History of Herakleio

The history of Herakleio is reflected in the way its name changed through the ages. According to Strabo, it stands on the site of what was in antiquity one of the ports of Knossos, known as Herakleia.

The settlement retained this name in roman times. Later, in the Byzantine period, it was known as ‘Castro’, a reference to some fortress or fortification on the site.

But the city’s real history starts in 824 AD, when the city was taken by the Arabs. It was they who fortified the old settlement of Herakleia-Castro and dug a moat around it. It was from this moat – ‘handax’ in Arabic – that it took the name which it kept until the 19th century.

Handak served as a base for the pirate raids of the Arabs, but it was under Venetian rule (1204-1669) that it reached the peak of its prosperity: now known as Candia, it became the most important political, military, commercial and social centre of the entire island.

During this period it was fortified by its overlords with new, strong walls, the so-called Venetian walls, and adorned with handsome buildings, squares, churches, monuments and fountains.

This was also the period when literature and the arts flourished in Herakleio, partly because of influences coming from Renaissance Italy and partly because on the fall of Constantinople in 1453, many men of letters and artists took refuge in Crete.

The city was surrendered to the Turks, after a 21-years siege, in 1669, when its name changed to ‘Megalo-Castro’ (‘Great Fortress’).

The presence of the Turks gave the city an Oriental appearance. The conquerors repaired the buildings which have been damaged, built new ones, converted the churches into mosques, and reinforced the walls.

During these dark days of slavery, the city lost its former prosperity. In 1828 and 1898 there were major massacres of its population, but in 1913, together with the rest of Crete, it was reunited with the rest of Greece.

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