Dikti or Dicte ( el, Δίκτη) (also Lasithiotika Ori; el, Λασιθιώτικα Όρη "Lasithian Mountains"; anciently, Aigaion oros ( grc, Αἰγαῖον ὄρος) or la, Aegaeum mons) is a mountain range on the east of the island of
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, ...
in the regional unit of
Lasithi. On the west it extends to the regional unit of Heraklion.
According to some versions of
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...
,
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek relig ...
was reared on this mountain in a cave called Dictaeon Antron (
Psychro Cave).
On the north of the main massif, the
Lasithi Plateau
The Lasithi Plateau ( el, Οροπέδιο Λασιθίου, ''Oropedio Lasithiou''), sometimes spelt Lassithi Plateau, is a high endorheic plateau, located in the Lasithi regional unit in eastern Crete, Greece. Since the 1997 Kapodistrias ref ...
is located. The topology of the mountain range is rich with plateaus (Lasithi,
Katharo, Omalos Viannou,
Limnakaro), valleys and secondary peaks. Some important peaks are Spathi 2148m (the highest point), Afentis Christos/Psari Madara 2141m, Lazaros 2085m, Madara 1783m, Skafidaras 1673m, Katharo Tsivi 1665m, Sarakino 1588m, Afentis 1571m, Selena 1559m, Varsami 1545m, Toumpa Moutsounas 1538m, Platia Korfi 1489m, Mahairas 1487m, Virgiomeno Oros 1414m, . The main massif forms a horseshoe around the valley of
Selakano. Large parts of the mountain area, including the Selakano valley, are forested with pines (''
Pinus brutia
''Pinus brutia'', commonly known as the Turkish pine, is a species of pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey.
Turkish pine is also known by several other common names: Calabrian pine (from a naturali ...
''), Kermes oaks (''
Quercus coccifera
''Quercus coccifera'', the kermes oak, is an oak bush in the '' Ilex'' section of the genus. It is native to the Mediterranean region and Northern African Maghreb, south to north from Morocco to France and west to east from Portugal to ...
''), cypresses (''
Cupressus sempervirens
''Cupressus sempervirens'', the Mediterranean cypress (also known as Italian cypress, Tuscan cypress, Persian cypress, or pencil pine), is a species of cypress native to the eastern Mediterranean region, in northeast Libya, southern Albania, so ...
''), Holm Oaks (''
Quercus ilex
''Quercus ilex'', the evergreen oak, holly oak or holm oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the '' Ilex'' section of the genus, with acorns that mature in a single summer.
Description
An evergre ...
'') and Cretan Maples (''
Acer sempervirens'').
The fertile valleys and plateaus of Dikti/Dicte are of significant importance in the local economy.
The dominant feature of Dikti is the Lasithi Plateau, the largest plateau in Crete. It is a place with a long history. Diktaion Antron, is located here, a cave in which — according to one legend — Zeus was born.
Gallery
File:Snow Covered Dikti Summit Spathi.jpg, Spathi summit
File:Lasithi-55.jpg, View of gorge in Dikti
File:Lasithi-60.jpg, View of gorge in Dikti
File:Lasithi-61.jpg, View of Lasithi plateau
File:Katharo plateau 10.jpg, Landscape in Katharo plateau
File:Katharo plateau 12.jpg, Landscape in Katharo plateau
File:Katharo plateau 14.jpg, Road in Katharo
File:Katharo plateau 15.jpg, Road in Katharo
File:Katharo plateau 16.jpg, View of Katharo plateau
File:Katharo plateau 18.jpg, Landscape in Katharo plateau
File:Katharo plateau 2.jpg, View of Katharo
File:Katharo plateau 3.jpg, View of Katharo
File:Katharo plateau 4.jpg, Landscape in Katharo plateau
File:Katharo plateau 7.jpg, Tree in Katharo plateau
File:Lisitsa-24.jpg, A flock of sheep in Dikti
File:Iris cretensis.jpg, ''Iris cretensis
Iris most often refers to:
*Iris (anatomy), part of the eye
*Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess
* ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants
*Iris (color), an ambiguous color term
Iris or IRIS may also refer to:
Arts and media
Fictional enti ...
''
File:Ophrys episcopalis2.jpg, '' Ophrys episcopalis''
File:Papilio machaon σε anchusa azurea.jpg, '' Papilio machaon'' on '' Anchusa azurea''
See also
*
Britomartis
*
Diktynna
*
Dittany
References
External links
Greek Mountain Flora
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of Greece
Landforms of Lasithi
Locations in Greek mythology
Geography of ancient Crete
Mountains of Crete