For some tourists visiting Crete, the name Malia is associated primarily with the most entertaining village on the northern coast of the island, to which every year the young English go to "play" all over. Meanwhile, just after the neighborhood of 3 kilometers from the center of this village there are ruins of the third largest Minoan palace. The Palace in Malia is located less than 40 km east of the capital of the island - Heraklion , among other tourist mecks: Stalida and Sisi.
Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt, English vice admiral, hydrographer and geologist in the mid-nineteenth century, went on a vast journey around Crete, during which he began to conduct research in the field of geology, archeology, physical geography and the natural history of the island. The results of his work were published in 1865 in the two-volume edition of the book Travels and researches in Crete . Spratt noted in it that in the place called by locals as Sivadhi Hellenico there are traces of the ancient city: foundations, walls and a huge platform lined with limestone slabs. Initially, these remains were hidden a few meters below the red soil that covered the remains of ancient buildings. Accidental discovery of ancient remains was made by a shepherd who found thin fragments of gold in the surface layers of the earth. The rest were made by the inhabitants of the nearby village of Malia , who, judging by the fact that there are hidden treasures, began to dig. Unfortunately, their dedication has not been rewarded. They only found thin gold plates and scales, which were probably part of the statue of the local goddess.
It seems that Thomas Spratt had a happy hand, because thanks to him, the world heard not only about the ruins of the palace in Malia. Heinrich Schliemann, the discoverer of ancient Troy, used the map drawn by him. This additional markings drawn by Spratta's hand led Schliemann to the right place in which he found this mythical city.
In 1915, shortly after the completion of mining ruins in Tylissos, on the hill called Azymo arrives explorer local ruins, Greek archaeologist and one of the founders of the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, Joseph Chatzidakis. The excavation works here and in a short time it finds the southern part of the west wing of the palace, as well as graves by the sea. Excavations, however, quickly withhold.
Work on the discovery of the Palace in Malia is resumed in 1922 by the French School of Archeology from Athens and continues with only small interruptions to this day.
As with many discoveries, the original name of this place remains a mystery, while the one used by the contemporaries has been borrowed from the nearby town of Malia.
The first Palace was built around 1900 BC in the place where there was a quite impressive settlement, whose remains were later transformed into the central part of the city. Very little is known about this palace, although some fragments of the floors and its walls have been preserved and encountered during works carried out in the younger buildings. This palace survived until 1700 BC when it was destroyed, and in its place the Second Palace was built, in many respects similar to the first one. It is its ruins that you can admire today, its end was laid in 1450 BC, when all the Minoan centers in Crete were destroyed.
At the time of its magnificence, the palace covered an area of 7,500 sq m and according to myths its ruler was Sarpedon, the brother of Minos ruler of Knossos . A characteristic feature of the palace was a central, large courtyard surrounded by theater, sanctuaries, royal rooms, workshops and, of course, warehouses, fragments of which can be seen. The great pitchers formerly used for storage will also impress the visitors. The ones in this palace are really impressive.
After entering the excavation area, the roofs attracted by the archaeologists covered some of the most important ruins, thus protecting them from the sun and rain. Visiting the palace is best started from a small museum, which is located atentering the archaeological site. In addition to photos and small finds, the most interesting is the model recreating the image of the palace from the time of its greatest splendor. Unfortunately, you will not find here the most valuable items found in the palace, such as the golden pendant with bees, because they are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion , and few of them in Agios Nikolaos .
Near the entrance there are rows of round stone structures called kouloures . Formerly covered, they served as granaries in which grain was stored. The large central palace courtyard was 48 x 23 meters high and was surrounded by storage rooms and roofed colonnades. In the middle there was an altar to offer animal sacrifices and other ritual activities.
In the two-storey western wing of the palace, which was the largest and most important part, the kernos were discovered. It is a round stone object with a diameter of 90 cm with a hollow large hollow in the middle and another 34 small ones arranged around it. Probably this vessel was used for ritual purposes, to ensure good harvest - in small hollows fruit and seeds were placed from the first harvest, the large central was filled with some liquid.
Excavations are located about 3km east of the center of Malia . Following the Nowa Droga Narodowa towards this village, you have to take the Old National Road. The most convenient convention will be the one located more or less at the height of Stalida . Leaving behind the entertainment part of Malia, one must look for clear turn signals indicating a side road leading directly to the palace.
The car can be left on a fairly large car park in front of the entrance. The admission ticket costs 6 €.
Excavations are open in the summer months (June-October) from Tuesday to Sunday from 8-15. In the winter months you can enter between 8.30 and 15.
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Information about one of the more known tourist cities of Crete, or about Malia. Description of attractions located in the city of Malia and a description of the specificity of this town.
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