Heraklion

**Heraklion**, spelt **Heraclion** an **Iraklion** ( ) an aw, is the lairgest ceety an the admeenistrative caipital o the island o Crete, Greece. It is the 4t lairgest ceety in Greece.

Heraklion is the caipital o Heraklion regional unit. The ruins o Knossos, which wur excavatit an restored bi Arthur Evans, are nearbi. The Heraklion Internaitional Airport is namit efter Nikos Kazantzakis.

## Name
The Arab raiders frae Andalusie who foondit the Emirate o Crete muivit the island's caipital frae Gortyn tae a new castle thay cried **' 'Castle o the Moat' in the 820s. This wis hellenisit as Χάνδαξ (''Handax'') or Χάνδακας an Laitinisit as ***Candia***, which wis taken intae ither European leids: in [[Italian leid|Italian]] as Candia (uised unner the [[Republic o Venice|Venetian]] rule), in French as ''Candie'', in Inglis as ''Candy'', aw o which coud refer tae aw o Crete as well as tae the ceety itsel; the [[Ottoman Turkis|Ottoman]] name wis ''Kandiye''.

Efter the Byzantine reconquest, the ceety wis locally kent as Megalo Kastro or Castro (the Big Castle in [[Greek leid|Greek]]) an its indwallers wur cried Kastrinoi or Castrini (Castle-dwallers in [[Greek leid|Greek]]).

The auncient name Ηράκλειον wis revivit in the 19t century an comes frae the nearbi [[Auncient Roum|Roman]] port o Heracleum ("[[Heracles]]' ceety"), whose exact location is unkent. Inglis uisage umwhile preferred the classicisin transliterations "Heraklion" or "Heraclion", but the form "Iraklion" is becomin mair common.

==History==

Heraklion is close tae the ruins o the palace o [[Knossos]], which in [[Minoan ceevilization|Minoan]] times wis the lairgest centre o population on [[Crete]]. Tho thare is nae airchaeological evidence o it, Knossos mey well hae haed a port at the steid o Heraklion as lang ago as 2000 BC.

===Foondin===
The present ceety o Heraklion wis foondit in 824 bi the [[Saracen]]s who haed been expelled frae [[Al-Andalus]] bi Emir [[Al-Hakam I]] an haed taken ower the island frae the Eastren Roman Empire. Thay biggit a [[moat]] aroond the ceety for pertection, an namit the ceety  ربض الخندق, **' ("Castle o the Moat"). The Saracens alloued the port tae be uised as a safe haven for pirates who operatit against Imperial shippin an raidit Imperial territory aroond the Aegean.

### Restored Greek Era

In 961, Imperial forces unner the command o Nikephoros Phokas, later tae acome Emperor, laundit in Crete an attackit the ceety. Efter a prolangit siege, the ceety fell. The Saracen indwallers wur slauchtered, the ceety luitit an burned tae the grund. Suin rebuilt, the toun o Chandax remained unner Greek control for the next 243 years.

### Venetian control

In 1204, the ceety wis bocht bi the Republic o Venice as pairt o a complicatit poleetical deal which involvit amang ither things, the Crusaders o the Fowert Crusade restorin the deposed Eastren Roman Emperor Isaac II Angelus tae his throne. The Venetians impruivit on the ditch o the ceety bi biggin enormous fortifications, maist o which are still in place, includin a giant wall, in places up tae 40 m thick, wi 7 bastions, an a fortress in the harbour. Chandax wis renamit *Candia* an became the seat of the Duke o Candia, an the Venetian admeenistrative destrict o Crete became kent as "regno di Candia" (kinrick o Candia). The ceety retained the name o Candia for centuries an the same name wis aften uised tae refer tae the whole island o Crete as well. Tae secur thair rule, Venetians began in 1212 tae settle faimilies frae Venice on Crete. The coexistence o twa different culturs an the stimulus o Italian Renaissance led tae a flourishin o letters an the airts in Candia an Crete in general, that is the day kent as the *[[Cretan Renaissance]]*.

### Ottoman Era

Efter the Venetians came the Ottoman Empire. Durin the Cretan War (1645–1669), the Ottomans besiegit the ceety for 21 years, frae 1648 tae 1669, aiblins the langest siege in history. In its feenal phase, which lastit for 22 month, 70,000 Turks, 38,000 Cretans an slaves an 29,088 o the ceety's Christian defenders perisht. The Ottoman airmy unner an Albanie grand vizier, Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Pasha conquered the ceety in 1669. Unner the Ottomans, the ceety wis kent offeecially as **Kandiye** (again applee'd tae the whole island o Crete) but informally in Greek as *Megalo Castro* (Μεγάλο Κάστρο; "Big Castle"). Durin the Ottoman period, the harbour siltit up, sae maist shippin shiftit tae Chania in the wast o the island.

### Modren era

In 1898, the autonomous Cretan State wis creatit, unner Ottoman suzerainty, wi Prince George o Greece as its Heich Commissioner an unner internaitional superveesion. Durin the period o direct occupation o the island bi the Great Pouers (1898–1908), Candia wis pairt o the Breetish zone. At this time, the ceety wis renamit "Heraklion", efter the Roman port o Heracleum ("Heracles' ceety"), whose exact location is unkent.

In 1913, wi the rest o Crete Heraklion wis incorporatit intae the Kinrick o Greece.

## Municipality

The municipality Heraklion wis formit at the 2011 local govrenment reform bi the merger o the follaein 5 umwhile municipalities, that became municipal units:
*Gorgolainis
*Heraklion
*Nea Alikarnassos
*Paliani
*Temenos

## Transportation

### Port

Heraklion is an important shippin port and ferry dock. Travellers can tak ferries and boats frae Heraklion tae destinations includin Santorini, Ios Island, Paros, Mykonos, and Rhodes. Thare are an aa several daily ferries tae Piraeus, the port of Athens on mainland Greece.

### Airport
Heraklion Internaitional Airport, or Nikos Kazantzakis Airport is locatit aboot 5&nbsp;km east o the ceety. The airport is namit efter Heraklion native Nikos Kazantzakis, a writer an filosopher. It is the seicont busiest airport o Greece, due tae Crete bein a major holiday destination.

The airfield is shared wi the 126 Combat Group o the Hellenic Air Force.

### Heich-gate Netwirk
European route E75 runs throu the ceety an connects Heraklion wi the three ither major ceeties o Crete: Agios Nikolaos, Chania, an Rethymno.

### Public transit
Thare are a nummer o buses servin the ceety an connectin it tae mony major destinations in Crete.

## Climate
Crete haes a wairm Mediterranean climate. Simmers in the lawlands are het an dry wi clear skies. Dry het days are aften relievit bi saisonal breezes. The muntain auries are hintle ceuler, wi considerable rain in the winter. Winters are mild in the lawlands wi rare frost an snaw. Acause Heraklion is further sooth than Athens, it haes a milder climate.

## Colleges, Universities, an Research Centers
*University o Crete
*TEI o Crete
*Foundation for Research & Technology - Hellas

## Cultur

### Museums
*Heraklion Archaeological Museum
*Cretaquarium
*Historical Museum of Crete
*Natural History Museum
*The Battle of Crete and National Resistance Museum
*Nikos Kazantzakis Museum
*Lychnostatis Open Air Museum
*Collection of Agia Aikaterini of Sinai
*Museum of Visual Arts

### Sports
The ceety hosts three fitbaa clubs:
*Ergotelis FC – in Heraklion, plays in the seicont diveesion.
*OFI Crete in Heraklion, plays in the first division.
*Atsalenios – Fitbaa Club o Heraklion which plays in the third diveesion.

### Famous natives

Heraklion haes been the hame toun o some o Greece's maist significant spirits, includin the novelist Nikos Kazantzakis, the poet an Nobel Prize winner Odysseas Elytis an the warld-famous painter Domenicos Theotokopoulos (El Greco).

### Local TV stations
* Channel 4
* Creta Channel
* Kriti TV
* MyTV

## Internaitional relations

### Twin touns — sister ceeties
Heraklion is twinned wi:
* Constanţa, Romanie
* Pernik, Bulgarie

## Location

## References

## Freemit airtins

*Municipality o Heraklion 
*Heraklion information
*Heraklion  Information aboot the ceety o Heraklion bi the TEI of Crete
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*Heraklion The Offeecial wabsteid o the Greek National Tourism Organisation