Heraklion or
Iraklion (
Greek Ηράκλειον IPA&_160;[iˈɾaklio̞];
Venetian Candia), is the largest city and
capital of
Crete. It is also the fourth largest city in
Greece. Its name is also spelled
Herakleion, a transliteration of the
ancient Greek and
Katharevousa name,
Ἡράκλειον, or
Iraklio, among other variants. For centuries it was known as
Candia, a Venetian adaptation of the earlier Greek name Χάνδαξ (
Chandax, "moat") or Χάνδακας, which in turn came from the
Arabic rabḍ al-ḫandaq. The English form
Candy, derived from French
Candie, meant the city of Candia or all of Crete (as in
Twelfth Night 5.1). Under the
Ottoman Empire, it was called
Kandiye. In the local vernacular, it is often called Κάστρο (
Kástro, "castle") and its inhabitants Καστρινοί (
Kastrinoí, "castle dwellers").
Heraklion is the capital of Heraklion Prefecture, with an international airport named after the writer Nikos Kazantzakis. The ruins of Knossos, which were excavated and restored by Arthur Evans, are nearby.
Heraklion is close to the ruins of the palace of Knossos, which in Minoan times was the largest centre of population on Crete. Though there is no archaeological evidence of it, Knossos may well have had a port at the site of Heraklion as long ago as 2000 BC.
The present city of Heraklion was founded in 824 AD by the Saracens who had been expelled from Al-Andalus by Emir Al-Hakam I and had taken over the island from the Byzantine Empire. They built a moat around the city for protection, and named the city ربض الخندق, rabḍ al-ḫandaq ("Castle of the Moat"). The Saracens allowed the port to be used as a safe haven for pirates who operated against Byzantine shipping and raided Byzantine territory around the Aegean.
