Place · city

Heraklion

Also known as Chandax, Candia, Iraklio, Herakleion, Iraklion

Heraklion is the largest city and capital of Crete. It was founded in the 820s as Chandax, the fortified capital of the Andalusi Arab emirate that ruled the island until the Byzantine general Nikephoros Phokas took it in 961. Under Venice it was called Candia and withstood an Ottoman siege from 1648 to 1669, one of the longest in history. The Minoan palace of Knossos lies nearby.

Heraklion
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Mentioned in 2 profiles

KnossosFoundation, SocioeconomyRepublic of VeniceMilitary

Mentioned in 4 state histories

Palace State of KnossosEmirate of CreteVenetian CreteRepublic of Saint Titus

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Heraklion. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/heraklion
MLA
“Heraklion.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/heraklion. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Heraklion.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/heraklion.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Heraklion’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/heraklion (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻