History of Crete

Crete, a Greek island, enjoys a long and ancient history and its origins are found with the Minoan civilization, which was one of the most important nations before the time of Christ. From this society large palace and buildings were constructed. Famous buildings such as Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and Zakros. This came to an end with tidal waves caused by the volcano of Santorini erupting in 1450 B.C. After which Crete was taken over by the Arabs in 824 and it remained under their rule for nearly one hundred and fifty years. During this time (known as the Byzantine era) the City of Heraklion was established

The Venetians took over the island of Crete in 1204. They took the old castles built by the Arabs, improved on them and building new ones and established new cities such as Chania and Rethymno. Since the Renaissance, the only remaining city is Rethymno, which is known for its beautiful structures. Otto then took over in 1669 and their reign lasted until 1897 when the independence of Crete was agreed upon. It was then united with the independent Crete state in 1913.

Crete was very involved in the resistance during World War II and played a major role in the war. Though, ultimately, Germany occupied Crete and many thousand citizens were killed. Many of the cities were bombed during the war and remains of these buildings can be seen today. Today, you can find Crete as a very popular tourist spot with people coming from all over the world to see the ruins of its ancient and significant history. They come to enjoy the beauty that Crete is famous for and to take pleasure in some of the oldest and most significant of man’s historical cities.