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Crete

Crete (Greek: Κρήτη, Modern: Kríti [ˈkɾiti], Ancient: Krḗtē [krɛ̌ːtεː]) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Crete rests about 160 km (99 mi) south of the Greek mainland, and about 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Anatolia. Crete has an area of 8,450 km2 (3,260 sq mi) and a coastline of 1,046 km (650 mi). It bounds the southern border of the Aegean Sea, with the Sea of Crete (or North Cretan Sea) to the north and the Libyan Sea (or South Cretan Sea) to the south.

Crete (Kriti)
Native name:
Κρήτη
NASA photograph of Crete
Geography
LocationEastern Mediterranean
Coordinates35°12.6′N 24°54.6′E / 35.2100°N 24.9100°E / 35.2100; 24.9100Coordinates: 35°12.6′N 24°54.6′E / 35.2100°N 24.9100°E / 35.2100; 24.9100
Area8,450 km2 (3,260 sq mi)
Area rank88
Highest elevation2,456 m (8058 ft)
Highest pointMount Ida (Psiloritis)
Administration
RegionCrete
Capital cityHeraklion
Largest settlementHeraklion (pop. 144,442[1])
Demographics
DemonymCretan, archaic Cretian
Population617,360 (2021)[2]
Population rank73
Pop. density75.3/km2 (195/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsGreeks;
historically, Minoans,
Eteocretans,
Cydonians and Pelasgians
Additional information
Time zone
  • GMT +2
ISO codeGR-M
HDI (2019) 0.879[3]
very high · 3rd of 13

Crete and a number of islands and islets that surround it constitute the Region of Crete (Greek: Περιφέρεια Κρήτης), which is the southernmost of the 13 top-level administrative units of Greece, and the fifth most populous of Greece's regions. Its capital and largest city is Heraklion, on the north shore of the island. As of 2020, the region had a population of 636,504.[4] The Dodecanese are located to the northeast of Crete, while the Cyclades are situated to the north, separated by the Sea of Crete. The Peloponnese is to the region's northwest.

Humans have inhabited the island since at least 130,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic age. Crete was the centre of Europe's first advanced civilization, the Minoans, from 2700 to 1420 BC. The Minoan civilization was overrun by the Mycenaean civilization from mainland Greece. Crete was later ruled by Rome, then successively by the Byzantine Empire, Andalusian Arabs, the Venetian Republic, and the Ottoman Empire. In 1898 Crete, whose people had for some time wanted to join the Greek state, achieved independence from the Ottomans, formally becoming the Cretan State. Crete became part of Greece in December 1913.

The island is mostly mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east. It includes Crete's highest point, Mount Ida, and the range of the White Mountains (Lefka Ori) with 30 summits above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in altitude and the Samaria Gorge, a World Biosphere Reserve. Crete forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece, while retaining its own local cultural traits (such as its own poetry and music). The Nikos Kazantzakis airport at Heraklion and the Daskalogiannis airport at Chania serve international travelers. The palace of Knossos, a Bronze Age settlement and ancient Minoan city, is also located in Heraklion.[5]

Name


Crete
Keftiu
Egyptian hieroglyphs

The earliest references to the island of Crete come from texts from the Syrian city of Mari dating from the 18th century BC, where the island is referred to as Kaptara.[6] This is repeated later in Neo-Assyrian records and the Bible (Caphtor). It was known in ancient Egyptian as Keftiu or kftı͗w, strongly suggesting a similar Minoan name for the island.[7]

The current name Crete is first attested in the 15th century BC in Mycenaean Greek texts, written in Linear B, through the words ke-re-te (𐀐𐀩𐀳, *Krētes; later Greek: Κρῆτες [krɛː.tes], plural of Κρής [krɛːs])[8] and ke-re-si-jo (𐀐𐀩𐀯𐀍, *Krēsijos; later Greek: Κρήσιος [krέːsios],[9] 'Cretan').[10][11] In Ancient Greek, the name Crete (Κρήτη) first appears in Homer's Odyssey.[12] Its etymology is unknown. One proposal derives it from a hypothetical Luwian word *kursatta (compare kursawar 'island', kursattar 'cutting, sliver').[13] Another proposal suggests that it derives from the ancient Greek word "κραταιή" (krataie̅), meaning strong or powerful, the reasoning being that Crete was the strongest thalassocracy during ancient times.[14][15]

In Latin, the name of the island became Creta. The original Arabic name of Crete was Iqrīṭiš (Arabic: اقريطش < (τῆς) Κρήτης), but after the Emirate of Crete's establishment of its new capital at ربض الخندق Rabḍ al-Ḫandaq (modern Heraklion; Greek: Ηράκλειο, Irákleio), both the city and the island became known as Χάνδαξ (Chandax) or Χάνδακας (Chandakas), which gave Latin, Italian, and Venetian Candia, from which were derived French Candie and English Candy or Candia. Under Ottoman rule, in Ottoman Turkish, Crete was called Girit (كريد). In the Hebrew Bible, Crete is referred to as (כְּרֵתִים) "kretim".

Physical geography

 
The palm beach of Vai
 
View of Psiloritis

Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located in the southern part of the Aegean Sea separating the Aegean from the Libyan Sea.

Island morphology

The island has an elongated shape: it spans 260 km (160 mi) from east to west, is 60 km (37 mi) at its widest point, and narrows to as little as 12 km (7.5 mi) (close to Ierapetra). Crete covers an area of 8,336 km2 (3,219 sq mi), with a coastline of 1,046 km (650 mi); to the north, it broaches the Sea of Crete (Greek: Κρητικό Πέλαγος); to the south, the Libyan Sea (Greek: Λιβυκό Πέλαγος); in the west, the Myrtoan Sea, and toward the east the Carpathian Sea. It lies approximately 160 km (99 mi) south of the Greek mainland.

Mountains and valleys

Crete is mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east, formed by six different groups of mountains:

These mountains lavish Crete with valleys, such as Amari valley, fertile plateaus, such as Lasithi plateau, Omalos and Nidha; caves, such as Gourgouthakas, Diktaion, and Idaion (the birthplace of the ancient Greek god Zeus); and a number of gorges.

Mountains in Crete are the object of tremendous fascination both for locals and tourists. The mountains have been seen as a key feature of the island's distinctiveness, especially since the time of Romantic travellers' writing. Contemporary Cretans distinguish between highlanders and lowlanders; the former often claim to reside in places affording a higher/better climatic but also moral environment. In keeping with the legacy of Romantic authors, the mountains are seen as having determined their residents' 'resistance' to past invaders which relates to the oft-encountered idea that highlanders are 'purer' in terms of less intermarriages with occupiers. For residents of mountainous areas, such as Sfakia in western Crete, the aridness and rockiness of the mountains is emphasised as an element of pride and is often compared to the alleged soft-soiled mountains of others parts of Greece or the world.[16]

Gorges, rivers and lakes

The island has a number of gorges, such as the Samariá Gorge, Imbros Gorge, Kourtaliotiko Gorge, Ha Gorge, Platania Gorge, the Gorge of the Dead (at Kato Zakros, Sitia) and Richtis Gorge and (Richtis) waterfall at Exo Mouliana in Sitia.[17][18][19][20]

The rivers of Crete include the Ieropotamos River, the Koiliaris, the Anapodiaris, the Almiros, the Giofyros, and Megas Potamos. There are only two freshwater lakes in Crete: Lake Kournas and Lake Agia, which are both in Chania regional unit.[21] Lake Voulismeni at the coast, at Aghios Nikolaos, was formerly a freshwater lake but is now connected to the sea, in Lasithi.[22] Three artificial lakes created by dams also exist in Crete: the lake of Aposelemis Dam, the lake of Potamos Dam, and the lake of Mpramiana Dam.

Surrounding islands

Map this section's coordinates in "List of islands of Greece" using: OpenStreetMap 
Download coordinates as: KML
Map this section's coordinates in "List of islands of Greece" using: OpenStreetMap 
Download coordinates as: KML
 
Detailed map of Crete and outlying islands

A large number of islands, islets, and rocks hug the coast of Crete. Many are visited by tourists, some are only visited by archaeologists and biologists. Some are environmentally protected. A small sample of the islands includes:

Off the south coast, the island of Gavdos is located 26 nautical miles (48 km) south of Hora Sfakion and is the southernmost point of Europe.

Climate

Crete straddles two climatic zones, the Mediterranean and the North African, mainly falling within the former. As such, the climate in Crete is primarily Mediterranean. The atmosphere can be quite humid, depending on the proximity to the sea, while winter is fairly mild. Snowfall is common on the mountains between November and May, but rare in the low-lying areas. While some mountain tops are snow-capped for most of the year, near the coast snow only stays on the ground for a few minutes or hours. However, a truly exceptional cold snap swept the island in February 2004, during which period the whole island was blanketed with snow. During the Cretan summer, average temperatures reach the high 20s-low 30s Celsius (mid 80s to mid 90s Fahrenheit), with maxima touching the upper 30s-mid 40s.

The south coast, including the Mesara Plain and Asterousia Mountains, falls in the North African climatic zone, and thus enjoys significantly more sunny days and high temperatures throughout the year. There, date palms bear fruit, and swallows remain year-round rather than migrate to Africa. The fertile region around Ierapetra, on the southeastern corner of the island, is renowned for its exceptional year-round agricultural production, with all kinds of summer vegetables and fruit produced in greenhouses throughout the winter.[23] Western Crete (Chania province) receives more rain and the soils there suffer more erosion compared to the Eastern part of Crete.[24]

According to the data of the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, South Crete receives the highest sunshine in Greece with locally more than 3,257 hours of sunshine per year. [25]

Human geography

Crete is the most populous island in Greece with a population of more than 600,000 people. Approximately 42% live in Crete's main cities and towns whilst 45% live in rural areas.[26]

Administration

Crete Region
Περιφέρεια Κρήτης
 
 
Coordinates: 35°13′N 24°55′E / 35.21°N 24.91°E / 35.21; 24.91
Country  Greece
Established1912
CapitalHeraklion
Regional units
Government
 • Regional governorStavros Arnaoutakis (PASOK)
Area
 • Total8,335.88 km2 (3,218.50 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[27]
 • Total623,065
 • Density75/km2 (190/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 codeGR-M
Websitewww.crete.gov.gr

Crete with its nearby islands form the Crete Region (Greek: Περιφέρεια Κρήτης, Periféria Krítis, [periˈferia ˈkritis]), one of the 13 regions of Greece which were established in the 1987 administrative reform.[28] Under the 2010 Kallikratis plan, the powers and authority of the regions were redefined and extended. The region is based at Heraklion and is divided into four regional units (pre-Kallikratis prefectures). From west to east these are: Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion, and Lasithi. These are further subdivided into 24 municipalities.

The region's governor is, since 1 January 2011, Stavros Arnaoutakis, who was elected in the November 2010 local administration elections for the Panhellenic Socialist Movement.

Cities

Heraklion is the largest city and capital of Crete, holding more than a fourth of the island's population. Chania was the capital until 1971. The principal cities are:

Demographics

The region has shrunk by 5,705 people between 2011 and 2021, experiencing a population loss of 0.9%.[2]

Economy

The economy of Crete is predominantly based on services and tourism. However, agriculture also plays an important role and Crete is one of the few Greek islands that can support itself independently without a tourism industry.[30] The economy began to change visibly during the 1970s as tourism gained in importance. Although an emphasis remains on agriculture and stock breeding, because of the climate and terrain of the island, there has been a drop in manufacturing, and an observable expansion in its service industries (mainly tourism-related). All three sectors of the Cretan economy (agriculture/farming, processing-packaging, services), are directly connected and interdependent. The island has a per capita income much higher than the Greek average, whereas unemployment is at approximately 4%, one-sixth of that of the country overall.[citation needed][when?]

As in many regions of Greece, viticulture and olive groves are significant; oranges, citrons and avocadoes are also cultivated. Until recently there were restrictions on the import of bananas to Greece, therefore bananas were grown on the island, predominantly in greenhouses. Dairy products are important to the local economy and there are a number of speciality cheeses such as mizithra, anthotyros, and kefalotyri.

The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was €9.4 billion in 2018, accounting for 5.1% of Greek economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €17,800 or 59% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 68% of the EU average. Crete is the region in Greece with the fifth highest GDP per capita.[31]

Transport infrastructure

Airports

The island has three significant airports, Nikos Kazantzakis at Heraklion, the Daskalogiannis airport at Chania and a smaller one in Sitia. The first two serve international routes, acting as the main gateways to the island for travellers. There is a long-standing plan to replace Heraklion airport with a completely new airport at Kastelli, where there is presently an air force base.

Ferries

The island is well served by ferries, mostly from Piraeus, by ferry companies such as Minoan Lines and ANEK Lines. Seajets operates routes to Cyclades.

Road network

Although almost everywhere is covered by the road network, there is a lack of modern highways, although this is gradually changing with the completion of the northern coastal spine highway.[32] In addition, a European Union study has been devised to promote a modern highway to connect the northern and southern parts of the island via a tunnel. The study proposal includes a 15.7 km (9.8 mi) section of road between the villages of Agia Varvara and Agia Deka in central Crete. It is hoped to benefit both tourists and locals by improving the connections to the southern part of the island and by reducing accidents. The new road section forms part of the route between Messara in the south and Crete's largest city Heraklion, which houses the island's airport and principal ferry links with mainland Greece. Traffic speeds on the new road will increase by 19 km/hour (from 29 km/hour to 48 km/hour), which should reduce journey times between Messara and Heraklion by 55 minutes.[citation needed] The scheme is also expected to improve road safety by cutting the number of accidents along the route. Building works include construction of three road tunnels, five bridges and three junctions. This project is expected to create 44 jobs during the implementation phase.[citation needed]

The investment falls under Greece's "Improvement of Accessibility" Operational Programme, which aims to improve the country's transport infrastructures as well as its international connections. The Operational Programme works to link Greece's more prosperous and less developed regions, and thus help to promote greater territorial cohesion. [33]

Total investment for the project "Completion of construction of the section of Ag. Varvara - Ag. Deka (Kasteli) (22+170 km to 37+900 km) of the vertical road axis Irakleio – Messara in the prefecture of Irakleio, Kriti" is EUR 102 273 321, of which the EU's European Regional Development Fund is contributing EUR 86 932 323 from the Operational Programme "Improvement of Accessibility" for the 2007 to 2013 programming period. Work falls under the priority "Road Transport – trans-European and trans-regional route network of the regions on the Convergence objective".[34]

Railway

Also, during the 1930s there was a narrow-gauge industrial railway in Heraklion, from Giofyros in the west side of the city to the port. There are now no railway lines on Crete. The government is planning the construction of a line from Chania to Heraklion via Rethymno.[35][36]

Development

Newspapers have reported that the Ministry of Mercantile Marine is ready to support the agreement between Greece, South Korea, Dubai Ports World and China for the construction of a large international container port and free trade zone in southern Crete near Tympaki; the plan is to expropriate 850 ha (2,100 acres) of land. The port would handle two million containers per year, but the project has not been universally welcomed because of its environmental, economic and cultural impact.[37] As of January 2013, the project has still not been confirmed, although there is mounting pressure to approve it, arising from Greece's difficult economic situation.

There are plans for underwater cables going from mainland Greece to Israel and Egypt passing by Crete and Cyprus: EuroAfrica Interconnector and EuroAsia Interconnector.[38][39] They would connect Crete electrically with mainland Greece, ending energy isolation of Crete. At present Greece covers electricity cost differences for Crete of around €300 million per year.[40]

History

 
Minoan rhyton in the form of a bull, Heraklion Archaeological Museum
 
Palace of Knossos

Hominids settled in Crete at least 130,000 years ago. In the later Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, under the Minoans, Crete had a highly developed, literate civilization. It has been ruled by various ancient Greek entities, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Emirate of Crete, the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire. After a brief period of independence (1897–1913) under a provisional Cretan government, it joined the Kingdom of Greece. It was occupied by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

Prehistory

In 2002, the paleontologist Gerard Gierlinski discovered fossil footprints possibly left by ancient human relatives 5,600,000 years ago.[41]

The first human settlement in Crete dates to more than 130,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic age.[42][43][44] Settlements dating to the aceramic Neolithic in the 7th millennium BC, used cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and dogs as well as domesticated cereals and legumes; ancient Knossos was the site of one of these major Neolithic (then later Minoan) sites.[45] Other neolithic settlements include those at Kephala, Magasa, and Trapeza.

Minoan civilization

During the Bronze Age, Crete was the centre of the Minoan, notable for its art, its writing systems such as Linear A, and for its massive building complexes including the palace at Knossos. Its economy benefited from a network of trade around much of the Mediterranean, and Minoan cultural influence extended to Cyprus, Canaan, and the Egypt. Some scholars have speculated that legends such as that of the minotaur have a historical basis in Minoan times.

Mycenaean civilization

In 1420 BC, the Minoan civilization was subsumed by the Mycenaean civilization from mainland Greece. The oldest samples of writing in the Greek language, as identified by Michael Ventris, is the Linear B archive from Knossos, dated approximately to 1425–1375 BC.[46]

Archaic and Classical period

After the Bronze Age collapse, Crete was settled by new waves of Greeks from the mainland. A number of city states developed in the Archaic period. There was very limited contact with mainland Greece, and Greek historiography shows little interest in Crete, and as a result, there are very few literary sources.

During the 6th to 4th centuries BC, Crete was comparatively free from warfare. The Gortyn code (5th century BC) is evidence for how codified civil law established a balance between aristocratic power and civil rights.

In the late 4th century BC, the aristocratic order began to collapse due to endemic infighting among the elite, and Crete's economy was weakened by prolonged wars between city states. During the 3rd century BC, Gortyn, Kydonia (Chania), Lyttos and Polyrrhenia challenged the primacy of ancient Knossos.

While the cities continued to prey upon one another, they invited into their feuds mainland powers like Macedon and its rivals Rhodes and Ptolemaic Egypt. In 220 BC the island was tormented by a war between two opposing coalitions of cities. As a result, the Macedonian king Philip V gained hegemony over Crete which lasted to the end of the Cretan War (205–200 BC), when the Rhodians opposed the rise of Macedon and the Romans started to interfere in Cretan affairs.

In the 2nd century BC Ierapytna (Ierapetra) gained supremacy on eastern Crete.

Roman rule

Crete was involved in the Mithridatic Wars, initially repelling an attack by Roman general Marcus Antonius Creticus in 71 BC. Nevertheless, a ferocious three-year campaign soon followed under Quintus Caecilius Metellus, equipped with three legions and Crete was finally conquered by Rome in 69 BC, earning for Metellus the title "Creticus". Gortyn was made capital of the island, and Crete became a Roman province, along with Cyrenaica that was called Creta et Cyrenaica. Archaeological remains suggest that Crete under Roman rule witnessed prosperity and increased connectivity with other parts of the Empire.[47] In the 2nd century AD, at least three cities in Crete (Lyttos, Gortyn, Hierapytna) joined the Panhellenion, a league of Greek cities founded by the emperor Hadrian. When Diocletian redivided the Empire, Crete was placed, along with Cyrene, under the diocese of Moesia, and later by Constantine I to the diocese of Macedonia.

Byzantine Empire – first period

Crete was separated from Cyrenaica c. 297. It remained a province within the eastern half of the Roman Empire, usually referred to as the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire after the establishment of a second capital in Constantinople by Constantine in 330. Crete was subjected to an attack by Vandals in 467, the great earthquakes of 365 and 415, a raid by Slavs in 623, Arab raids in 654 and the 670s, and again in the 8th century. In c. 732, the Emperor Leo III the Isaurian transferred the island from the jurisdiction of the Pope to that of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.[48]

Andalusian Arab rule

 
The Byzantines, under the general Damian, attack Crete but are defeated by the Saracens, c. 828, as depicted by Ioannes Scylitzes (see Skylitzes Chronicle).

In the 820s, after 900 years as a Roman island, Crete was captured by Andalusian Muwallads led by Abu Hafs,[49] who established the Emirate of Crete. The Byzantines launched a campaign that took most of the island back in 842 and 843 under Theoktistos. Further Byzantine campaigns in 911 and 949 failed. In 960–61, Nikephoros Phokas' campaign completely restored Crete to the Byzantine Empire, after a century and a half of Arab control.

Byzantine Empire – second period

In 961, Nikephoros Phokas returned the island to Byzantine rule after expelling the Arabs.[50] Extensive efforts at conversion of the populace were undertaken, led by John Xenos and Nikon "the Metanoeite".[51][52] The reconquest of Crete was a major achievement for the Byzantines, as it restored Byzantine control over the Aegean littoral and diminished the threat of Saracen pirates, for which Crete had provided a base of operations.

In 1204, the Fourth Crusade seized and sacked the imperial capital of Constantinople. Crete was initially granted to leading Crusader Boniface of Montferrat[50] in the partition of spoils that followed. However, Boniface sold his claim to the Republic of Venice,[50] whose forces made up the majority of the Crusade. Venice's rival the Republic of Genoa immediately seized the island and it was not until 1212 that Venice secured Crete as a colony.

Venetian rule

 
Frangokastello was built by the Venetians in 1371–74.

From 1212, during Venice's rule, which lasted more than four centuries, a Renaissance swept through the island as is evident from the plethora of artistic works dating to that period. Known as The Cretan School or Post-Byzantine Art, it is among the last flowerings of the artistic traditions of the fallen empire. The most notable representatives of this Cretan renaissance were the painter El Greco and the writers Nicholas Kalliakis (1645–1707), Georgios Kalafatis (professor) (c. 1652–1720), Andreas Musalus (c. 1665–1721) and Vitsentzos Kornaros.[53][54][55]

Under the rule of the Catholic Venetians, the city of Candia was reputed to be the best fortified city of the Eastern Mediterranean.[56] The three main forts were located at Gramvousa, Spinalonga, and Fortezza at Rethymnon. Other fortifications include the Kazarma fortress at Sitia. In 1492, Jews expelled from Spain settled on the island.[57] In 1574–77, Crete was under the rule of Giacomo Foscarini as Proveditor General, Sindace and Inquisitor. According to Starr's 1942 article, the rule of Giacomo Foscarini was a Dark Age for Jews and Greeks. Under his rule, non-Catholics had to pay high taxes with no allowances. In 1627, there were 800 Jews in the city of Candia, about seven percent of the city's population.[58] Marco Foscarini was the Doge of Venice during this time period.

Ottoman rule

 
The Siege of Candia, regarded as one of the longest sieges in history, lasted from 1648 to 1669.
 
Nicolas Sanson. Crete in 1651
 
Ethnic makeup of the island in 1861

The Ottomans conquered Crete (Girit Eyâleti) in 1669, after the siege of Candia. Many Greek Cretans fled to other regions of the Republic of Venice after the Ottoman–Venetian Wars, some even prospering such as the family of Simone Stratigo (c. 1733 – c. 1824) who migrated to Dalmatia from Crete in 1669.[59] Islamic presence on the island, aside from the interlude of the Arab occupation, was cemented by the Ottoman conquest. Most Cretan Muslims were local Greek converts who spoke Cretan Greek, but in the island's 19th-century political context they came to be viewed by the Christian population as Turks.[60] Contemporary estimates vary, but on the eve of the Greek War of Independence (1830), as much as 45% of the population of the island may have been Muslim.[61] A number of Sufi orders were widespread throughout the island, the Bektashi order being the most prevalent, possessing at least five tekkes. Many Cretan Turks fled Crete because of the unrest, settling in Turkey, Rhodes, Syria, Libya and elsewhere. By 1900, 11% of the population was Muslim. Those remaining were relocated in the 1924 population exchange between Greece and Turkey.[62]

During Easter of 1770, a notable revolt against Ottoman rule, in Crete, was started by Daskalogiannis, a shipowner from Sfakia who was promised support by Orlov's fleet which never arrived. Daskalogiannis eventually surrendered to the Ottoman authorities. Today, the airport at Chania is named after him.

During the Greek war of independence, Sultan Mahmud II granted rule over Crete to Egypt's ruler Muhammad Ali Pasha in exchange for his military support. Crete was subsequently left out of the new Greek state established under the London Protocol of 1830. Its administration by Muhammad Ali was confirmed in the Convention of Kütahya of 1833, but direct Ottoman rule was re-established by the Convention of London of 3 July 1840.

Heraklion was surrounded by high walls and bastions and extended westward and southward by the 17th century. The most opulent area of the city was the northeastern quadrant where all the elite were gathered together. The city had received another name under the rule of the Ottomans, "the deserted city".[56] The urban policy that the Ottoman applied to Candia was a two-pronged approach.[56] The first was the religious endowments. It made the Ottoman elite contribute to building and rehabilitating the ruined city. The other method was to boost the population and the urban revenue by selling off urban properties. According to Molly Greene (2001) there were numerous records of real-estate transactions during the Ottoman rule. In the deserted city, minorities received equal rights in purchasing property. Christians and Jews were also able to buy and sell in the real-estate market.

The Cretan Revolt of 1866–1869 or Great Cretan Revolution (Greek: Κρητική Επανάσταση του 1866) was a three-year uprising against Ottoman rule, the third and largest in a series of revolts between the end of the Greek War of Independence in 1830 and the establishment of the independent Cretan State in 1898. A particular event which caused strong reactions among the liberal circles of western Europe was the Holocaust of Arkadi. The event occurred in November 1866, as a large Ottoman force besieged the Arkadi Monastery, which served as the headquarters of the rebellion. In addition to its 259 defenders, over 700 women and children had taken refuge in the monastery. After a few days of hard fighting, the Ottomans broke into the monastery. At that point, the abbot of the monastery set fire to the gunpowder stored in the monastery's vaults, causing the death of most of the rebels and the women and children sheltered there.

Cretan State 1898–1908

 
Revolutionaries at Theriso

Following the repeated uprisings in 1841, 1858, 1889, 1895 and 1897 by the Cretan people, who wanted to join Greece, the Great Powers decided to restore order and in February 1897 sent in troops. The island was subsequently garrisoned by troops from Great Britain, France, Italy and Russia; Germany and Austro-Hungary withdrawing from the occupation in early 1898. During this period Crete was governed through a committee of admirals from the remaining four Powers. In March 1898 the Powers decreed, with the very reluctant consent of the Sultan, that the island would be granted autonomy under Ottoman suzerainty in the near future.[63]

In September 1898 the Candia massacre in Candia, modern Heraklion, left over 500 Cretan Christians and 14 British servicemen dead at the hands of Muslim irregulars. As a result, the Admirals ordered the expulsion of all Ottoman troops and administrators from the island, a move that was ultimately completed by early November. The decision to grant autonomy to the island was enforced and a High Commissioner, Prince George of Greece, appointed, arriving to take up his post in December 1898.[64] The flag of the Cretan State was chosen by the Powers, with the white star representing the Ottoman suzerainty over the island.

 
Flag of Cretan State

In 1905, disagreements between Prince George and minister Eleftherios Venizelos over the question of the enosis (union with Greece), such as the Prince's autocratic style of government, resulted in the Theriso revolt, one of the leaders being Eleftherios Venizelos.

Prince George resigned as High Commissioner and was replaced by Alexandros Zaimis, a former Greek prime minister, in 1906. In 1908, taking advantage of domestic turmoil in Turkey as well as the timing of Zaimis's vacation away from the island, the Cretan deputies unilaterally declared union with Greece.

With the breakout of the First Balkan War, the Greek government declared that Crete was now Greek territory. This was not recognised internationally until 1 December 1913.[64]

Second World War

 
German paratroopers landing on Crete during the Battle of Crete

During World War II, the island was the scene of the famous Battle of Crete in May 1941. The initial 11-day battle was bloody and left more than 11,000 soldiers and civilians killed or wounded. As a result of the fierce resistance from both Allied forces and civilian Cretan locals, the invasion force suffered heavy casualties, and Adolf Hitler forbade further large-scale paratroop operations for the rest of the war. During the initial and subsequent occupation, German firing squads routinely executed male civilians in reprisal for the death of German soldiers; civilians were rounded up randomly in local villages for the mass killings, such as at the Massacre of Kondomari and the Viannos massacres. Two German generals were later tried and executed for their roles in the killing of 3,000 of the island's inhabitants.[65]

Civil War

In the aftermath of the Dekemvriana in Athens, Cretan leftists were targeted by the right-wing paramilitary organization National Organization of Rethymno (EOR), which engaged in attacks in the villages of Koxare and Melampes, as well as Rethymno in January 1945. Those attacks did not escalate into a full-scale insurgency as they did in the Greek mainland and the Cretan ELAS did not surrender its weapons after the Treaty of Varkiza. An uneasy truce was maintained until 1947, with a series of arrests of notable communists in Chania and Heraklion. Encouraged by orders from the central organization in Athens, KKE launched an insurgency in Crete; marking the beginning of the Greek Civil War on the island. In eastern Crete the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE) struggled to establish its presence in Dikti and Psilorites. On 1 July 1947, the surviving 55 fighters of DSE were ambushed south of Psilorites, the few surviving members of the unit managed to join the rest of DSE in Lefka Ori.[66]

The Lefka Ori region in the west offered more favourable conditions for DSE's insurgency. In the summer of 1947 DSE raided and looted the Maleme Airport and motor depot at Chrysopigi. Its numbers swelled to approximately 300 fighters, the rise of DSE numbers compounded with crop failure on the island created serious logistical issues for the insurgents. The communists resorted to cattle rustling and crop confiscations which solved the problem only temporarily. In the autumn of 1947, the Greek government offered generous amnesty terms to Cretan DSE fighters and mountain bandits, many of whom opted to abandon armed struggle or even defect to the nationalists. On 4 July 1948, government troops launched a large scale offensive on Samariá Gorge. Many DSE soldiers were killed in the fighting while the survivors broke into small armed bands. In October 1948, the secretary of the Cretan KKE Giorgos Tsitilos was killed in an ambush. By the following month only 34 DSE fighters remained active in Lefka Ori. The insurgency in Crete gradually withered away, with the last two hold outs surrendering in 1974, 25 years after the conclusion of the war in mainland Greece.[67]

Tourism

 
Matala beach

Crete is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Greece. 15% of all arrivals in Greece come through the city of Heraklion (port and airport), while charter journeys to Heraklion make up about 20% of all charter flights in Greece. The number of hotel beds on the island increased by 53% in the period between 1986 and 1991.

Today, the island's tourism infrastructure caters to all tastes, including a very wide range of accommodation; the island's facilities take in large luxury hotels with their complete facilities, swimming pools, sports and recreation, smaller family-owned apartments, camping facilities and others. Visitors reach the island via two international airports in Heraklion and Chania and a smaller airport in Sitia (international charter and domestic flights starting May 2012)[68] or by boat to the main ports of Heraklion, Chania, Rethimno, Agios Nikolaos and Sitia.

Popular tourist attractions include the archaeological sites of the Minoan civilisation, the Venetian old city and port of Chania, the Venetian castle at Rethymno, the gorge of Samaria, the islands of Chrysi, Elafonisi, Gramvousa, Spinalonga and the Palm Beach of Vai, which is the largest natural palm forest in Europe.

Transportation

Crete has an extensive bus system with regular services across the north of the island and from north to south. There are two regional bus stations in Heraklion. Bus routes and timetables can be found on KTEL website.[69]

Holiday homes and immigration

Crete's mild climate attracts interest from northern Europeans who want a holiday home or residence on the island. EU citizens have the right to freely buy property and reside with little formality.[70] In the cities of Heraklion and Chania, the average price per square metre of apartments ranges from €1,670 to €1,700.[71] A growing number of real estate companies cater mainly to British immigrants, followed by Dutch, German, Scandinavian and other European nationalities wishing to own a home in Crete. The British immigrants are concentrated in the western regional units of Chania and Rethymno and to a lesser extent in Heraklion and Lasithi.[35]

Archaeological sites and museums

The area has a large number of archaeological sites, including the Minoan sites of Knossos, Malia (not to be confused with the town of the same name), Petras and Phaistos, the classical site of Gortys, and the diverse archaeology of the island of Koufonisi, which includes Minoan, Roman, and World War II era ruins (nb. due to conservation concerns, access to Koufonisi has been restricted for the last few years, so it is best to check before heading to a port).

There are a number of museums throughout Crete. The Heraklion Archaeological Museum displays most of the archaeological finds from the Minoan era and was reopened in 2014.[72]

Harmful effects

Helen Briassoulis, in a qualitative analysis, proposed in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism that Crete is affected by tourism applying pressure to it to develop at an unhealthy rate, and that informal, internal systems within the country are forced to adapt. According to her, these forces have strengthened in three stages: from the period from 1960 to 1970, 1970–1990, and 1990 to the present. During this first period, tourism was a largely positive force, pushing modern developments like running water and electricity onto the largely rural countryside. However, beginning in the second period and especially in the third period leading up to the present day, tourist companies became more pushy with deforestation and pollution of Crete's natural resources. The country is then pulled into an interesting parity, where these companies only upkeep those natural resources that are directly essential to their industry.[73]

Fauna and flora

Fauna

Crete is isolated from mainland Europe, Asia, and Africa, and this is reflected in the diversity of the fauna and flora. As a result, the fauna and flora of Crete have many clues to the evolution of species. There are no animals that are dangerous to humans on the island of Crete in contrast to other parts of Greece. Indeed, the ancient Greeks attributed the lack of large mammals such as bears, wolves, jackals, and venomous snakes, to the labour of Hercules (who took a live Cretan bull to the Peloponnese). Hercules wanted to honor the birthplace of Zeus by removing all "harmful" and "venomous" animals from Crete. Later, Cretans believed that the island was cleared of dangerous creatures by the Apostle Paul, who lived on the island of Crete for two years, with his exorcisms and blessings. There is a natural history museum, the Natural History Museum of Crete, operating under the direction of the University of Crete and two aquariums – Aquaworld in Hersonissos and Cretaquarium in Gournes, displaying sea creatures common in Cretan waters.

Prehistoric fauna

Dwarf elephants, dwarf hippopotamus, dwarf mammoths, dwarf deer, and giant flightless owls were native to Pleistocene Crete.[74][75]

Mammals

Mammals of Crete include the vulnerable kri-kri, Capra aegagrus cretica that can be seen in the national park of the Samaria Gorge and on Thodorou,[76] Dia and Agioi Pantes (islets off the north coast), the Cretan wildcat and the Cretan spiny mouse.[77][78][79][80] Other terrestrial mammals include subspecies of the Cretan marten, the Cretan weasel, the Cretan badger, the long-eared hedgehog, and the edible dormouse.[81]

The Cretan shrew, a type of white-toothed shrew is considered endemic to the island of Crete because this species of shrew is unknown elsewhere. It is a relic species of the Crocidura shrews of which fossils have been found that can be dated to the Pleistocene era. In the present day it can only be found in the highlands of Crete.[82] It is considered to be the only surviving remnant of the endemic species of the Pleistocene Mediterranean islands.[83]

Bat species include: Blasius's horseshoe bat, the lesser horseshoe bat, the greater horseshoe bat, the lesser mouse-eared bat, Geoffroy's bat, the whiskered bat, Kuhl's pipistrelle, the common pipistrelle, Savi's pipistrelle, the serotine bat, the long-eared bat, Schreibers' bat and the European free-tailed bat.[84]

Birds

A large variety of birds includes eagles (can be seen in Lasithi), swallows (throughout Crete in the summer and year-round in the south of the island), pelicans (along the coast), and common cranes (including Gavdos and Gavdopoula). The Cretan mountains and gorges are refuges for the endangered lammergeier vulture. Bird species include: the golden eagle, Bonelli's eagle, the bearded vulture or lammergeier, the griffon vulture, Eleonora's falcon, peregrine falcon, lanner falcon, European kestrel, tawny owl, little owl, hooded crow, alpine chough, red-billed chough, and the Eurasian hoopoe.[85][86] The population of griffon vultures in Crete is the largest insular one of the species in the world and consists the majority of griffon vulture population in Greece.[87]

Reptiles and amphibians

Tortoises can be seen throughout the island. Snakes can be found hiding under rocks. Toads and frogs reveal themselves when it rains.

Reptiles include the Aegean wall lizard, Balkan green lizard, common chameleon, ocellated skink, snake-eyed skink, moorish gecko, Turkish gecko, Kotschy's gecko, spur-thighed tortoise, and the Caspian turtle.[84][88]

There are four species of snake on the island and these are not dangerous to humans. The four species include the leopard snake (locally known as Ochendra), the Balkan whip snake (locally called Dendrogallia), the dice snake (called Nerofido in Greek), and the only venomous snake is the nocturnal cat snake which has evolved to deliver a weak venom at the back of its mouth to paralyse geckos and small lizards, and is not dangerous to humans.[84][89]

Sea turtles include the green turtle and the loggerhead turtle which are both threatened species.[88] The loggerhead turtle nests and hatches on north-coast beaches around Rethymno and Chania, and south-coast beaches along the gulf of Mesara.[90]

Amphibians include the European green toad, American bullfrog (introduced), European tree frog, and the Cretan marsh frog (endemic).[84][88][91]

Arthropods

Crete has an unusual variety of insects. Cicadas, known locally as Tzitzikia, make a distinctive repetitive tzi tzi sound that becomes louder and more frequent on hot summer days. Butterfly species include the swallowtail butterfly.[84] Moth species include the hummingbird moth.[92] There are several species of scorpion such as Euscorpius carpathicus whose venom is generally no more potent than a mosquito bite.

Crustaceans and molluscs

River crabs include the semi-terrestrial Potamon potamios crab.[84] Edible snails are widespread and can cluster in the hundreds waiting for rainfall to reinvigorate them.

Sealife

 
The loggerhead sea turtle nests and hatches along the beaches of Rethymno and Chania and the gulf of Messara.

Apart from terrestrial mammals, the seas around Crete are rich in large marine mammals, a fact unknown to most Greeks at present, although reported since ancient times. Indeed, the Minoan frescoes depicting dolphins in Queen's Megaron at Knossos indicate that Minoans were well aware of and celebrated these creatures. Apart from the famous endangered Mediterranean monk seal, which lives in almost all the coasts of the country, Greece hosts whales, sperm whales, dolphins and porpoises.[93] These are either permanent residents of the Mediterranean or just occasional visitors. The area south of Crete, known as the Greek Abyss, hosts many of them. Squid and octopus can be found along the coast and sea turtles and hammerhead sharks swim in the sea around the coast. The Cretaquarium and the Aquaworld Aquarium, are two of only three aquariums in the whole of Greece. They are located in Gournes and Hersonissos respectively. Examples of the local sealife can be seen there.[94][95]

Some of the fish that can be seen in the waters around Crete include: scorpion fish, dusky grouper, east Atlantic peacock wrasse, five-spotted wrasse, weever fish, common stingray, brown ray, mediterranean black goby, pearly razorfish, star-gazer, painted comber, damselfish, and the flying gurnard.[96]

Flora

The Minoans contributed to the deforestation of Crete. Further deforestation occurred in the 1600s "so that no more local supplies of firewood were available".[97]

Common wildflowers include: camomile, daisy, gladiolus, hyacinth, iris, poppy, cyclamen and tulip, among others.[98] There are more than 200 different species of wild orchid on the island and this includes 14 varieties of Ophrys cretica.[99] Crete has a rich variety of indigenous herbs including common sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano.[99][100] Rare herbs include the endemic Cretan dittany.[99][100] and ironwort, Sideritis syriaca, known as Malotira (Μαλοτήρα). Varieties of cactus include the edible prickly pear. Common trees on the island include the chestnut, cypress, oak, olive tree, pine, plane, and tamarisk.[100] Trees tend to be taller to the west of the island where water is more abundant.

Environmentally protected areas

There are a number of environmentally protected areas. One such area is located at the island of Elafonisi on the coast of southwestern Crete. Also, the palm forest of Vai in eastern Crete and the Dionysades (both in the municipality of Sitia, Lasithi), have diverse animal and plant life. Vai has a palm beach and is the largest natural palm forest in Europe. The island of Chrysi, 15 kilometres (9 miles) south of Ierapetra, has the largest naturally-grown Juniperus macrocarpa forest in Europe. Samaria Gorge is a World Biosphere Reserve and Richtis Gorge is protected for its landscape diversity.

Mythology

Crete has a strong association with ancient Greek gods but is also connected with the Minoan civilization.

According to Greek mythology, the Diktaean Cave at Mount Dikti was the birthplace of the god Zeus. The Paximadia islands were the birthplace of the goddess Artemis and the god Apollo. Their mother, the goddess Leto, was worshipped at Phaistos. The goddess Athena bathed in Lake Voulismeni. Zeus launched a lightning bolt at a giant lizard that was threatening Crete. The lizard immediately turned to stone and became the lizard-shaped island of Dia, which can be seen from Knossos. The islets of Lefkai were the result of a musical contest between the Sirens and the Muses. The Muses were so anguished to have lost that they plucked the feathers from the wings of their rivals; the Sirens turned white and fell into the sea at Aptera ("featherless"), where they formed the islands in the bay that were called Lefkai (the islands of Souda and Leon).[101] Heracles, in one of his labors, took the Cretan bull to the Peloponnese. Europa and Zeus made love at Gortys and conceived the kings of Crete: Rhadamanthys, Sarpedon, and Minos.

The labyrinth of the Palace of Knossos was the setting for the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur in which the Minotaur was slain by Theseus. Icarus and Daedalus were captives of King Minos and crafted wings to escape. After his death, King Minos became a judge of the dead in Hades, while Rhadamanthys became the ruler of the Elysian fields.

Culture

Crete has its own distinctive Mantinades poetry. The island is known for its Mantinades-based music (typically performed with the Cretan lyra and the laouto) and has many indigenous dances, the most noted of which is the Pentozali. Since the 1980s and certainly in the 1990s onwards there has been a proliferation of Cultural Associations that teach dancing (in Western Crete many focus on rizitiko singing). These Associations often perform in official events but also become stages for people to meet up and engage in traditionalist practices. The topic of tradition and the role of Cultural Associations in reviving it is very often debated throughout Crete.[102]

Cretan authors have made important contributions to Greek literature throughout the modern period; major names include Vikentios Kornaros, creator of the 17th-century epic romance Erotokritos (Greek Ερωτόκριτος), and, in the 20th century, Nikos Kazantzakis. In the Renaissance, Crete was the home of the Cretan School of icon painting, which influenced El Greco and through him subsequent European painting.[citation needed]

Cretans are fiercely proud of their island and customs, and men often don elements of traditional dress in everyday life: knee-high black riding boots (stivania), vráka breeches tucked into the boots at the knee, black shirt and black headdress consisting of a fishnet-weave kerchief worn wrapped around the head or draped on the shoulders (sariki). Men often grow large mustaches as a mark of masculinity.

Cretan society is known in Greece and internationally for family and clan vendettas which persist on the island to date.[103][104] Cretans also have a tradition of keeping firearms at home, a tradition lasting from the era of resistance against the Ottoman Empire. Nearly every rural household on Crete has at least one unregistered gun.[103] Guns are subject to strict regulation from the Greek government, and in recent years a great deal of effort to control firearms in Crete has been undertaken by the Greek police, but with limited success.

Sports

Crete has many football clubs playing in the local leagues. During the 2011–12 season, OFI Crete, which plays at Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium (Iraklion), and Ergotelis F.C., which plays at the Pankritio Stadium (Iraklion) were both members of the Greek Superleague. During the 2012–13 season, OFI Crete, which plays at Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium (Iraklion), and Platanias F.C., which plays at the Perivolia Municipal Stadium, near Chania, are both members of the Greek Superleague.

Notable people

Notable people from Crete include:

See also

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  85. ^ Birds of Crete We-love-crete.com
  86. ^ Checklist and Guide to the Birds of Crete 29 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine Cretewww.com
  87. ^ Xirouchakis, Stavros M.; Mylonas, Moysis (December 2005). "Status and structure of the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) population in Crete". European Journal of Wildlife Research. 51 (4): 223–231. doi:10.1007/s10344-005-0101-4. S2CID 24900498.
  88. ^ a b c Native Reptiles of Crete at Aquaworld Aquaworld Aquarium.
  89. ^ The Snakes of Crete by John McClaren CreteGazette.com
  90. ^ Crete p. 69, by Victoria Kyriakopoulos
  91. ^ Dufresnes, C. (2019). Amphibians of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East: A Photographic Guide. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4729-4137-4.
  92. ^ Feeding time for a hummingbird moth 14 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine PictureNation.co.uk
  93. ^ Marine mammals of Crete 7 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine CretanBeaches.com
  94. ^ Cretaquarium 26 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Cretaquarium.gr
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  97. ^ Sands, Roger (2005). Forestry in a Global Context. p. 27. ISBN 9780851990897. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
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  103. ^ a b Brian Murphy: Vendetta Victims: People, A Village – Crete's `Cycle Of Blood' Survives The Centuries at The Seattle Times, 14 January 1999.
  104. ^ Aris Tsantiropoulos: (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2012. (254 KB), Crimes and Misdemeanours 2/1 (2008), University of Crete.
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  107. ^ Houtsma, Martinus T. (1987). E. J. Brill's first encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913 – 1936, Volume 9. Brill. p. 1145. ISBN 90-04-08265-4. RESMI, AHMAD Ottoman statesman and historian. Ahmad b. Ibrahim, known as Resmi, belonged to Rethymo (turk. Resmo; hence his epithet) in Crete and was of Greek descent (cf. J. v. Hammer, GOR, viii. 202). He was born in III (1700) and came in 1146 (1733) to Stambul where he was educated, married a daughter of the Ke is Efendi
  108. ^ Müller-Bahlke, Thomas J. (2003). Zeichen und Wunder: Geheimnisse des Schriftenschranks in der Kunst- und Naturalienkammer der Franckeschen Stiftungen : kulturhistorische und philologische Untersuchungen. Franckesche Stiftungen. p. 58. ISBN 978-3-931479-46-6. Ahmed Resmi Efendi (1700–1783). Der osmanische Staatsmann und Geschichtsschreiber griechischer Herkunft. Translation "Ahmed Resmi Efendi (1700–1783). The Ottoman statesman and historian of Greek origin"
  109. ^ European studies review (1977). European studies review, Volumes 7–8. Sage Publications. p. 170. Resmi Ahmad (−83) was originally of Greek descent. He entered Ottoman service in 1733 and after holding a number of posts in local administration, was sent on missions to Vienna (1758) and Berlin (1763–4). He later held a number of important offices in central government. In addition, Resmi Ahmad was a contemporary historian of some distinction.
  110. ^ Sir Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb (1954). Encyclopedia of Islam. Brill. p. 294. ISBN 90-04-16121-X. Ahmad b. Ibrahim, known as Resmi came from Rethymno (Turk. Resmo; hence his epithet?) in Crete and was of Greek descent (cf. Hammer- Purgstall, viii, 202). He was born in 1112/ 1700 and came in 1 146/1733 to Istanbul,
  111. ^ Blanchette, Oliva (16 April 2010). Maurice Blondel: A Philosophical Life. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 300. ISBN 978-0-8028-6365-2.
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  115. ^ "Arınç Ahmediye köyünde çocuklarla Rumca konuştu" [Arınç spoke Greek with the children in the village of Ahmediye]. Milliyet (in Turkish). Turkey. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
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General and citied sources

  • "Crete" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 418–430.
  • Francis, Jane and Anna Kouremenos (eds.) 2016. Roman Crete: New Perspectives. Oxford: Oxbow.
  • Gregory, T. E.; Kazhdan, A. (1991). "Crete". In Kazhdan, Alexander (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
  • Margaritis, Giorgos (2006). Ιστορία του ελληνικού εμφυλίου πολέμου 1946-1949 [History of the Greek Civil War 1946-1949] (in Greek). Vol. II. Athens: Vivliorama. ISBN 9608087139.
  • Panagiotakis, Nikolaos M., ed. (1987). "Εισαγωγικό Σημείωμα ("Introduction")". Crete, History and Civilization (in Greek). Vol. I. Vikelea Library, Association of Regional Associations of Regional Municipalities. pp. XI–XX.
  • Treadgold, Warren (1997). A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2630-2.

External links

  • Official website   (in Greek)
  • Natural History Museum of Crete at the University of Crete.
  • Cretaquarium Thalassocosmos in Heraklion.
  • Aquaworld Aquarium in Hersonissos.
  • Ancient Crete 30 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine at Oxford Bibliographies Online: Classics.
  • Official Greek National Tourism Organisation website

crete, this, article, about, greek, island, other, uses, disambiguation, creta, redirects, here, hyundai, creta, greek, Κρήτη, modern, kríti, ˈkɾiti, ancient, krḗtē, krɛ, ːtεː, largest, most, populous, greek, islands, 88th, largest, island, world, fifth, large. This article is about the Greek island For other uses see Crete disambiguation Creta redirects here For the car see Hyundai Creta Crete Greek Krhth Modern Kriti ˈkɾiti Ancient Krḗte krɛ ːteː is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily Sardinia Cyprus and Corsica Crete rests about 160 km 99 mi south of the Greek mainland and about 100 km 62 mi southwest of Anatolia Crete has an area of 8 450 km2 3 260 sq mi and a coastline of 1 046 km 650 mi It bounds the southern border of the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Crete or North Cretan Sea to the north and the Libyan Sea or South Cretan Sea to the south Crete Kriti Native name KrhthNASA photograph of CreteGeographyLocationEastern MediterraneanCoordinates35 12 6 N 24 54 6 E 35 2100 N 24 9100 E 35 2100 24 9100 Coordinates 35 12 6 N 24 54 6 E 35 2100 N 24 9100 E 35 2100 24 9100Area8 450 km2 3 260 sq mi Area rank88Highest elevation2 456 m 8058 ft Highest pointMount Ida Psiloritis Administration GreeceRegionCreteCapital cityHeraklionLargest settlementHeraklion pop 144 442 1 DemographicsDemonymCretan archaic CretianPopulation617 360 2021 2 Population rank73Pop density75 3 km2 195 sq mi Ethnic groupsGreeks historically Minoans Eteocretans Cydonians and PelasgiansAdditional informationTime zoneGMT 2ISO codeGR MHDI 2019 0 879 3 very high 3rd of 13Crete and a number of islands and islets that surround it constitute the Region of Crete Greek Perifereia Krhths which is the southernmost of the 13 top level administrative units of Greece and the fifth most populous of Greece s regions Its capital and largest city is Heraklion on the north shore of the island As of 2020 update the region had a population of 636 504 4 The Dodecanese are located to the northeast of Crete while the Cyclades are situated to the north separated by the Sea of Crete The Peloponnese is to the region s northwest Humans have inhabited the island since at least 130 000 years ago during the Paleolithic age Crete was the centre of Europe s first advanced civilization the Minoans from 2700 to 1420 BC The Minoan civilization was overrun by the Mycenaean civilization from mainland Greece Crete was later ruled by Rome then successively by the Byzantine Empire Andalusian Arabs the Venetian Republic and the Ottoman Empire In 1898 Crete whose people had for some time wanted to join the Greek state achieved independence from the Ottomans formally becoming the Cretan State Crete became part of Greece in December 1913 The island is mostly mountainous and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east It includes Crete s highest point Mount Ida and the range of the White Mountains Lefka Ori with 30 summits above 2 000 metres 6 600 ft in altitude and the Samaria Gorge a World Biosphere Reserve Crete forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits such as its own poetry and music The Nikos Kazantzakis airport at Heraklion and the Daskalogiannis airport at Chania serve international travelers The palace of Knossos a Bronze Age settlement and ancient Minoan city is also located in Heraklion 5 Contents 1 Name 2 Physical geography 2 1 Island morphology 2 2 Mountains and valleys 2 3 Gorges rivers and lakes 2 4 Surrounding islands 2 5 Climate 3 Human geography 3 1 Administration 3 2 Cities 3 3 Demographics 3 4 Economy 3 5 Transport infrastructure 3 5 1 Airports 3 5 2 Ferries 3 5 3 Road network 3 5 4 Railway 3 6 Development 4 History 4 1 Prehistory 4 2 Minoan civilization 4 3 Mycenaean civilization 4 4 Archaic and Classical period 4 5 Roman rule 4 6 Byzantine Empire first period 4 7 Andalusian Arab rule 4 8 Byzantine Empire second period 4 9 Venetian rule 4 10 Ottoman rule 4 11 Cretan State 1898 1908 4 12 Second World War 4 13 Civil War 5 Tourism 5 1 Transportation 5 2 Holiday homes and immigration 5 3 Archaeological sites and museums 5 4 Harmful effects 6 Fauna and flora 6 1 Fauna 6 1 1 Prehistoric fauna 6 1 2 Mammals 6 1 3 Birds 6 1 4 Reptiles and amphibians 6 1 5 Arthropods 6 1 6 Crustaceans and molluscs 6 1 7 Sealife 6 2 Flora 6 3 Environmentally protected areas 7 Mythology 8 Culture 8 1 Sports 9 Notable people 10 See also 11 Citations 12 General and citied sources 13 External linksName EditCreteKeftiuEgyptian hieroglyphsThe earliest references to the island of Crete come from texts from the Syrian city of Mari dating from the 18th century BC where the island is referred to as Kaptara 6 This is repeated later in Neo Assyrian records and the Bible Caphtor It was known in ancient Egyptian as Keftiu or kfti w strongly suggesting a similar Minoan name for the island 7 The current name Crete is first attested in the 15th century BC in Mycenaean Greek texts written in Linear B through the words ke re te 𐀐𐀩𐀳 Kretes later Greek Krῆtes krɛː tes plural of Krhs krɛːs 8 and ke re si jo 𐀐𐀩𐀯𐀍 Kresijos later Greek Krhsios kreːsios 9 Cretan 10 11 In Ancient Greek the name Crete Krhth first appears in Homer s Odyssey 12 Its etymology is unknown One proposal derives it from a hypothetical Luwian word kursatta compare kursawar island kursattar cutting sliver 13 Another proposal suggests that it derives from the ancient Greek word krataih krataie meaning strong or powerful the reasoning being that Crete was the strongest thalassocracy during ancient times 14 15 In Latin the name of the island became Creta The original Arabic name of Crete was Iqriṭis Arabic اقريطش lt tῆs Krhths but after the Emirate of Crete s establishment of its new capital at ربض الخندق Rabḍ al Ḫandaq modern Heraklion Greek Hrakleio Irakleio both the city and the island became known as Xanda3 Chandax or Xandakas Chandakas which gave Latin Italian and Venetian Candia from which were derived French Candie and English Candy or Candia Under Ottoman rule in Ottoman Turkish Crete was called Girit كريد In the Hebrew Bible Crete is referred to as כ ר ת ים kretim Physical geography EditMain article Geography of Greece Messara Plain The palm beach of Vai Lefka Ori View of Psiloritis Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea It is located in the southern part of the Aegean Sea separating the Aegean from the Libyan Sea Island morphology Edit The island has an elongated shape it spans 260 km 160 mi from east to west is 60 km 37 mi at its widest point and narrows to as little as 12 km 7 5 mi close to Ierapetra Crete covers an area of 8 336 km2 3 219 sq mi with a coastline of 1 046 km 650 mi to the north it broaches the Sea of Crete Greek Krhtiko Pelagos to the south the Libyan Sea Greek Libyko Pelagos in the west the Myrtoan Sea and toward the east the Carpathian Sea It lies approximately 160 km 99 mi south of the Greek mainland Mountains and valleys Edit Crete is mountainous and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east formed by six different groups of mountains The White Mountains or Lefka Ori 2 454 m 8 051 ft The Idi Range Psiloritis 35 11 N 24 49 E 35 18 N 24 82 E 35 18 24 82 2 456 m 8 058 ft Asterousia Mountains 1 231 m 4 039 ft Kedros 1 777 m 5 830 ft The Dikti Mountains 2 148 m 7 047 ft Thripti 1 489 m 4 885 ft These mountains lavish Crete with valleys such as Amari valley fertile plateaus such as Lasithi plateau Omalos and Nidha caves such as Gourgouthakas Diktaion and Idaion the birthplace of the ancient Greek god Zeus and a number of gorges Mountains in Crete are the object of tremendous fascination both for locals and tourists The mountains have been seen as a key feature of the island s distinctiveness especially since the time of Romantic travellers writing Contemporary Cretans distinguish between highlanders and lowlanders the former often claim to reside in places affording a higher better climatic but also moral environment In keeping with the legacy of Romantic authors the mountains are seen as having determined their residents resistance to past invaders which relates to the oft encountered idea that highlanders are purer in terms of less intermarriages with occupiers For residents of mountainous areas such as Sfakia in western Crete the aridness and rockiness of the mountains is emphasised as an element of pride and is often compared to the alleged soft soiled mountains of others parts of Greece or the world 16 Gorges rivers and lakes Edit The island has a number of gorges such as the Samaria Gorge Imbros Gorge Kourtaliotiko Gorge Ha Gorge Platania Gorge the Gorge of the Dead at Kato Zakros Sitia and Richtis Gorge and Richtis waterfall at Exo Mouliana in Sitia 17 18 19 20 The rivers of Crete include the Ieropotamos River the Koiliaris the Anapodiaris the Almiros the Giofyros and Megas Potamos There are only two freshwater lakes in Crete Lake Kournas and Lake Agia which are both in Chania regional unit 21 Lake Voulismeni at the coast at Aghios Nikolaos was formerly a freshwater lake but is now connected to the sea in Lasithi 22 Three artificial lakes created by dams also exist in Crete the lake of Aposelemis Dam the lake of Potamos Dam and the lake of Mpramiana Dam Ha Gorge Samaria Gorge Aradaina Gorge Venetian Bridge over Megalopotamos RiverSurrounding islands Edit Main article List of Greek islands Cretan islands Map this section s coordinates in List of islands of Greece using OpenStreetMap Download coordinates as KMLMap this section s coordinates in List of islands of Greece using OpenStreetMap Download coordinates as KML Detailed map of Crete and outlying islands A large number of islands islets and rocks hug the coast of Crete Many are visited by tourists some are only visited by archaeologists and biologists Some are environmentally protected A small sample of the islands includes Gramvousa Kissamos Chania the pirate island opposite the Balo lagoon Elafonisi Chania which commemorates a shipwreck and an Ottoman massacre Chrysi island Ierapetra Lasithi which hosts the largest natural Juniperus macrocarpa forest in Europe Paximadia island Agia Galini Rethymno where the god Apollo and the goddess Artemis were born The Venetian fort and leper colony at Spinalonga opposite the beach and shallow waters of Elounda Agios Nikolaos Lasithi Dionysades islands which are in an environmentally protected region together the Palm Beach Forest of Vai in the municipality of Sitia LasithiOff the south coast the island of Gavdos is located 26 nautical miles 48 km south of Hora Sfakion and is the southernmost point of Europe Climate Edit Main article Climate of Greece Crete straddles two climatic zones the Mediterranean and the North African mainly falling within the former As such the climate in Crete is primarily Mediterranean The atmosphere can be quite humid depending on the proximity to the sea while winter is fairly mild Snowfall is common on the mountains between November and May but rare in the low lying areas While some mountain tops are snow capped for most of the year near the coast snow only stays on the ground for a few minutes or hours However a truly exceptional cold snap swept the island in February 2004 during which period the whole island was blanketed with snow During the Cretan summer average temperatures reach the high 20s low 30s Celsius mid 80s to mid 90s Fahrenheit with maxima touching the upper 30s mid 40s The south coast including the Mesara Plain and Asterousia Mountains falls in the North African climatic zone and thus enjoys significantly more sunny days and high temperatures throughout the year There date palms bear fruit and swallows remain year round rather than migrate to Africa The fertile region around Ierapetra on the southeastern corner of the island is renowned for its exceptional year round agricultural production with all kinds of summer vegetables and fruit produced in greenhouses throughout the winter 23 Western Crete Chania province receives more rain and the soils there suffer more erosion compared to the Eastern part of Crete 24 According to the data of the Hellenic National Meteorological Service South Crete receives the highest sunshine in Greece with locally more than 3 257 hours of sunshine per year 25 Human geography EditCrete is the most populous island in Greece with a population of more than 600 000 people Approximately 42 live in Crete s main cities and towns whilst 45 live in rural areas 26 Administration Edit Crete Region Perifereia KrhthsAdministrative region of Greece Logo Coordinates 35 13 N 24 55 E 35 21 N 24 91 E 35 21 24 91Country GreeceEstablished1912CapitalHeraklionRegional unitsList ChaniaHeraklionRethymnoLasithiGovernment Regional governorStavros Arnaoutakis PASOK Area Total8 335 88 km2 3 218 50 sq mi Population 2011 27 Total623 065 Density75 km2 190 sq mi Time zoneUTC 2 EET Summer DST UTC 3 EEST ISO 3166 codeGR MWebsitewww wbr crete wbr gov wbr grCrete with its nearby islands form the Crete Region Greek Perifereia Krhths Periferia Kritis periˈferia ˈkritis one of the 13 regions of Greece which were established in the 1987 administrative reform 28 Under the 2010 Kallikratis plan the powers and authority of the regions were redefined and extended The region is based at Heraklion and is divided into four regional units pre Kallikratis prefectures From west to east these are Chania Rethymno Heraklion and Lasithi These are further subdivided into 24 municipalities The region s governor is since 1 January 2011 Stavros Arnaoutakis who was elected in the November 2010 local administration elections for the Panhellenic Socialist Movement Cities Edit Main article Cities of Greece Heraklion is the largest city and capital of Crete holding more than a fourth of the island s population Chania was the capital until 1971 The principal cities are Heraklion Iraklion or Candia 144 422 inhabitants 29 Chania Hania 53 910 inhabitants 29 Rethymno 34 300 inhabitants 29 Ierapetra 23 707 inhabitants Agios Nikolaos 20 679 inhabitants Sitia 14 338 inhabitants Venetian fortress in Heraklion Chania cathedral Rethymno Fortezza MosqueDemographics Edit The region has shrunk by 5 705 people between 2011 and 2021 experiencing a population loss of 0 9 2 Economy Edit Further information Economy of Greece The economy of Crete is predominantly based on services and tourism However agriculture also plays an important role and Crete is one of the few Greek islands that can support itself independently without a tourism industry 30 The economy began to change visibly during the 1970s as tourism gained in importance Although an emphasis remains on agriculture and stock breeding because of the climate and terrain of the island there has been a drop in manufacturing and an observable expansion in its service industries mainly tourism related All three sectors of the Cretan economy agriculture farming processing packaging services are directly connected and interdependent The island has a per capita income much higher than the Greek average whereas unemployment is at approximately 4 one sixth of that of the country overall citation needed when As in many regions of Greece viticulture and olive groves are significant oranges citrons and avocadoes are also cultivated Until recently there were restrictions on the import of bananas to Greece therefore bananas were grown on the island predominantly in greenhouses Dairy products are important to the local economy and there are a number of speciality cheeses such as mizithra anthotyros and kefalotyri The Gross domestic product GDP of the region was 9 4 billion in 2018 accounting for 5 1 of Greek economic output GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 17 800 or 59 of the EU27 average in the same year The GDP per employee was 68 of the EU average Crete is the region in Greece with the fifth highest GDP per capita 31 Transport infrastructure Edit See also Transportation in Crete European route E75 near Malia Airports Edit The island has three significant airports Nikos Kazantzakis at Heraklion the Daskalogiannis airport at Chania and a smaller one in Sitia The first two serve international routes acting as the main gateways to the island for travellers There is a long standing plan to replace Heraklion airport with a completely new airport at Kastelli where there is presently an air force base Ferries Edit The island is well served by ferries mostly from Piraeus by ferry companies such as Minoan Lines and ANEK Lines Seajets operates routes to Cyclades Road network Edit Although almost everywhere is covered by the road network there is a lack of modern highways although this is gradually changing with the completion of the northern coastal spine highway 32 In addition a European Union study has been devised to promote a modern highway to connect the northern and southern parts of the island via a tunnel The study proposal includes a 15 7 km 9 8 mi section of road between the villages of Agia Varvara and Agia Deka in central Crete It is hoped to benefit both tourists and locals by improving the connections to the southern part of the island and by reducing accidents The new road section forms part of the route between Messara in the south and Crete s largest city Heraklion which houses the island s airport and principal ferry links with mainland Greece Traffic speeds on the new road will increase by 19 km hour from 29 km hour to 48 km hour which should reduce journey times between Messara and Heraklion by 55 minutes citation needed The scheme is also expected to improve road safety by cutting the number of accidents along the route Building works include construction of three road tunnels five bridges and three junctions This project is expected to create 44 jobs during the implementation phase citation needed The investment falls under Greece s Improvement of Accessibility Operational Programme which aims to improve the country s transport infrastructures as well as its international connections The Operational Programme works to link Greece s more prosperous and less developed regions and thus help to promote greater territorial cohesion 33 Total investment for the project Completion of construction of the section of Ag Varvara Ag Deka Kasteli 22 170 km to 37 900 km of the vertical road axis Irakleio Messara in the prefecture of Irakleio Kriti is EUR 102 273 321 of which the EU s European Regional Development Fund is contributing EUR 86 932 323 from the Operational Programme Improvement of Accessibility for the 2007 to 2013 programming period Work falls under the priority Road Transport trans European and trans regional route network of the regions on the Convergence objective 34 Railway Edit Also during the 1930s there was a narrow gauge industrial railway in Heraklion from Giofyros in the west side of the city to the port There are now no railway lines on Crete The government is planning the construction of a line from Chania to Heraklion via Rethymno 35 36 Development Edit Newspapers have reported that the Ministry of Mercantile Marine is ready to support the agreement between Greece South Korea Dubai Ports World and China for the construction of a large international container port and free trade zone in southern Crete near Tympaki the plan is to expropriate 850 ha 2 100 acres of land The port would handle two million containers per year but the project has not been universally welcomed because of its environmental economic and cultural impact 37 As of January 2013 the project has still not been confirmed although there is mounting pressure to approve it arising from Greece s difficult economic situation There are plans for underwater cables going from mainland Greece to Israel and Egypt passing by Crete and Cyprus EuroAfrica Interconnector and EuroAsia Interconnector 38 39 They would connect Crete electrically with mainland Greece ending energy isolation of Crete At present Greece covers electricity cost differences for Crete of around 300 million per year 40 History EditMain article History of Crete Minoan rhyton in the form of a bull Heraklion Archaeological Museum Minoan fresco from Knossos Heraklion Archaeological Museum Palace of Knossos Hominids settled in Crete at least 130 000 years ago In the later Neolithic and Bronze Age periods under the Minoans Crete had a highly developed literate civilization It has been ruled by various ancient Greek entities the Roman Empire the Byzantine Empire the Emirate of Crete the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire After a brief period of independence 1897 1913 under a provisional Cretan government it joined the Kingdom of Greece It was occupied by Nazi Germany during the Second World War Prehistory Edit Main article Prehistoric Crete In 2002 the paleontologist Gerard Gierlinski discovered fossil footprints possibly left by ancient human relatives 5 600 000 years ago 41 The first human settlement in Crete dates to more than 130 000 years ago during the Paleolithic age 42 43 44 Settlements dating to the aceramic Neolithic in the 7th millennium BC used cattle sheep goats pigs and dogs as well as domesticated cereals and legumes ancient Knossos was the site of one of these major Neolithic then later Minoan sites 45 Other neolithic settlements include those at Kephala Magasa and Trapeza Minoan civilization Edit Main article Minoan civilization During the Bronze Age Crete was the centre of the Minoan notable for its art its writing systems such as Linear A and for its massive building complexes including the palace at Knossos Its economy benefited from a network of trade around much of the Mediterranean and Minoan cultural influence extended to Cyprus Canaan and the Egypt Some scholars have speculated that legends such as that of the minotaur have a historical basis in Minoan times Mycenaean civilization Edit Main article Mycenaean Greece In 1420 BC the Minoan civilization was subsumed by the Mycenaean civilization from mainland Greece The oldest samples of writing in the Greek language as identified by Michael Ventris is the Linear B archive from Knossos dated approximately to 1425 1375 BC 46 Archaic and Classical period Edit After the Bronze Age collapse Crete was settled by new waves of Greeks from the mainland A number of city states developed in the Archaic period There was very limited contact with mainland Greece and Greek historiography shows little interest in Crete and as a result there are very few literary sources During the 6th to 4th centuries BC Crete was comparatively free from warfare The Gortyn code 5th century BC is evidence for how codified civil law established a balance between aristocratic power and civil rights In the late 4th century BC the aristocratic order began to collapse due to endemic infighting among the elite and Crete s economy was weakened by prolonged wars between city states During the 3rd century BC Gortyn Kydonia Chania Lyttos and Polyrrhenia challenged the primacy of ancient Knossos While the cities continued to prey upon one another they invited into their feuds mainland powers like Macedon and its rivals Rhodes and Ptolemaic Egypt In 220 BC the island was tormented by a war between two opposing coalitions of cities As a result the Macedonian king Philip V gained hegemony over Crete which lasted to the end of the Cretan War 205 200 BC when the Rhodians opposed the rise of Macedon and the Romans started to interfere in Cretan affairs In the 2nd century BC Ierapytna Ierapetra gained supremacy on eastern Crete Roman rule Edit Main article Crete and Cyrenaica Crete was involved in the Mithridatic Wars initially repelling an attack by Roman general Marcus Antonius Creticus in 71 BC Nevertheless a ferocious three year campaign soon followed under Quintus Caecilius Metellus equipped with three legions and Crete was finally conquered by Rome in 69 BC earning for Metellus the title Creticus Gortyn was made capital of the island and Crete became a Roman province along with Cyrenaica that was called Creta et Cyrenaica Archaeological remains suggest that Crete under Roman rule witnessed prosperity and increased connectivity with other parts of the Empire 47 In the 2nd century AD at least three cities in Crete Lyttos Gortyn Hierapytna joined the Panhellenion a league of Greek cities founded by the emperor Hadrian When Diocletian redivided the Empire Crete was placed along with Cyrene under the diocese of Moesia and later by Constantine I to the diocese of Macedonia Byzantine Empire first period Edit Main article Byzantine Crete Arkadi Monastery Crete was separated from Cyrenaica c 297 It remained a province within the eastern half of the Roman Empire usually referred to as the Eastern Roman Byzantine Empire after the establishment of a second capital in Constantinople by Constantine in 330 Crete was subjected to an attack by Vandals in 467 the great earthquakes of 365 and 415 a raid by Slavs in 623 Arab raids in 654 and the 670s and again in the 8th century In c 732 the Emperor Leo III the Isaurian transferred the island from the jurisdiction of the Pope to that of the Patriarchate of Constantinople 48 Andalusian Arab rule Edit Main article Emirate of Crete The Byzantines under the general Damian attack Crete but are defeated by the Saracens c 828 as depicted by Ioannes Scylitzes see Skylitzes Chronicle In the 820s after 900 years as a Roman island Crete was captured by Andalusian Muwallads led by Abu Hafs 49 who established the Emirate of Crete The Byzantines launched a campaign that took most of the island back in 842 and 843 under Theoktistos Further Byzantine campaigns in 911 and 949 failed In 960 61 Nikephoros Phokas campaign completely restored Crete to the Byzantine Empire after a century and a half of Arab control Byzantine Empire second period Edit Main article Byzantine Crete In 961 Nikephoros Phokas returned the island to Byzantine rule after expelling the Arabs 50 Extensive efforts at conversion of the populace were undertaken led by John Xenos and Nikon the Metanoeite 51 52 The reconquest of Crete was a major achievement for the Byzantines as it restored Byzantine control over the Aegean littoral and diminished the threat of Saracen pirates for which Crete had provided a base of operations In 1204 the Fourth Crusade seized and sacked the imperial capital of Constantinople Crete was initially granted to leading Crusader Boniface of Montferrat 50 in the partition of spoils that followed However Boniface sold his claim to the Republic of Venice 50 whose forces made up the majority of the Crusade Venice s rival the Republic of Genoa immediately seized the island and it was not until 1212 that Venice secured Crete as a colony Venetian rule Edit Main article Kingdom of Candia Frangokastello was built by the Venetians in 1371 74 From 1212 during Venice s rule which lasted more than four centuries a Renaissance swept through the island as is evident from the plethora of artistic works dating to that period Known as The Cretan School or Post Byzantine Art it is among the last flowerings of the artistic traditions of the fallen empire The most notable representatives of this Cretan renaissance were the painter El Greco and the writers Nicholas Kalliakis 1645 1707 Georgios Kalafatis professor c 1652 1720 Andreas Musalus c 1665 1721 and Vitsentzos Kornaros 53 54 55 Under the rule of the Catholic Venetians the city of Candia was reputed to be the best fortified city of the Eastern Mediterranean 56 The three main forts were located at Gramvousa Spinalonga and Fortezza at Rethymnon Other fortifications include the Kazarma fortress at Sitia In 1492 Jews expelled from Spain settled on the island 57 In 1574 77 Crete was under the rule of Giacomo Foscarini as Proveditor General Sindace and Inquisitor According to Starr s 1942 article the rule of Giacomo Foscarini was a Dark Age for Jews and Greeks Under his rule non Catholics had to pay high taxes with no allowances In 1627 there were 800 Jews in the city of Candia about seven percent of the city s population 58 Marco Foscarini was the Doge of Venice during this time period Ottoman rule Edit Main articles Ottoman Crete Cretan Turks and Cretan Revolt 1866 1869 The Siege of Candia regarded as one of the longest sieges in history lasted from 1648 to 1669 Nicolas Sanson Crete in 1651 Ethnic makeup of the island in 1861 Greek Orthodox Cretan Muslim Turkish Kara Musa Pasha mosque Rethymno The Ottomans conquered Crete Girit Eyaleti in 1669 after the siege of Candia Many Greek Cretans fled to other regions of the Republic of Venice after the Ottoman Venetian Wars some even prospering such as the family of Simone Stratigo c 1733 c 1824 who migrated to Dalmatia from Crete in 1669 59 Islamic presence on the island aside from the interlude of the Arab occupation was cemented by the Ottoman conquest Most Cretan Muslims were local Greek converts who spoke Cretan Greek but in the island s 19th century political context they came to be viewed by the Christian population as Turks 60 Contemporary estimates vary but on the eve of the Greek War of Independence 1830 as much as 45 of the population of the island may have been Muslim 61 A number of Sufi orders were widespread throughout the island the Bektashi order being the most prevalent possessing at least five tekkes Many Cretan Turks fled Crete because of the unrest settling in Turkey Rhodes Syria Libya and elsewhere By 1900 11 of the population was Muslim Those remaining were relocated in the 1924 population exchange between Greece and Turkey 62 During Easter of 1770 a notable revolt against Ottoman rule in Crete was started by Daskalogiannis a shipowner from Sfakia who was promised support by Orlov s fleet which never arrived Daskalogiannis eventually surrendered to the Ottoman authorities Today the airport at Chania is named after him During the Greek war of independence Sultan Mahmud II granted rule over Crete to Egypt s ruler Muhammad Ali Pasha in exchange for his military support Crete was subsequently left out of the new Greek state established under the London Protocol of 1830 Its administration by Muhammad Ali was confirmed in the Convention of Kutahya of 1833 but direct Ottoman rule was re established by the Convention of London of 3 July 1840 Heraklion was surrounded by high walls and bastions and extended westward and southward by the 17th century The most opulent area of the city was the northeastern quadrant where all the elite were gathered together The city had received another name under the rule of the Ottomans the deserted city 56 The urban policy that the Ottoman applied to Candia was a two pronged approach 56 The first was the religious endowments It made the Ottoman elite contribute to building and rehabilitating the ruined city The other method was to boost the population and the urban revenue by selling off urban properties According to Molly Greene 2001 there were numerous records of real estate transactions during the Ottoman rule In the deserted city minorities received equal rights in purchasing property Christians and Jews were also able to buy and sell in the real estate market The Cretan Revolt of 1866 1869 or Great Cretan Revolution Greek Krhtikh Epanastash toy 1866 was a three year uprising against Ottoman rule the third and largest in a series of revolts between the end of the Greek War of Independence in 1830 and the establishment of the independent Cretan State in 1898 A particular event which caused strong reactions among the liberal circles of western Europe was the Holocaust of Arkadi The event occurred in November 1866 as a large Ottoman force besieged the Arkadi Monastery which served as the headquarters of the rebellion In addition to its 259 defenders over 700 women and children had taken refuge in the monastery After a few days of hard fighting the Ottomans broke into the monastery At that point the abbot of the monastery set fire to the gunpowder stored in the monastery s vaults causing the death of most of the rebels and the women and children sheltered there Cretan State 1898 1908 Edit Main articles Cretan State Theriso revolt Candia massacre and International Squadron Cretan intervention 1897 1898 Revolutionaries at Theriso Following the repeated uprisings in 1841 1858 1889 1895 and 1897 by the Cretan people who wanted to join Greece the Great Powers decided to restore order and in February 1897 sent in troops The island was subsequently garrisoned by troops from Great Britain France Italy and Russia Germany and Austro Hungary withdrawing from the occupation in early 1898 During this period Crete was governed through a committee of admirals from the remaining four Powers In March 1898 the Powers decreed with the very reluctant consent of the Sultan that the island would be granted autonomy under Ottoman suzerainty in the near future 63 In September 1898 the Candia massacre in Candia modern Heraklion left over 500 Cretan Christians and 14 British servicemen dead at the hands of Muslim irregulars As a result the Admirals ordered the expulsion of all Ottoman troops and administrators from the island a move that was ultimately completed by early November The decision to grant autonomy to the island was enforced and a High Commissioner Prince George of Greece appointed arriving to take up his post in December 1898 64 The flag of the Cretan State was chosen by the Powers with the white star representing the Ottoman suzerainty over the island Flag of Cretan State In 1905 disagreements between Prince George and minister Eleftherios Venizelos over the question of the enosis union with Greece such as the Prince s autocratic style of government resulted in the Theriso revolt one of the leaders being Eleftherios Venizelos Prince George resigned as High Commissioner and was replaced by Alexandros Zaimis a former Greek prime minister in 1906 In 1908 taking advantage of domestic turmoil in Turkey as well as the timing of Zaimis s vacation away from the island the Cretan deputies unilaterally declared union with Greece With the breakout of the First Balkan War the Greek government declared that Crete was now Greek territory This was not recognised internationally until 1 December 1913 64 Second World War Edit German paratroopers landing on Crete during the Battle of Crete Main articles Battle of Crete and Cretan resistance During World War II the island was the scene of the famous Battle of Crete in May 1941 The initial 11 day battle was bloody and left more than 11 000 soldiers and civilians killed or wounded As a result of the fierce resistance from both Allied forces and civilian Cretan locals the invasion force suffered heavy casualties and Adolf Hitler forbade further large scale paratroop operations for the rest of the war During the initial and subsequent occupation German firing squads routinely executed male civilians in reprisal for the death of German soldiers civilians were rounded up randomly in local villages for the mass killings such as at the Massacre of Kondomari and the Viannos massacres Two German generals were later tried and executed for their roles in the killing of 3 000 of the island s inhabitants 65 Civil War Edit In the aftermath of the Dekemvriana in Athens Cretan leftists were targeted by the right wing paramilitary organization National Organization of Rethymno EOR which engaged in attacks in the villages of Koxare and Melampes as well as Rethymno in January 1945 Those attacks did not escalate into a full scale insurgency as they did in the Greek mainland and the Cretan ELAS did not surrender its weapons after the Treaty of Varkiza An uneasy truce was maintained until 1947 with a series of arrests of notable communists in Chania and Heraklion Encouraged by orders from the central organization in Athens KKE launched an insurgency in Crete marking the beginning of the Greek Civil War on the island In eastern Crete the Democratic Army of Greece DSE struggled to establish its presence in Dikti and Psilorites On 1 July 1947 the surviving 55 fighters of DSE were ambushed south of Psilorites the few surviving members of the unit managed to join the rest of DSE in Lefka Ori 66 The Lefka Ori region in the west offered more favourable conditions for DSE s insurgency In the summer of 1947 DSE raided and looted the Maleme Airport and motor depot at Chrysopigi Its numbers swelled to approximately 300 fighters the rise of DSE numbers compounded with crop failure on the island created serious logistical issues for the insurgents The communists resorted to cattle rustling and crop confiscations which solved the problem only temporarily In the autumn of 1947 the Greek government offered generous amnesty terms to Cretan DSE fighters and mountain bandits many of whom opted to abandon armed struggle or even defect to the nationalists On 4 July 1948 government troops launched a large scale offensive on Samaria Gorge Many DSE soldiers were killed in the fighting while the survivors broke into small armed bands In October 1948 the secretary of the Cretan KKE Giorgos Tsitilos was killed in an ambush By the following month only 34 DSE fighters remained active in Lefka Ori The insurgency in Crete gradually withered away with the last two hold outs surrendering in 1974 25 years after the conclusion of the war in mainland Greece 67 Tourism EditMain article Tourism in Greece Matala beach Crete is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Greece 15 of all arrivals in Greece come through the city of Heraklion port and airport while charter journeys to Heraklion make up about 20 of all charter flights in Greece The number of hotel beds on the island increased by 53 in the period between 1986 and 1991 Today the island s tourism infrastructure caters to all tastes including a very wide range of accommodation the island s facilities take in large luxury hotels with their complete facilities swimming pools sports and recreation smaller family owned apartments camping facilities and others Visitors reach the island via two international airports in Heraklion and Chania and a smaller airport in Sitia international charter and domestic flights starting May 2012 68 or by boat to the main ports of Heraklion Chania Rethimno Agios Nikolaos and Sitia Popular tourist attractions include the archaeological sites of the Minoan civilisation the Venetian old city and port of Chania the Venetian castle at Rethymno the gorge of Samaria the islands of Chrysi Elafonisi Gramvousa Spinalonga and the Palm Beach of Vai which is the largest natural palm forest in Europe Transportation Edit Crete has an extensive bus system with regular services across the north of the island and from north to south There are two regional bus stations in Heraklion Bus routes and timetables can be found on KTEL website 69 Holiday homes and immigration Edit Crete s mild climate attracts interest from northern Europeans who want a holiday home or residence on the island EU citizens have the right to freely buy property and reside with little formality 70 In the cities of Heraklion and Chania the average price per square metre of apartments ranges from 1 670 to 1 700 71 A growing number of real estate companies cater mainly to British immigrants followed by Dutch German Scandinavian and other European nationalities wishing to own a home in Crete The British immigrants are concentrated in the western regional units of Chania and Rethymno and to a lesser extent in Heraklion and Lasithi 35 Archaeological sites and museums Edit Main article List of museums in Greece Crete The area has a large number of archaeological sites including the Minoan sites of Knossos Malia not to be confused with the town of the same name Petras and Phaistos the classical site of Gortys and the diverse archaeology of the island of Koufonisi which includes Minoan Roman and World War II era ruins nb due to conservation concerns access to Koufonisi has been restricted for the last few years so it is best to check before heading to a port There are a number of museums throughout Crete The Heraklion Archaeological Museum displays most of the archaeological finds from the Minoan era and was reopened in 2014 72 Harmful effects Edit Helen Briassoulis in a qualitative analysis proposed in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism that Crete is affected by tourism applying pressure to it to develop at an unhealthy rate and that informal internal systems within the country are forced to adapt According to her these forces have strengthened in three stages from the period from 1960 to 1970 1970 1990 and 1990 to the present During this first period tourism was a largely positive force pushing modern developments like running water and electricity onto the largely rural countryside However beginning in the second period and especially in the third period leading up to the present day tourist companies became more pushy with deforestation and pollution of Crete s natural resources The country is then pulled into an interesting parity where these companies only upkeep those natural resources that are directly essential to their industry 73 View of Gortyn Archaeological site of Phaistos Ruins of the Palace of Knossos Archeological Museum of Chania Archaeological Museum of Chania Crete Naval museum Pluto and Persephone in Heraklion Museum Jars in Malia CreteFauna and flora EditMain article Crete Mediterranean forests Fauna Edit Crete is isolated from mainland Europe Asia and Africa and this is reflected in the diversity of the fauna and flora As a result the fauna and flora of Crete have many clues to the evolution of species There are no animals that are dangerous to humans on the island of Crete in contrast to other parts of Greece Indeed the ancient Greeks attributed the lack of large mammals such as bears wolves jackals and venomous snakes to the labour of Hercules who took a live Cretan bull to the Peloponnese Hercules wanted to honor the birthplace of Zeus by removing all harmful and venomous animals from Crete Later Cretans believed that the island was cleared of dangerous creatures by the Apostle Paul who lived on the island of Crete for two years with his exorcisms and blessings There is a natural history museum the Natural History Museum of Crete operating under the direction of the University of Crete and two aquariums Aquaworld in Hersonissos and Cretaquarium in Gournes displaying sea creatures common in Cretan waters Prehistoric fauna Edit Dwarf elephants dwarf hippopotamus dwarf mammoths dwarf deer and giant flightless owls were native to Pleistocene Crete 74 75 Mammals Edit Main article Mammals of Greece Mammals of Crete include the vulnerable kri kri Capra aegagrus cretica that can be seen in the national park of the Samaria Gorge and on Thodorou 76 Dia and Agioi Pantes islets off the north coast the Cretan wildcat and the Cretan spiny mouse 77 78 79 80 Other terrestrial mammals include subspecies of the Cretan marten the Cretan weasel the Cretan badger the long eared hedgehog and the edible dormouse 81 The Cretan shrew a type of white toothed shrew is considered endemic to the island of Crete because this species of shrew is unknown elsewhere It is a relic species of the Crocidura shrews of which fossils have been found that can be dated to the Pleistocene era In the present day it can only be found in the highlands of Crete 82 It is considered to be the only surviving remnant of the endemic species of the Pleistocene Mediterranean islands 83 Bat species include Blasius s horseshoe bat the lesser horseshoe bat the greater horseshoe bat the lesser mouse eared bat Geoffroy s bat the whiskered bat Kuhl s pipistrelle the common pipistrelle Savi s pipistrelle the serotine bat the long eared bat Schreibers bat and the European free tailed bat 84 The Kri kri the Cretan ibex lives in protected natural parks at the gorge of Samaria and the island of Agios Theodoros Male Cretan ibex Cretan Hound or Kritikos Lagonikos one of Europe s oldest hunting dog breedsBirds Edit A large variety of birds includes eagles can be seen in Lasithi swallows throughout Crete in the summer and year round in the south of the island pelicans along the coast and common cranes including Gavdos and Gavdopoula The Cretan mountains and gorges are refuges for the endangered lammergeier vulture Bird species include the golden eagle Bonelli s eagle the bearded vulture or lammergeier the griffon vulture Eleonora s falcon peregrine falcon lanner falcon European kestrel tawny owl little owl hooded crow alpine chough red billed chough and the Eurasian hoopoe 85 86 The population of griffon vultures in Crete is the largest insular one of the species in the world and consists the majority of griffon vulture population in Greece 87 Reptiles and amphibians Edit Tortoises can be seen throughout the island Snakes can be found hiding under rocks Toads and frogs reveal themselves when it rains Reptiles include the Aegean wall lizard Balkan green lizard common chameleon ocellated skink snake eyed skink moorish gecko Turkish gecko Kotschy s gecko spur thighed tortoise and the Caspian turtle 84 88 There are four species of snake on the island and these are not dangerous to humans The four species include the leopard snake locally known as Ochendra the Balkan whip snake locally called Dendrogallia the dice snake called Nerofido in Greek and the only venomous snake is the nocturnal cat snake which has evolved to deliver a weak venom at the back of its mouth to paralyse geckos and small lizards and is not dangerous to humans 84 89 Sea turtles include the green turtle and the loggerhead turtle which are both threatened species 88 The loggerhead turtle nests and hatches on north coast beaches around Rethymno and Chania and south coast beaches along the gulf of Mesara 90 Amphibians include the European green toad American bullfrog introduced European tree frog and the Cretan marsh frog endemic 84 88 91 Arthropods Edit Crete has an unusual variety of insects Cicadas known locally as Tzitzikia make a distinctive repetitive tzi tzi sound that becomes louder and more frequent on hot summer days Butterfly species include the swallowtail butterfly 84 Moth species include the hummingbird moth 92 There are several species of scorpion such as Euscorpius carpathicus whose venom is generally no more potent than a mosquito bite Crustaceans and molluscs Edit River crabs include the semi terrestrial Potamon potamios crab 84 Edible snails are widespread and can cluster in the hundreds waiting for rainfall to reinvigorate them Sealife Edit The loggerhead sea turtle nests and hatches along the beaches of Rethymno and Chania and the gulf of Messara Apart from terrestrial mammals the seas around Crete are rich in large marine mammals a fact unknown to most Greeks at present although reported since ancient times Indeed the Minoan frescoes depicting dolphins in Queen s Megaron at Knossos indicate that Minoans were well aware of and celebrated these creatures Apart from the famous endangered Mediterranean monk seal which lives in almost all the coasts of the country Greece hosts whales sperm whales dolphins and porpoises 93 These are either permanent residents of the Mediterranean or just occasional visitors The area south of Crete known as the Greek Abyss hosts many of them Squid and octopus can be found along the coast and sea turtles and hammerhead sharks swim in the sea around the coast The Cretaquarium and the Aquaworld Aquarium are two of only three aquariums in the whole of Greece They are located in Gournes and Hersonissos respectively Examples of the local sealife can be seen there 94 95 Some of the fish that can be seen in the waters around Crete include scorpion fish dusky grouper east Atlantic peacock wrasse five spotted wrasse weever fish common stingray brown ray mediterranean black goby pearly razorfish star gazer painted comber damselfish and the flying gurnard 96 Flora Edit The Minoans contributed to the deforestation of Crete Further deforestation occurred in the 1600s so that no more local supplies of firewood were available 97 Common wildflowers include camomile daisy gladiolus hyacinth iris poppy cyclamen and tulip among others 98 There are more than 200 different species of wild orchid on the island and this includes 14 varieties of Ophrys cretica 99 Crete has a rich variety of indigenous herbs including common sage rosemary thyme and oregano 99 100 Rare herbs include the endemic Cretan dittany 99 100 and ironwort Sideritis syriaca known as Malotira Malothra Varieties of cactus include the edible prickly pear Common trees on the island include the chestnut cypress oak olive tree pine plane and tamarisk 100 Trees tend to be taller to the west of the island where water is more abundant Snake lily Dracunculus vulgaris The Ophrys cretica orchid Environmentally protected areas Edit There are a number of environmentally protected areas One such area is located at the island of Elafonisi on the coast of southwestern Crete Also the palm forest of Vai in eastern Crete and the Dionysades both in the municipality of Sitia Lasithi have diverse animal and plant life Vai has a palm beach and is the largest natural palm forest in Europe The island of Chrysi 15 kilometres 9 miles south of Ierapetra has the largest naturally grown Juniperus macrocarpa forest in Europe Samaria Gorge is a World Biosphere Reserve and Richtis Gorge is protected for its landscape diversity Mythology EditMain article Greek mythology Diktaean Cave Crete has a strong association with ancient Greek gods but is also connected with the Minoan civilization According to Greek mythology the Diktaean Cave at Mount Dikti was the birthplace of the god Zeus The Paximadia islands were the birthplace of the goddess Artemis and the god Apollo Their mother the goddess Leto was worshipped at Phaistos The goddess Athena bathed in Lake Voulismeni Zeus launched a lightning bolt at a giant lizard that was threatening Crete The lizard immediately turned to stone and became the lizard shaped island of Dia which can be seen from Knossos The islets of Lefkai were the result of a musical contest between the Sirens and the Muses The Muses were so anguished to have lost that they plucked the feathers from the wings of their rivals the Sirens turned white and fell into the sea at Aptera featherless where they formed the islands in the bay that were called Lefkai the islands of Souda and Leon 101 Heracles in one of his labors took the Cretan bull to the Peloponnese Europa and Zeus made love at Gortys and conceived the kings of Crete Rhadamanthys Sarpedon and Minos The labyrinth of the Palace of Knossos was the setting for the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur in which the Minotaur was slain by Theseus Icarus and Daedalus were captives of King Minos and crafted wings to escape After his death King Minos became a judge of the dead in Hades while Rhadamanthys became the ruler of the Elysian fields Culture EditMain article Culture of Greece See also Cretan School Cretan literature Music of Crete and Cretan cuisine Crete has its own distinctive Mantinades poetry The island is known for its Mantinades based music typically performed with the Cretan lyra and the laouto and has many indigenous dances the most noted of which is the Pentozali Since the 1980s and certainly in the 1990s onwards there has been a proliferation of Cultural Associations that teach dancing in Western Crete many focus on rizitiko singing These Associations often perform in official events but also become stages for people to meet up and engage in traditionalist practices The topic of tradition and the role of Cultural Associations in reviving it is very often debated throughout Crete 102 Cretan authors have made important contributions to Greek literature throughout the modern period major names include Vikentios Kornaros creator of the 17th century epic romance Erotokritos Greek Erwtokritos and in the 20th century Nikos Kazantzakis In the Renaissance Crete was the home of the Cretan School of icon painting which influenced El Greco and through him subsequent European painting citation needed Cretans are fiercely proud of their island and customs and men often don elements of traditional dress in everyday life knee high black riding boots stivania vraka breeches tucked into the boots at the knee black shirt and black headdress consisting of a fishnet weave kerchief worn wrapped around the head or draped on the shoulders sariki Men often grow large mustaches as a mark of masculinity Cretan society is known in Greece and internationally for family and clan vendettas which persist on the island to date 103 104 Cretans also have a tradition of keeping firearms at home a tradition lasting from the era of resistance against the Ottoman Empire Nearly every rural household on Crete has at least one unregistered gun 103 Guns are subject to strict regulation from the Greek government and in recent years a great deal of effort to control firearms in Crete has been undertaken by the Greek police but with limited success Dancers from Sfakia Old man from Crete dressed in the typical black shirt Dakos traditional Cretan saladSports Edit Crete has many football clubs playing in the local leagues During the 2011 12 season OFI Crete which plays at Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium Iraklion and Ergotelis F C which plays at the Pankritio Stadium Iraklion were both members of the Greek Superleague During the 2012 13 season OFI Crete which plays at Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium Iraklion and Platanias F C which plays at the Perivolia Municipal Stadium near Chania are both members of the Greek Superleague Notable people EditMain page Category People from Crete Domenikos Theotokopoulos El Greco Eleftherios Venizelos Notable people from Crete include Nikos Kazantzakis author born in Heraklion 7 times suggested for the Nobel Prize Odysseas Elytis poet awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1979 born in Heraklion 105 Georgios Chortatzis Renaissance author Vitsentzos Kornaros Renaissance author from Sitia who lived in Heraklion then Candia Domenikos Theotokopoulos El Greco Renaissance artist born in Heraklion Nikos Xilouris famous composer and singer Psarantonis Cretan folk singer and Cretan lyra player and brother of Nikos Xilouris Nana Mouskouri singer born in Chania Eleftherios Venizelos former Greek Prime Minister born in Chania Prefecture Konstantinos Mitsotakis nephew of Eleftherios Venizelos and Prime Minister of Greece Daskalogiannis leader of the Orlov Revolt in Crete in 1770 Michalis Kourmoulis leader of the Greek War of Independence from Messara Eleni Daniilidou tennis player born in Chania Louis Tikas Greek American labor union leader Tess Fragoulis Greek Canadian writer born in Heraklion Nick Dandolos a k a Nick the Greek professional gambler and high roller Joseph Sifakis a computer scientist laureate of the 2007 Turing Award born in Heraklion in 1946 Constantinos Daskalakis Associate Professor at MIT s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department George Karniadakis Professor of Applied Mathematics at Brown University also Research Scientist at MIT John Aniston Giannis Anastasakis Greek American actor father of Jennifer Aniston George Psychoundakis a shepherd a war hero and an author Ahmed Resmi Efendi 18th century Ottoman statesman diplomat and author notably of two sefaretname Turkey s first ever ambassador in Berlin 106 during the reign of Frederick the Great He was born into a Muslim family of Greek descent in the Cretan town of Rethymno in 1700 107 108 109 110 Giritli Ali Aziz Efendi Turkey s third ambassador in Berlin and arguably the first Turkish author to have written in novelistic form Al Husayn I ibn Ali at Turki founder of the Husainid Dynasty which ruled Tunisia until 1957 Salacioglu 1750 Hanya 1825 Kandiye One of the most important 18th century poets of Turkish folk literature Giritli Sirri Pasha Ottoman administrator Leyla Saz s husband and a notable man of letters in his own right Vedat Tek Representative figure of the First National Architecture Movement in Turkish architecture son of Leyla Saz and Giritli Sirri Pasha Paul Mulla alias Mollazade Mehmed Ali born Muslim converted to Christianity and became a Roman Catholic monsignor 111 and author Rahmizade Bahaeddin Bediz The first Turkish photographer by profession The thousands of photographs he took based as of 1895 successively in Crete Izmir Istanbul and Ankara as Head of the Photography Department of Turkish Historical Society have immense historical value Salih Zeki Turkish photographer in Chania 112 Ali Nayip Zade Associate of Eleftherios Venizelos Prefect of Drama and Kavala Adrianople and Lasithi Ismail Fazil Pasha 1856 1921 descended from the rooted Cebecioglu family of Soke who had settled in Crete 113 He has been the first Minister of Public Works in the government of Grand National Assembly in 1920 He was the father of Ali Fuad and Mehmed Ali Mehmet Atif Atesdagli 1876 1947 Turkish officer Mustafa Ertugrul Aker 1892 1961 Turkish officer who sank HMS Ben my Chree Cevat Sakir Kabaagacli alias Halikarnas Balikcisi The Fisherman of Halicarnassus writer although born in Crete and has often let himself be cited as Cretan descends from a family of Ottoman aristocracy with roots in Afyonkarahisar His father had been an Ottoman High Commissioner in Crete and later ambassador in Athens Likewise as stated above Mustafa Naili Pasha was Albanian Egyptian 114 Bulent Arinc born 25 May 1948 has been a Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey since 2009 He is of Cretan Muslim heritage with his ancestors arriving to Turkey as Cretan refugees during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey at the time of Sultan Abdul Hamid II 115 and is fluent in Cretan Greek 116 Arinc is a proponent of wanting to reconvert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque which has caused diplomatic protestations from Greece 117 Yoseph Shlomo Delmedigo renaissance rabbi mathematician astronomer and philosopher Zach Galifianakis paternal grandparents Mike Galifianakis and Sophia Kastrinakis were from Crete Vicky Psarakis vocalist for Canadian metal band The Agonist is from Crete Georgos Kalaitzakis Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association is from Heraklion Crete See also EditCretan Greek Cretan lyra Cretan Turks Cretan wine List of novels set in Crete List of rulers of Crete MantinadesCitations Edit CensusHub2 ec europa eu Retrieved 22 March 2021 a b Census 2021 GR PDF Press release Hellenic Statistical Authority 19 July 2022 Archived PDF from the original on 19 July 2022 Retrieved 12 September 2022 Sub national HDI Area Database Global Data Lab hdi globaldatalab org Retrieved 20 July 2021 Population on 1 January by NUTS 2 region Statistics Eurostat Archived from the original on 21 January 2021 Ancient Crete Archived 30 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine Oxford Bibliographies Online Classics Stephanie Lynn Budin The Ancient Greeks An Introduction New York Oxford UP 2004 42 O Dickinson The Aegean Bronze Age Cambridge UK Cambridge UP 1994 241 244 Found on the PY An 128 tablet Found on the PY Ta 641 and PY Ta 709 tablets The Linear B word ke re si ji Palaeolexicon Krhs Krhsios s v krhsiai Liddell Henry George Scott Robert A Greek English Lexicon at the Perseus Project Book 14 line 199 Henry George Liddell Robert Scott A Greek English Lexicon Edwin L Brown Linear A on Trojan Spindlewhorls Luvian Based ϜANA3 at Cnossus in Qui miscuit utile dulci Festschrift Essays for Paul Lachlan MacKendrick eds Gareth Schmeling amp Jon D Mikalson Wauconda Ill Bolchazy Carducci 1998 62 Ti shmainei to onoma Krhth telika kai giati onomasthke etsi to nhsi mas Daynight gr in Greek 8 December 2018 Archived from the original on 14 July 2021 Retrieved 14 July 2021 Lelakhs Gewrgios 2008 Aigaio etymologies nhswn in Greek Kalantzis Konstantinos 2019 Tradition in the Frame Photography Power and Imagination in Sfakia Crete Indiana University Press pp 23 58 ISBN 978 0 253 03713 8 Archived from the original on 16 December 2019 Retrieved 2 October 2019 Gorge of the Dead Cretanbeaches com Archived from the original on 25 April 2015 Retrieved 13 September 2012 Richtis gorge Cretanbeaches com Archived from the original on 31 July 2012 Retrieved 13 September 2012 Richtis beach and gorge Candia wordpress com 20 April 2010 Retrieved 13 September 2012 Richtis gorge and waterfall Worldreviewer com 25 February 2011 Archived from the original on 12 October 2018 Retrieved 13 September 2012 Photos of Agia Lake Crete TOURnet Lake Voulismeni Archived 20 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine aghiosnikolaos eu Rackham O Moody J 1996 The Making of the Cretan Landscape Manchester University Press ISBN 9780719036477 Panagos Panagos Christos Karydas Cristiano Ballabio Ioannis Gitas 2014 Seasonal monitoring of soil erosion at regional scale An application of the G2 model in Crete focusing on agricultural land uses International Journal of Applied Earth 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Mediterranean Hesperia The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens vol 79 pp 145 190 Scribd com 15 December 2010 Archived from the original on 6 March 2016 Retrieved 13 September 2012 Wilford J N On Crete New Evidence of Very Ancient Mariners The New York Times 15 February 2010 Bowner B Hominids Went Out of Africa on Rafts Wired 8 January 2010 C Michael Hogan 2007 Knossos fieldnotes The Modern Antiquarian Shelmerdine Cynthia Where Do We Go From Here And How Can the Linear B Tablets Help Us Get There PDF Archived from the original PDF on 3 October 2011 Retrieved 27 March 2008 Jane Francis and Anna Kouremenos 2016 Roman Crete New Perspectives Oxford Oxbow ISBN 978 1785700958 Gregory amp Kazhdan 1991 p 546 Reinhart Dozy Histoire des Musulmans d Espagne jusqu a la conquete de l Andalousie par les Almoravides French pg 711 1110 Leiden 1861 amp 1881 2nd edition a b c Panagiotakis 1987 p XVI Gregory amp Kazhdan 1991 pp 545 546 Treadgold 1997 p 495 Tiepolo Maria Francesca 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the Union EC Directive 2004 58 EC 2004 Eur lex europa eu Buying a Property in Crete as a Foreigner ARENCORES 29 December 2020 Archived from the original on 5 March 2021 Retrieved 22 March 2021 Archaeological sites and Museums in Crete ExploreCrete com Briassoulis Helen 1 September 2003 Crete Endowed by Nature Privileged by Geography Threatened by Tourism Journal of Sustainable Tourism 11 2 3 97 115 doi 10 1080 09669580308667198 ISSN 0966 9582 S2CID 28002287 Van der Geer A A E Dermitzakis M De Vos J 2006 Crete before the Cretans the reign of dwarfs Pharos 13 121 132 Athens Netherlands Institute PDF Crete 10 Fun Facts and Interesting Insights 7 April 2019 Anarth8hke apo admin TOPIO 8odwroy h agnwsth nhsida toy Benetikoy naytikoy oxyroy twn kri kri kai h apagoreysh proseggishs To pio blogspot gr Retrieved 26 March 2013 Thodorou Islands off Platanias ExploreCrete com Cretan Ibex by Alexandros Roniotis permanent dead link CretanBeaches com Cretan wildcat Archived 11 February 2011 at the 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Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN 978 1 4729 4137 4 Feeding time for a hummingbird moth Archived 14 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine PictureNation co uk Marine mammals of Crete Archived 7 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine CretanBeaches com Cretaquarium Archived 26 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Cretaquarium gr Great Britons in Crete John Bryce McLaren Archived 19 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine BritsinCrete net Fish from Crete at Aquaworld Aquaworld Aquarium Sands Roger 2005 Forestry in a Global Context p 27 ISBN 9780851990897 Retrieved 24 September 2019 Fielding J and Turland N Flowers of Crete Royal Botanic Gardens Kew ISBN 978 1842460795 2008 a b c Crete p 68 by Victoria Kyriakopoulos a b c The Flora of Crete ExploreCrete com Caroline M Galt A marble fragment at Mount Holyoke College from the Cretan city of Aptera Art and Archaeology 6 1920 150 Kalantzis Konstantinos 2019 Tradition in the Frame Photography Power and Imagination in Sfakia Crete Indiana University Press pp 153 178 ISBN 978 0 253 03713 8 a b Brian Murphy Vendetta Victims People A Village Crete s Cycle Of Blood Survives The Centuries at The Seattle Times 14 January 1999 Aris Tsantiropoulos Collective Memory and Blood Feud The Case of Mountainous Crete PDF Archived from the original PDF on 31 March 2012 254 KB Crimes and Misdemeanours 2 1 2008 University of Crete Odysseas Elytis permanent dead link by Alexandros Roniotis CretanBeaches com Tuerkische Botschafter in Berlin in German Turkish Embassy Berlin Archived from the original on 2 June 2001 Houtsma Martinus T 1987 E J Brill s first encyclopaedia of Islam 1913 1936 Volume 9 Brill p 1145 ISBN 90 04 08265 4 RESMI AHMAD Ottoman statesman and historian Ahmad b Ibrahim known as Resmi belonged to Rethymo turk Resmo hence his epithet in Crete and was of Greek descent cf J v Hammer GOR viii 202 He was born in III 1700 and came in 1146 1733 to Stambul where he was educated married a daughter of the Ke is Efendi Muller Bahlke Thomas J 2003 Zeichen und Wunder Geheimnisse des Schriftenschranks in der Kunst und Naturalienkammer der Franckeschen Stiftungen kulturhistorische und philologische Untersuchungen Franckesche Stiftungen p 58 ISBN 978 3 931479 46 6 Ahmed Resmi Efendi 1700 1783 Der osmanische Staatsmann und Geschichtsschreiber griechischer Herkunft Translation Ahmed Resmi Efendi 1700 1783 The Ottoman statesman and historian of Greek origin European studies review 1977 European studies review Volumes 7 8 Sage Publications p 170 Resmi Ahmad 83 was originally of Greek descent He entered Ottoman service in 1733 and after holding a number of posts in local administration was sent on missions to Vienna 1758 and Berlin 1763 4 He later held a number of important offices in central government In addition Resmi Ahmad was a contemporary historian of some distinction Sir Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb 1954 Encyclopedia of Islam Brill p 294 ISBN 90 04 16121 X Ahmad b Ibrahim known as Resmi came from Rethymno Turk Resmo hence his epithet in Crete and was of Greek descent cf Hammer Purgstall viii 202 He was born in 1112 1700 and came in 1 146 1733 to Istanbul Blanchette Oliva 16 April 2010 Maurice Blondel A Philosophical Life Wm B Eerdmans Publishing p 300 ISBN 978 0 8028 6365 2 Salih Zeki Anopolis72000 blogspot com Interview with Ayse Cebesoy Sarialp Ali Fuat Pasha s niece Aksiyon com tr Archived from the original on 3 September 2011 Yeni Giritliler Archived 19 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Article on the rising interest in Cretan heritage in Turkish Arinc Ahmediye koyunde cocuklarla Rumca konustu Arinc spoke Greek with the children in the village of Ahmediye Milliyet in Turkish Turkey 23 September 2012 Retrieved 8 May 2015 Bulent Arinc anadili Rumca konusurken Bulent Arinc talking to native speakers of Greek video in Turkish and Greek You Tube 2013 Retrieved 8 May 2015 Greece angered over Turkish Deputy PM s Hagia Sophia remarks Hurriyet Daily News Turkey 19 November 2013 Retrieved 8 May 2015 General and citied sources Edit Crete Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 7 11th ed 1911 pp 418 430 Francis Jane and Anna Kouremenos eds 2016 Roman Crete New Perspectives Oxford Oxbow Gregory T E Kazhdan A 1991 Crete In Kazhdan Alexander ed The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium Oxford and New York Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 504652 8 Margaritis Giorgos 2006 Istoria toy ellhnikoy emfylioy polemoy 1946 1949 History of the Greek Civil War 1946 1949 in Greek Vol II Athens Vivliorama ISBN 9608087139 Panagiotakis Nikolaos M ed 1987 Eisagwgiko Shmeiwma Introduction Crete History and Civilization in Greek Vol I Vikelea Library Association of Regional Associations of Regional Municipalities pp XI XX Treadgold Warren 1997 A History of the Byzantine State and Society Stanford California Stanford University Press ISBN 0 8047 2630 2 External links EditCrete at Wikipedia s sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Travel information from Wikivoyage Resources from Wikiversity Official website in Greek Natural History Museum of Crete at the University of Crete Cretaquarium Thalassocosmos in Heraklion Aquaworld Aquarium in Hersonissos Ancient Crete Archived 30 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine at Oxford Bibliographies Online Classics Official Greek National Tourism Organisation website Interactive Virtual Tour of Crete Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Crete amp oldid 1133042862, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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