⭐ 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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Kornaros Tower at Myrsini

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The Tower of Kornaros is located at a lush green and quiet position northeast of Myrsine village, 24km west of Sitia. It is a small square stone-built tower probably of the 15th century that was used as a lookout during the period of the Venetian and the Ottoman rule, which has good views to the north coast.

Grammeni Koules

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At the small valley of Kamares - Grigoria - Magarikari were the Koules of Grammeni and the Koules of Kremastos. The first was built between Grigoria and Magarikari, next to the current road. It is in good condition, with almost all of its roof surviving.

Venetian Mansion at Karydi

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The Venetian villa and the Venetian olive mill are located in the Monastery of Saint George at Karydi. The villa and the adjacent mill date back to the period 1650-1750. The mansion has undergone subsequent restorations, which have not been altered seriously its original form.

Fort Kouledaki by Agia Roumeli

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The mountainous and inhospitable province of Sfakia hosts several small and large koules, ie Ottoman towers, which was built by the Ottomans to control this revolutionary area. One of the most unknown forts lies in ruins in the mountains west of the gorge of Samaria and you can reach it via the trail of the known Koules of Agia Roumeli.

Hadjimihalis Chateau at Omalos

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On the small hill opposite the cave Tzanis, we see the tower and the church of the legendary chieftain Hadjimihalis Giannaris (1833-1916) from village Lakki, who wanted to be buried here. Giannaris was one of the pioneers of revolutions of 1866-1869 and the political kneadingtill the Union of Crete with Greece in 1913..

Pasqualigo Chateau

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One mile southwest of Neapolis town, on the northern slopes of Mount Kavalaras, there is the beautiful grove of Pashaligo. The small forest takes its name after the Venetian feudal lord Fillipo Pasqualigo, the military governor of Candia (1592-1600), who used to live in a nearby Tower.

Vathiakos Koules

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At the eastern edge of the valley of Amari, two towers were built, the Koules of Vathiakos and Lochria. The Koules of Vathiakos, built on the hill south of the village, served a dual purpose. First, it controlled the passages to Messara.

Hanialis Tower in Magoulas

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The tower of Magoulas, in Lassithi plateau, was the summer konak (house) - tower of Chanialis, who stayed there during summers. Chanialis was a Turk janissary who oppressed a great region of East Crete. He was the founder of the family of Chanialis and was an Islamized Christian from Chania (Chania -> Chanialis). His real name was Zade Ahmet Aga.

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