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Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and is located in southeast of the Mediterranean sea. Cretan History starts at 6000 BC, when the island was first inhabited. The best known period is the Bronze Age (2600-1100 BC), the period of the Minoan Civilization. During that period Cretans colonized Cyclades Islands and in Crete the palaces of Knossos, Festos and Zakros were built. While Egyptians were afraid of the "Big Blue", Minoan ships used to travel and trade all around the Mediterranean Sea. The cultural influence of the various nations Cretans came in contact with gave birth to this civilization that we still admire and which is considered to be the first high-level civilization in Europe.

Crete is 260 km long and 60 km at it's widest point. It is an island full of contrasts. The north coast is the main tourist area of Crete and all big cities are located there: Iraklion, Hania, Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos and Siteia. In the South there are  bigger towns such as Ierapetra, Tymbaki and Moires. The southern coast is the ideal place for the tourist who is in search of an isolated beach. Unfortunately as each year passes and their whereabouts become known, such beaches become a little more difficult to find. Naturism is a common practice on many isolated beaches. The south is also a good place if you want to train yourself in driving in narrow and very winding roads.

Cretans have been obliged to fight for their survival and freedom for over 2,000 years. Many nations, Romans, Arabs, Venetians, Turks and Germans have invaded and occupied Crete in the course of its history. In numerous bloody revolutions many thousands of Cretans have given their lives. Out of necessity, Cretans became great fighters. But fighters live for today, they cannot plan for tomorrow. I think that this tendency to avoid any serious planning is a great problem for our country today. You may detect this still in our everyday surroundings, in the way cities are built, in the attitude of people and in the way environment is all too often treated. In one sense there is a sort of anarchy that can be found amongst Cretans all around the island. However fear not, regardless of this, Crete is without doubt both a friendly and a safe place to visit.

Because of its geographical position in the Mediterranean, Crete has been, several times over, a beginning or genesis of various distinct kinds, whose special characteristics have prompted the attention of writers from antiquity to the present day.

Crete’s history combines mythological and historical trauma, glory and mediocrity. Legend has it that this island was the birthplace of Zeus, and home of the Minotaur, the monstrous man - eating miscreation who dwelled at Knossos. Archaeologists claim that the island’s golden days began when the Minoans arrived from Asia Minor around 2800 BC, but the island was inhabited as far back as 6000 BC (Neolithic Period). Arriving from Asia Minor, these earliest inhabitants dwelled in caves rather than open settlements. Among the artefacts found from this time are stone and bone tools and female figurines signifying a cult of the Mother Goddess.

This period lasted until 3000 BC, when the great Minoan civilisation commenced on the island of Crete. The Minoans, also known from Asia Minor, established a rich civilisation now known for its sophisticated art and embellished architecture. In 1700 BC an earthquake devastated the entire island. The Minoans subsequently began rebuilding vast, elaborate villas and formidable palaces, which exemplify the intricate and expert work of this time.

Following the reconstruction and revival, Crete entered its most glorious days. The buildings that we find standing today hail from this period. Prosperity, stemming from newly established trade with other countries, lasted until an unknown catastrophe, either invading Mycenaean's or more natural disasters (possibly the eruption of Thira), destroyed the island’s cities once again in 1450 BC.

After this second obliteration, Crete took on a less influential role in world affairs, but remained at the forefront in the world of art and culture. By the 8th century BC Dorians were occupying the island. At this time, arts were flourishing, especially jewellery - making, sculpting and pottery.

The period from the 5th century BC to the Roman conquest in 67 BC found the island in the throes of instability, with aristocratic families dominant and intercity warfare frequent. Crete, in the Medieval and Modern periods, has been ruled in succession by the Byzantine, Arab, Genovese, Venetian, and Turkish empires, and in 1898, Crete became an English protectorate. Finally, after the Balkan War of 1913, Crete joined the Republic of Greece.

The earliest traces of human habitation in Crete go back to the Neolithic age. The first inhabitants of the island lived in caves, which later became places of worship, then in houses with stone foundations and brick walls. These people were farmers and shepherds. They used simple tools and utensils made of animal bones and stone, many of which have been turned up during archaeological excavations.

After the destruction of the palaces and the collapse of the Minoan culture, the Dorians, who sailed across from mainland Greece, conquered Crete. The Doric cities of Crete had the same system of government as Sparta, that is, they had a senate consisting of the nobility of the city.

Walls protected the towns and each had its own acropolis. The cities could be kept united under the leadership of Knossos, but only when this was necessary for the purposes of repelling some new invader.

Crete experienced Byzantine rule in two periods: the first of these (330 - 826 A.D.) was interrupted by occupation by the Arabs (826 - 961) and was followed by the second Byzantine period (961 - 1204/10). The main characteristic of the first period was the establishment of Christianity on the island.

After the Arab occupation in 826, there was much persecution of Christianity and the religion's hold over the island slackened.
 
It was not until 961 that the Byzantine general Nicephorus Phocas was able to liberate Crete and bring it back into the Byzantine Empire. In this second period Christianity gained in strength.

It was at this time that Herakleion became the seat of the Archbishop and churches and monasteries sprang up everywhere.

In 1204 Venetians became the rulers of the island. In this period, Heraklion was renamed Candia and it remained the capital of Crete. The Venetian influence in Crete's architecture remained until our days.

When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, large numbers of Greek nobles and scholars took refuge in Crete. As a result, Byzantine culture and Byzantine art took on a fresh lease on life.
 
The Monastery of St. Catherine in Herakleion was a particularly important centre of Byzantine culture where theology, philosophy, music and literature were developed.

After an endless invasion, the Turks succeeded to become the rulers of the island. Generally speaking the Turkish occupation was the darkest period in the island's long history. And when the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821, the Turks in their rage behaved with even greater cruelty to the Cretans. The great Cretan rebellion began in 1866 and lasted until 1868. This was the climax of the Cretan desire for freedom and union with the rest of Greece.

Fresh fighting broke out in 1895 - 1896, after a period since the beginning of the decade when the old wounds had reopened and violence was an everyday occurrence. In 1897, Greek forces gradually began to liberate the island, with the intention of uniting it with Greece

The fighting stopped in 1898. The great powers recognized the existence of an autonomous "Cretan State'. Prince George of Greece was appointed High Commissioner over it. However, the struggle of the ordinary Cretans continued, culminating in the Theriso rebellion of 1905. That rebellion led to the eventual union of Crete with Greece. The most recent heroic event in Cretan history occurred during the Second World War, when Crete became the theatre of hard fighting, in the world famous "Battle of Crete".

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