The past guards of Crete

Forts

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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The tower of Bey in Agios Ioannis

At St. John (Agios Ioannis) in Mylopotamos province, located 40km southeast of Rethymnon there is a Venetian house, called “Mansion” that belonged to a Venetian nobleman, who was Islamized during the first years of the Ottoman rule.

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Castel Pediada

The fort Castel Pediada was not built on a hill, but in the valley of the current town of Kastelli Pediados. It was mainly an administrative building, since it was housed several administrative and military authorities.

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Kelia Koules, Fodele

One of these Turkish Towers was built at the position Kelia, just above Fodele beach (south of the beach) overlooking the sea. Today some ruins of the fort remind of its glory past, although completely abandoned by the local government. Next to it, we meet the chapel dedicated to Saint John, which once served as a monastery. The cells (kelia) of the monks gave their name to the area.

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Agios Vasilios Towers

In the village Akoumia in Agios Vasilios province, which is perched on the northern slopes of Mount Asiderotas, there are the ruins of a Turkish tower, although locals believe that it was Venetian.

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The Tower of Saint George at Menies

A Byzantine tower was built next to the building complex of the Monastery of St. George in Menies, Cape Spatha, very close to Menies beach. It was built by the monks of the monastery so as to control the sea and pirates.

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Kokkinos Pirgos Koules at Fodele

The koules (tower) of Kokkinos Pirgos (Red Tower) is located close to Fodele. It is one of the three seaside Turkish towers built at this position. Although looks close, it is very hard to reach the fort due to dense vegetation and wires (for flocks).

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Isihakis Mansion at Nerokourou

Rafioli or Isihakis Mansion is located at the mountainous area of Nerokourou at position Chalometro and is a complex of the Venetian period, with great architectural importance. The area has been declared a historical monument and place of particular natural beauty.

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