City Photos News Greece/Iraklion

Marina, not far from Iraklion

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:16:53 +0000

In Iraklion Golf, west of Iraklion, just off the seaside highway. Coast guard / port authority office is located here..
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

Marina

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:11:10 +0000

Marina.
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

Iraklion Gulf

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:11:04 +0000

Iraklion Gulf.
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

Lantern by the end of the pier

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:48:47 +0000

Lantern by the end of the pier.
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

Beach, Bay of Ligaria

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:24:21 +0000

Bay of Ligaria is sheltered by rocks and it is uncrowded. About 20 km west from Iraklion (Heraklion). .
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

A beach and a marina near Iraklion

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:24:16 +0000

A beach and a marina near Iraklion.
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

View to Iraklion from the seaside highway

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:17:32 +0000

View to Iraklion from the seaside highway.
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

Ruins of the Palace of Knossos

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:17:25 +0000

The Palace of Knossos is the oldest settlement yet found which belonged to the Minoan civilization and was excavated in the early 20th century. It is the place where the fabled minotaur of Ancient Greek myth is said to have lived, in a labyrinth in the gardens of King Minos. The Knossos archaeological site covers 20,000 square metres and consists of several constituent parts - the Palace of Knossos, the Minoan houses, the "Little Palace", the "Royal Villa", the villa "Dionysos" with its famous Roman mosaics, the south Royal Temple and Tomb and the "Caravanserai". Only the Palace and the Minoan houses are open to the public. Knossos was an enormous palace - perhaps the 1500 rooms, spread over five stories, were responsible for the myths of the Knossos labyrinth - although the living quarters themselves were fairly small. The central court was the focus of the building, while the west wing was largely used for cult purposes. The throne room, off the central court, was probably a later addition. What has survived particularly well are the massive storage areas, where vast jars (pithoi) were used to store olive oil. This implies that Knossos served as a warehouse for the commodities it traded with other peoples of the Aegean. The walls and floors were often painted and red was the primary colour. Simple geometric designs were used until around 1700BC, when frescoes of sport, temple practices and marine life began to decorate the palace walls. Some precious examples remain in situ and also in the Archaeological Museum. The site is about 5 km south from Iraklion. Cost: 6 euro per adult. Variety of paid parking providers offer parking and food nearby..
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

Ruins of the Palace of Knossos

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:01:42 +0000

Busloads os tourists at Knossos Palace

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:55:19 +0000

The Palace of Knossos is the oldest settlement yet found which belonged to the Minoan civilization and was excavated in the early 20th century. It is the place where the fabled minotaur of Ancient Greek myth is said to have lived, in a labyrinth in the gardens of King Minos. The Knossos archaeological site covers 20,000 square metres and consists of several constituent parts - the Palace of Knossos, the Minoan houses, the "Little Palace", the "Royal Villa", the villa "Dionysos" with its famous Roman mosaics, the south Royal Temple and Tomb and the "Caravanserai". Only the Palace and the Minoan houses are open to the public. Knossos was an enormous palace - perhaps the 1500 rooms, spread over five stories, were responsible for the myths of the Knossos labyrinth - although the living quarters themselves were fairly small. The central court was the focus of the building, while the west wing was largely used for cult purposes. The throne room, off the central court, was probably a later addition. What has survived particularly well are the massive storage areas, where vast jars (pithoi) were used to store olive oil. This implies that Knossos served as a warehouse for the commodities it traded with other peoples of the Aegean. The walls and floors were often painted and red was the primary colour. Simple geometric designs were used until around 1700BC, when frescoes of sport, temple practices and marine life began to decorate the palace walls. Some precious examples remain in situ and also in the Archaeological Museum. Cost: eur 6; children free Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-6pm; Sun 8.30am-3pm No dogs are allowed. You cannot go in dressed in a bathing suit. Have a T-shirt and shorts with you..
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

Tourists at the Knossos Palace

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:55:11 +0000

The Palace of Knossos is the oldest settlement yet found which belonged to the Minoan civilization and was excavated in the early 20th century. It is the place where the fabled minotaur of Ancient Greek myth is said to have lived, in a labyrinth in the gardens of King Minos. The Knossos archaeological site covers 20,000 square metres and consists of several constituent parts - the Palace of Knossos, the Minoan houses, the "Little Palace", the "Royal Villa", the villa "Dionysos" with its famous Roman mosaics, the south Royal Temple and Tomb and the "Caravanserai". Only the Palace and the Minoan houses are open to the public. Knossos was an enormous palace - perhaps the 1500 rooms, spread over five stories, were responsible for the myths of the Knossos labyrinth - although the living quarters themselves were fairly small. The central court was the focus of the building, while the west wing was largely used for cult purposes. The throne room, off the central court, was probably a later addition. What has survived particularly well are the massive storage areas, where vast jars (pithoi) were used to store olive oil. This implies that Knossos served as a warehouse for the commodities it traded with other peoples of the Aegean. The walls and floors were often painted and red was the primary colour. Simple geometric designs were used until around 1700BC, when frescoes of sport, temple practices and marine life began to decorate the palace walls. Some precious examples remain in situ and also in the Archaeological Museum. Cost: eur 6; children free Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-6pm; Sun 8.30am-3pm No dogs are allowed and you cannot go in in a bathing suit..
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

Water and drainage conduits

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:31:34 +0000

The water supply and drainage systems of Knossos were most interesting. An aqueduct supplied water through tubular conduits from the Kounavoi and Archanes regions and branched out into the city and the palace. Pressure conduits were used within the palace for water distribution. The drainage systems consisted of two separate systems, one to collect the sewage and the other to collect rainwater..
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

Central Court of the Palace of Knossos

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:24:39 +0000

The great square, paved Central Court is one of the basic features of Minoan palatial architecture. The Central Court measures approximately 25 x 50 metres roughly. It provided the palace with light and air. It is believed that various rituals and feasts were held in the Central Court, as both the North and the South Entrance lead there. Most of the paving is lost because the Venetians used a lot of building material from Knossos for the fortifications of Khandax (Heraklion). .
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

Stairway at Knossos Palace

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:35:05 +0000

The Royal Apartments were built into the hillside and are therefore preserved to a reasonable height. The east side of the Palace was five storeys high, while the west side, from which we enter Knossos, was three storeys high..
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.

The copy of the Bull-Leaping Fresco

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:23:49 +0000

The copy of the Bull-Leaping Fresco. The original was found in the East Wing of the palace. Frescoes decorated the walls. As the remains were only fragments, fresco reconstruction and placement by the artist Piet de Jong is not without controversy. These sophisticated, colorful paintings portray a society which, in comparison to the roughly contemporaneous art of Middle and New Kingdom Egypt, was either conspicuously non-militaristic or did not choose to portray military themes anywhere in their art. (See Minoan civilisation) One remarkable feature of their art is the colour-coding of the sexes: the men are depicted with ruddy skin, the women as milky white. Almost all their pictures are of young or ageless adults, with few children or elders depicted. In addition to scenes of men and women linked to activities such as fishing and flower gathering, the murals also portray athletic feats. The most notable of these is bull-leaping, in which an athlete grasps the bull's horns and vaults over the animal's back. The question remains as to whether this activity was a religious ritual, possibly a sacrificial activity, or a sport, perhaps a form of bullfighting. Many people have questioned if this activity is even possible; the fresco might represent a mythological dance with the Great Bull. The most famous example is the Toreador Fresco, painted around 1550-1450 BC, in which a young man, flanked by two women, apparently leaps onto and over a charging bull's back. It is now located in the Archaeological Museum of Herakleion in Crete..
Iraklion, Greece, photo by Inga.