Heraklion is the largest city of Crete and one of Greece’s major urban centres. The city flourished under a multicultural influence throughout the centuries; that’s why there is a plethora of Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman structures to look out for! The city’s landmark is the 16th c. Koules fortress in the westernmost side of the old Venetian port, which along with the …

The military history of Greece during World War II began on 28 October 1940, when the Italian Army invaded Greece from Albania, beginning the Greco-Italian War.The Greek Army temporarily halted the invasion and pushed the Italians back into Albania.The Greek successes forced Nazi Germany to intervene. The Germans invaded Greece and Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941, and …

Aug 24, 2021 · The Bronze Age in Greece started with the Cycladic civilization, an early Bronze Age culture that arose southeast of the Greek mainland on the Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea around 3200 B.C.

Oct 16, 2022 · A damaged car and debris are seen on a beach, following flash floods on the village of Agia Pelagia, on the island of Crete, Greece, October 15, 2022. (Reuters) Major flooding in Greece’s Crete ...

History. Crete had been raided by Muslim forces since the first wave of the Muslim conquests in the mid-7th century. It first experienced a raid in 654 and then another in 674/675, and parts of the island were temporarily occupied during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I (r. 705–715). However, the island at that time was not conquered and despite occasional raids in the 8th …

Earliest Greek civilizations Cycladic civilization. Cycladic civilization is the earliest trading center of goods. It was extensively distributed throughout the Aegean region. Minoan civilization. The Minoan civilization emerged on Crete around the time the early Bronze Age, it had a wide range of economic interests and was something of a trade hub, exporting many items to mainland …

Feb 20, 2012 · Crete’s natural beauty is equalled only by the richness of its history. The island is the birthplace of the first advanced society on European soil, the Minoans, who ruled some 4000 years ago. ... There are scores of superb hikes on Crete, winding through the hills of Greece's largest island. From gorges to coastal trails, here are Crete's ...

The history of Crete goes back to the 7th millennium BC, preceding the ancient Minoan civilization by more than four millennia. The palace-based Minoan civilization was the first civilization in Europe.. After the Minoan civilization was devastated by the Thera eruption, Crete developed an Ancient Greece-influenced organization of city-states, then successively became …

Crete's history as well as the inhabitants' personality were affected by the island's mountainous landscape. In Greece, people celebrate the “name day” of the saint that bears their name in a similar way to their own birthday. Greece is the place where democracy was born.

History is alive and well on holidays to Crete. You’ll find traces of ancient civilisations, relics from the Ottoman and Venetian occupations, and Byzantine-era buildings. And while there’s a millennia’s worth of heritage to explore, Crete also has a vibrant, contemporary local culture that’s evident across the island.