Greece - Korina Miller [367]
In AD 961, however, the great Byzantine general and ill-fated emperor Nikiforas Fokas (AD 912–69) won the island back in the so-called ‘expedition to Crete’. Fokas led approximately 300 ships and 50,000 men, taking the island following a nine-month siege of Iraklio (then called El Khandak by the Arabs). Crete flourished under Byzantine rule, but with the infamous Fourth Crusade of 1204 – when the Christian countries of the Latin West targeted Byzantium, instead of the Arabs – the maritime power of Venice received Crete as part of its ‘payment’ for supplying the Crusaders’ fleet.
The Venetian period lasted until 1669, when Iraklio (then called Candia) became the last domino to fall after a 21-year Ottoman siege. Much of Crete’s most impressive surviving architecture dates from this period, which also marked modern Crete’s cultural peak (boxed text). Turkish rule brought new administrative organisation, Islamic culture and Muslim settlers. Cretan resistance was strongest in the mountain strongholds, such as rugged Skafia in the southwest; here in 1770 the dashing Ioannis Daskalogiannis led the first notable rebellion. This and subsequent revolts were put down brutally, and it was only with the Ottoman Empire’s disintegration in the late 19th century that Europe’s great powers expedited Crete’s sovereign aspirations.
Thus in 1898, with Russian and French consent, Crete became a British protectorate. However, the banner under which future Greek prime minister Eleftherios Venizelos and other Cretan rebels were fighting was Enosis i Thanatos (Unity or Death) – unity with Greece, not mere independence from Turkey. Yet it would take the Greek army’s stunning successes in the Balkan Wars (1912–13) to turn Crete’s de facto inclusion in the country into reality, with the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest.
Crete suffered tremendously during WWII. Hitler wanted the strategically placed island as an air base, and on 20 May 1941 German parachutists started dropping in. Cretans put up resistance but were soon overwhelmed. The Battle of Crete, as it would become known, raged for 10 days between German and Allied troops from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Greece. For two whole days the battle hung in the balance until the Germans captured Maleme airfield, near Hania. The Allied forces fought a valiant rearguard action, however, enabling the British Navy to evacuate 18,000 of the 32,000 Allied troops. The harsh German occupation lasted throughout WWII, with many mountain villages bombed or burnt down and their occupants executed en masse. Nevertheless, the Cretans (with foreign assistance) waged a significant resistance campaign that continually vexed and distracted their German military rulers.
Getting There & Away
Crete is well connected by air and boat to the mainland and, remarkably, international direct flights to Crete are sometimes cheaper than flying to the island from elsewhere in Greece – even from Greek carriers themselves. Aegean Airlines has direct scheduled flights from Iraklio to Milan, Rome and other European cities, while Olympic serves even more airports abroad.
If coming from a Western European country, it may be possible to score a cheap seat on a charter flight operating for package tourists without actually having to buy the rest of the package (accommodation, food, etc). However, you’ll have to check with a travel agency in such a country to see if it’s feasible.
European budget airlines are also starting to serve Crete in summer months. Iraklio, Sitia, Hania, Rethymno and Kissamos have ferry ports. The first three have airports also; Iraklio’s being the largest. For more comprehensive information, Island Hopping.
Getting Around
A north-coast national highway runs from Kissamos in the west to Agios Nikolaos in the east, with an extension to Sitia planned. Buses link the major northern