The Isthmus of Ierapetra (Ισθμός της Ιεράπετρας) is a strip of land on the Greek 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, and ...

which connects the easternmost municipality,

Siteia Sitia ( el, Σητεία) is a port town and a municipality in Lasithi, Crete, Greece. The town has 9,912 inhabitants (2011) and the municipality has 18,318 (2011). It lies east of Agios Nikolaos and northeast of Ierapetra. Sitia port is on the ...

, to the rest of the island. Its name comes from the largest settlement,

Ierapetra Ierapetra ( el, Ιεράπετρα, lit=sacred stone; ancient name: ) is a Greece, Greek town and municipality located on the southeast coast of Crete. History The town of Ierapetra (in the local dialect: Γεράπετρο ''Gerapetro'') is loc ...

(Ιεράπετρα), which is situated on the south coast.

Geography

The isthmus is the narrowest part of Crete, with a distance of 12 kilometres from the Gulf of Mirabello in the north to the Libyan Sea in the south. It is flanked by mountain ranges on the east and west. The imposing

Ha Gorge Ha Gorge ( el, Φαράγγι Χά) is a narrow gorge, at the Monasteraki Dakos, on the eastern part of the island of Crete in Greece. It is located in the west slope of Thrypti mountain range, and exits east of Vasiliki village in the plain of ...

(Φαρράγι Χά), located on the Thrypti Mountains, overlooks the isthmus from the eastern side.

Archaeology

A number of archaeological sites are dotted around the isthmus. The bronze age site of Vasiliki(Βασιλική), in the middle of the isthmus, lends its name to an early form of Minoan pottery found primarily on the site. Other Minoan sites in the vicinity are

Gournia Gournia ( el, Γουρνιά) is the site of a Minoan palace complex on the island of Crete, Greece, excavated in the early 20th century by the American archaeologist, Harriet Boyd-Hawes. The original name for the site is unknown. The modern nam ...

Priniatikos Pyrgos Priniatikos Pyrgos is an archaeological site near Istron River, in the eastern Cretan regional unit of Lasithi, (Greece). The nearest big town is Agios Nikolaos, Crete. The site is on a coastal promontory. It appears to have been first settled in ...

and Chalasmenos (Χαλάσμένος). The Neolithic refuge site of Monastiraki Katalimata (Μοναστηράκι Καταλύματα) is located high up on the northern side of the Ha Gorge.

Politics

The isthmus falls within the jurisdiction of Ierapetra Municipality (Δήμος Ιεράπετρας), in the Lassithi regional unit.

Gallery

HaGorgeExit.jpg, The Ha Gorge, located in the Thrypti mountains east of the isthmus Chalasmenos 06.jpg, The ruins of Monasteraki Chalasmenos, situated on a hill at the foot of the Thrypti mountains. In the background are the isthmus, the Dikti Mountains and the Mirabello Gulf

References

External links

Ierapetra, Greece
Landforms of Crete Ierapetra Isthmuses of Europe {{crete-geo-stub