⭐ Travel Guide for Island Crete ⛵, Greece❗

Crete in ancient times was not threatened by external enemies. The first external enemies of the island were the Romans. Therefore, till then, the fortification of cities was focused on internal enemies. After the Roman Empire (67 BC-330 AD) things changed radically. Crete became a province of the Eastern Roman Empire, which later transformed to the Byzantine Empire. At the same time, several civilizations started developing around the Mediterranean Sea.

Thus, Crete, because of its natural and geopolitical position, acquired great importance and became an "apple of discord" for the civilizations of the Mediterranean. During the First Byzantine Period (330-824) things looked calm. For that reason, combined with the internal and external problems of the Empire, the island was on the fringes of the Byzantine interest. Thus, pirate raids increased and the seaside monasteries were fortified to protect themselves.

Under these circumstances, the first storm on the island was imminent. The Saracen pirates managed to easily occupy Crete in 824, that was almost defenseless. They settled for 140 years, till 961, during which they fortified the largest town, today’s Heraklion. After continuous failures to reoccupy Crete, Nikiforos Fokas managed to liberate the island from pirates in 961. Then, the Byzantines built new walls, which managed to keep invaders away for a few more centuries.

In 1206, Crete passed into the hands of the Genoese, who immediately gave particular importance to the fortification of the island. Within a few years the fortified three castles and 12 fortresses, but still the Venetians managed to occupy the island in 1209. The Venetian Era in Crete lasted for 4.5 centuries and was mainly dependant on the colossal fortification structures. The best Venetian engineers built the Great Castle of Candia (Heraklion). The Turks managed to take over Candia in 1669 after 22 years (!) of besieging and immediately started restoring the Venetian Forts and built a lot of small fortresses across the Cretan Territory, called Koules. The Turks took care of their forts till the end of their presence on the island.

Even today, visitors can get an idea of what the fortified cities of Crete were like, as the walls are still in excellent condition. The impressive castles in Chania, Rethymnon and Heraklion and the fortresses on the islands of Souda, Gramvousa, Spinalonga are but a few samples of Cretan fort architecture.

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Trevisan mansion at Kokino Metohi

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At Kokkino Metochi, near Drapanias, or more specifically at the position Trevizana, the visitors can still see the ruins of the imposing Venetian mansion of Trevisan. It was a two-storey building with the ground floor being used as a warehouse and the upper floor as a residence.

Da Molin Tower at Alikianos

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Alikianos village, which is located in a lush green area 13km away from Chania, during the Venetian Era was the seat of the local lords called Damolino (Da Molin). In this heavenly place, the Venetian military family of Damolino had built a magnificent mansion - tower, the ruins of which still survive in the orchards of the area.

Anopolis Koules

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Here we meet the remnants of a small Koules (Turkish fort) that had visual contact with the koules of Agios Ioannis and Loutro. Almost nothing survives from the fort, apart from some wall foundations. Also, there are modern water cisterns, apparently built with material of the fortress.

Koules of Agia Ekaterini at Loutro

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Besides the two Koules of Askyfou, several other Koules had been constructed in the present province of Sfakia in order to suppress the revolutions of the Sfakians.

Anidri Koules

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Here we meet one of the many koules (Turkish forts) that were built by the Turks in Selino district so as to control the surrounding slopes and valleys.

Paleokastro Fort at Aptera

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Paleokastro fort was built by the Venetians on the site of the ancient town Aptera, which was aimed to protect the Souda Bay from possible attacks or invasions. The walls, which were oriented from north to south in some places were 1.5m wide, 3m high and was equipped with arched tanks. A wide road connected Palekastro to the sea.

Melissa fort

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Close to the scenic village of St. Thomas (Agios Thomas) in Heraklion there are the ruins of one of the largest fortification works in the Cretan inland. Atop of a high hill overlooking the valleys of the Prophet Elijah and Venerato, you will find the ruins of Melissa fortress build during the 2nd Byzantine Era (11th- 12th century).

Lithines Tower

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In the middle of the village there was a three-storey Venetian tower, built by the Venetians to secure their dominance over the wider region. It is considered that the tower belonged to the feudal family of Francesco Vlachos, as the crest of the Vlachos family is still surviving on a tomb in Agios Athanasios position (next to the village). When the Turks conquered the region of Sitia, they found the tower in excellent condition and used it immediately so as to oversee the area.

Forts

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