Crete – The Great Palace of Knossos
Renowned as the world’s richest and largest Minoan Site Knossos, the ancient Minoan capital city of Crete, Knossos was first inhabited during the Neolithic period and developed into a political and commercial hub right after the powerful King Minos built his palace in the 1900s BC. Even though the first palace was demolished in the 1700s, the powerful Minoans soon rebuilt the city and restored their power. The city of Knossos and its marvellous ancient ruins were discovered in 1978. Ever since Knossos was discovered it has been a major tourist attraction.
Discover the 10 highlights of Knossos:
Knossos Palace was built between 2000-1350 BC surrounding a courtyard. The grounds include four main sections, which include the Throne Room, the Royal Apartments, the chapels as well as the workshops and administration rooms.
The Throne Room is home to a stone-carved throne. The imposing throne is said to have been created in the image of an important priestess and is guarded by a griffin fresco. The room was used as a place of worship.
The Royal Apartments include the Hall of the Double Axes which served as the King’s Chamber (Megaron). Visitors also marvel at the Queen’s Chamber which is elaborately decorated with a dolphin fresco.
The Hall of the Royal Guard is joined to the Royal Apartments and is where the guardsmen lived and worked. The entire hall is filled with frescoes of shields.
The Workshops were used for crafts and food preparation. Archaeologists uncovered numerous ancient jars (pithoi). The jars were used to store diverse materials and ingredients.
The three-metre long Horn of Consecration depicts the horns of a bull. Bulls were considered as sacred animals during the Minoan times.
The Prince of Lilies fresco is a reproduction of the original elaborately-coloured fresco of the Priest-King. The Priest-King is depicted wearing a crown made of lilies.
The Private Houses include diverse dwellings. Amongst the most well-preserved ruins is the Royal Villa, which is believed was where the priest lived. Another interesting dwelling is the Villa of Dionysus where the Greek god was worshipped.
The Royal Road is believed to be the most ancient paved road across Europe! Along the road you will also notice the Little Palace and a theatre.
The Corridor of the Procession serves as the main entrance to Knossos. It is decorated with a replica of the original Procession filled with more than 500 figures.
History was made in Crete where the Minoans thrived for hundreds of years. Don’t miss out on the once in a lifetime experience of exploring the great Minoan treasures!