number of Greek and Roman finds are also displayed.
Most holidaymakers will spend much of their time on the coast and with good reason as the island has miles of wonderful coastline, with Falassarna beach along the west coast having won awards in the past.
Those after good food are also in luck, with fine Greek specialities such as Souvlaki and Moussaka as tasty here as on the mainland. All dishes should be washed down with a glass of Retsina, the famous Greek wine. The joy of the island from a gourmet's perspective is that wherever you happen to find yourself, there will always be a cosy
taverna nearby in which to dine, which makes exploring Crete a mouthwatering proposition.
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