Crete-(Greece) Guide

Crete-(Greece)

Crete

Crete is a Mediterranean island located at southern extremity of of Greek's Mediterranean possessions, 200Km north of Libya. It is the thirteen Greek administrative areas . Crete is 250 km long . It is the fifth larger island of the Mediterranean after Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and Cyprus. . Crete counts approximately 600 000 inhabitants and 35 000 000 olive threes. The island as very soft mediterrannean climate and as developped a varied ecosystm .There is moreover a great diversity of delicious food specialities : Pastisio, moussaka, crete salad, fresh cheese with honey, RAKI ... Crete don't have yet the fever of construction that we can regret on the islands of Mykonos or Santorin.
But this island one of the nest of Western civilizations and saw the Minoan people two milleniums before J Christ.

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Mythology

The island of Crete was the theatre of numerous Greek mythology episodes : It was the birthplace of Zeus , and his mother hide the god here to protect him from the voracity of his father (Cronos). The god returned there to meet Europe whose offspring was Minos, legendary king of the island. His wife Pasiphae falled in love with a bull and then infant the Minotaure. King Minos made it lock up in a labyrinth built by Dédale. Thesee was the son of Egea, King of Athen, and , following diplomatic agreements with Minoeens, he had to give his son and others young compatriots to the bovine monster. But thesee seduced ariane, daughterl of Minos, who gave him the secret of the labyrinth. She helped her lover to kill the minautore and fled with him to Athen.

History

Crete was populated of the 7000 before JC. From 2600 to 2100 the minoéens develops a great civilization, which trades with Egypte and leads to the construction of the first palaces of Knossos, Phaeistos and Gournia. They were be destroyed by an earthquake then rebuilt with even more splendour. But in 1900BC the island of of Santorin exploded. The following tidal wavesweaken the minoeen people .Then Mycenian soldiers invaded the island and the fate of Crete then will be related to continental Greece. It became Roman (Towns of lato, Gortis) then Byzantine. During the middle age the island suffered from Muslim attacksand was conquered, by the Venetian and the Othomans. In 1898 following a strong philhellenic wave in Western Europe, the country was attached to Greece. In 1922 Muslims populations were expelled of Crete . In 1941 it was the scene of a terrible battle between German and allies.