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Kallikratis
Kallikratis ( el, Καλλικράτης) is a small village belonging to the municipality of Sfakia, in southwest Crete, Greece. According to tradition, it was named after the admiral (droungarios) Manoussos Kallikratis, who in March 1453 led a campaign to reinforce the defense of Constantinople with 5 ships and 1500 Cretan volunteers. As reported by George Sphrantzes, Sphrantzes in his ''Chronicle'', these volunteers manned three towers on the walls of Constantinople and continued to fight bravely even after the city had Fall of Constantinople, fallen. In recognition of their gallantry, sultan Mehmed II, Mehmed allowed them to safely sail back to Crete, retaining their weapons. Geography Kallikratis is situated off the beaten tourist path and is made up of four widely separated neighborhoods that are scattered on a small plateau in Lefka Ori with an average altitude of 540m. It can be reached via Myriokefala, Asi Gonia or Asfendos, or via a recently paved road with more than ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kallikratis Church Bell Tower
Kallikratis ( el, Καλλικράτης) is a small village belonging to the municipality of Sfakia, in southwest Crete, Greece. According to tradition, it was named after the admiral (droungarios) Manoussos Kallikratis, who in March 1453 led a campaign to reinforce the defense of Constantinople with 5 ships and 1500 Cretan volunteers. As reported by George Sphrantzes, Sphrantzes in his ''Chronicle'', these volunteers manned three towers on the walls of Constantinople and continued to fight bravely even after the city had Fall of Constantinople, fallen. In recognition of their gallantry, sultan Mehmed II, Mehmed allowed them to safely sail back to Crete, retaining their weapons. Geography Kallikratis is situated off the beaten tourist path and is made up of four widely separated neighborhoods that are scattered on a small plateau in Lefka Ori with an average altitude of 540m. It can be reached via Myriokefala, Asi Gonia or Asfendos, or via a recently paved road with more than ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Crete rests about south of the Greek mainland, and about southwest of Anatolia. Crete has an area of and a coastline of 1,046 km (650 mi). It bounds the southern border of the Aegean Sea, with the Sea of Crete (or North Cretan Sea) to the north and the Libyan Sea (or South Cretan Sea) to the south. Crete and a number of islands and islets that surround it constitute the Region of Crete ( el, Περιφέρεια Κρήτης, links=no), which is the southernmost of the 13 top-level administrative units of Greece, and the fifth most populous of Greece's regions. Its capital and largest city is Heraklion, on the north shore of the island. , the region had a population of 636,504. The Dodecanese are located to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sfakia
Sfakiá ( el, Σφακιά) is a mountainous area in the southwestern part of the island of Crete, in the Chania regional unit. It is considered to be one of the few places in Greece that have never been fully occupied by foreign powers. With a 2011 census population of 1,889 inhabitants living on a land area of , Sfakia is one of the largest and least densely populated municipalities on the island of Crete. The etymology of its name is disputed. According to the prevailing theory, it relates to its rugged terrain, deriving from the ancient Greek word ''σφαξ'', meaning land chasm or gorge. Description The road from Chania to Sfakiá crosses the island from north to south, through the village of Vryses. From this village the route crosses the White Mountains ( Lefká Óri) to Hóra Sfakíon () by the Libyan Sea. Halfway from Vrisses to Hóra Sfakíon is the fertile plateau of Askifou, surrounded by high mountain peaks. From here to Hóra Sfakíon the road is particularly s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asi Gonia
Asi Gonia ( el, Ασή Γωνιά) is a mountainous village and a former community in the eastern part of the Chania regional unit in Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of . Asi Gonia is situated east of the Lefka Ori mountain range, 20 km southwest of Rethymno. The communal office is situated in the heart of the community. In the village square there are two statues dedicated to the two Greek prime ministers Eleftherios Venizelos and Sofoklis Venizelos. Historical population Famous natives * George Psychoundakis, resistance fighter and author of '' the Cretan Runner'' * Pavlos Gyparis, infantry Colonel of the Greek army *Andreas Papadakis, infantry Colonel of the Greek army and leader of AEAK *Stylianos Petrakis Stylianos Petrakis ( gr, Στυλιανός Πετράκης) is a Greek naval officer. He serves as Chief of the Hellenic Navy Gene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lefka Ori
Lefka Ori ( el, Λευκά Όρη, meaning 'White Mountains') or Madares ( from the Cretan Greek meaning 'without coverage, bald, bare of any vegetation for high mountain areas') is a mountain range located in Western Crete, in the Chania prefecture. The White Mountains or Lefka Ori occupy a large part of the centre of West Crete and are the main feature of the region. They consist mainly of limestone, from light grey to bluish or black color. The White Mountains have taken their name from the perpetual white or off-white color of their peaks as the off white of limestone during the summer and fall interchanges with the snow that covers the peaks until late in spring. The highest summit is Pachnes at and there are over 30 summits that are over high. The Lefka Ori also have about 50 gorges, the most famous being the Samaria Gorge. Another characteristic of the mountain range is that there are a number of plateaus that exist at heights of , such at those of Askifou, Impros, Kallik ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sfakians
The Sfakians (or Sphakians or Sfakiots; el, Σφακιανοί) are the inhabitants of the region of Sfakia located in western Crete. The Sfakians hold themselves to be the direct descendants of the Dorians who came down to Crete around 1100 BC. The inhabitants of Sfakia have faced numerous foreign invaders, to which fact they owe their reputation as courageous warriors that they have had for centuries as cousins of the Maniots and Souliots. Sfakians and Saracens When the Saracen Arabs invaded Crete in 824 AD, many regions of the island, Sphakia included, escaped effective Arab rule. One reason frequently offered is geography: Sphakians, secure in their mountain fastness, could mount a formidable deep defence from high ground gradually retreating upward while imposing relatively high casualties on invaders from the lowlands. In refusing to submit to the Arabs, the Sfakians established a form of self-government known as the ''Gerousia'' ("Council of Elders"); this had its ant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libyan Sea
The Libyan Sea ( Greek , Latin ''Libycum Mare'', Arabic البحر الليبي) is the portion of the Mediterranean Sea north of the African coast of ancient ''Libya'', i.e. Cyrenaica, and Marmarica (the coast of what is now eastern Libya and western Egypt, between Tobruk and Alexandria). This designation was used by ancient geographers describing the southern Mediterranean, but the term is also used by modern travel writers and cartographers. The southern coastline of Crete which borders the Libyan Sea includes the Asterousia Mountains and Mesara Plain; this area is the locus of considerable ancient Bronze Age settlement including the sites of Kommos, Hagia Triada and Phaistos. Not counting Crete, other islands in the Libyan Sea are Gavdos, Gavdopoula, Koufonisi, and Chrysi. To the east is the Levantine Sea, to the north the Ionian Sea, and to the west the Strait of Sicily. See also * Asterousia Mountains *Gulf of Sidra The Gulf of Sidra ( ar, خليج ال ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myriokefala
Myriokefala is a local community of the Rethymno Municipality in the Rethymno (regional unit) of the region of Crete established by Kallikratis reform. Previously, it was part of municipality of Lappa. Capital of the new municipality is Rethymno. Geography, origin of name, history It is located 33 kilometers southwest of Rethymno, on the northwestern outskirts of the Kryoneritis mountain (height 1228 m) in an altitude of 500 meters with great view to the valley of Asi Gonia. Its name is due to the myriad (many) heads, i.e. hills, on which the village was built. Myriokefala is being occupied since the Venetian period. ;Population of Myriokefala Attractions: Monuments, Temples, important buildings The Monastery of the Virgin, which dates back to the 10th century. Transportation There is bus service ( KTEL) from/to Rethymno serving Myriokefala [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hairpin Turn
A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal hairpin. Such turns in ramps and trails may be called switchbacks in American English, by analogy with switchback railways. Description Hairpin turns are often built when a route climbs up or down a steep slope, so that it can travel mostly across the slope with only moderate steepness, and are often arrayed in a zigzag pattern. Highways with repeating hairpin turns allow easier, safer ascents and descents of mountainous terrain than a direct, steep climb and descent, at the price of greater distances of travel and usually lower speed limits, due to the sharpness of the turn. Highways of this style are also generally less costly to build and maintain than highways with tunnels. On occasion, the road may loop completely, using a tunnel o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Sea of Crete and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin, featuring thousands of islands. The country consists of nine traditional geographic regions, and has a population of approximately 10.4 million. Athens is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki and Patras. Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilization, being the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, Western literature, historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mehmed II
Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Sultan Mehmed, links=no), was an Ottoman sultan who ruled from August 1444 to September 1446, and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, he defeated the crusade led by John Hunyadi after the Hungarian incursions into his country broke the conditions of the truce Peace of Szeged. When Mehmed II ascended the throne again in 1451, he strengthened the Ottoman navy and made preparations to attack Constantinople. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire. After the conquest Mehmed claimed the title Caesar of the Roman Empire ( ota, قیصر روم, Qayser-i Rûm, links=no), based on the fact that Constantinople had been the seat and capital ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Walking Route E4
The E4 European long distance path or E4 path is one of the European long-distance paths. Starting at Tarifa Andalusia, located at the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula, across the Strait of Gibraltar facing Morocco, it continues through Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece to end in Cyprus. It also visits the Greek island of Crete. It is more than long, but the route through Romania and part of Bulgaria is not yet completely defined. An alternative route through Serbia, instead of Romania, has been defined. Spain (2267 km) * Andalucia, Murcia and Valencia: From Tarifa, the southernmost point of continental Europe, the E4 follows the GR 7 through Ronda, Alhama de Granada, Moratalla, Alcoi, Elda, Morella. * Catalonia: GR 7 to Bellprat, then GR 172 to Montserrat and finally GR 4 into the Pyrenees. The E4 crosses the border to France east of Andorra. Last city in Spain is Puigcerda. France * Occitania: First cit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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