Travel Adventure: King Minos’s Palace on the Island of Crete
Posted on 27. Dec, 2011 by Apollo in Arts, Travel
Located roughly twenty minutes south of the city of Iraklio (Herakleion) on the island of Crete sits the Bronze Age ruins of Knossos, believed to be the ancient capital of Minoan Crete.
The site was rediscovered in the 19th century and what makes it unusual is the reconstruction that was done by British archeologist Arthur Evans. Although modern scholars may disagree with what he did, it does provide travelers with the opportunity to walk through the rooms, see the artwork and decor and experience what it may have been like to visit this fascinating city thousands of years ago.
The exuberant art work of the Minoans is amply on display at the site, with beautiful red architectural columns, dolphin murals and elegant design motifs decorating the palace.
Knossos is an easy day trip from Iraklio - there is a public transit bus running frequently between Iraklio and Knossos and there are also many guided tours as well as private transportation available from the many tourist agencies in Iraklio. A guided tour is recommended to get a full understanding of the site and background on Minoan civilization.
Photography licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Cindy Morris
09. Jan, 2010
I thought Knossos was nice but a little touristy. I liked exploring the southern coast of the island, especially I enjoyed staying in Loutro.
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18. Mar, 2010
i did spend a weekend at loutro too… totally agree that is a wonderful place