Καλώς ήρθατε στο Ενδοχώρα Ηρακλείου   Click to listen highlighted text! Καλώς ήρθατε στο Ενδοχώρα Ηρακλείου Powered By GSpeech
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BYZANTINE CASTLE OF TEMENOS

The Byzantine fortification of the Mosque lies on the two peaks Hill 'Rocket' at an altitude of 504m. next to the hamlet of Profitis Ilias (which is the seat of the former municipality of Temenos).

The castle is not visible from the coast, but only a small portion of the Summit (Acropolis), while from the Shrine is observed easily the entire North Beach of Heraklion.

Its fortified positions facing the Melisa NW and Malebyzi NE. To the South of the Castle at a distance of 2 km. stand the ruins of the Tower who saw to the hinterland of the plain and Monofatsi. The Shrine is a castle with a fortified acropolis, enclosure, outwork, towers, buildings, churches, water tanks and protected sources. The fortress encloses an area of 500 acres. The fortified precinct has been built on the steep slopes of the Hill. The neck between the two peaks called "pPano Kasteli". "Palace" is called the Acropolis.

The fortified precinct enhance intermittently towers variety of dimensions and shape, depending on the needs of the fortification and the nature of the soil. The towers we encounter are of various kinds. Semi cylindrical to almost cylindrical towers is the most common case and their encounter on rocky upstands of the flaps ,built to take advantage of the last centimeter of stable soil.

The fortified acropolis is located on the West and the highest Hill the 'Rocket (Roka)' (title attributed to years of Venetian rule). The Acropolis was surrounded by double fortified precinct which incorporates towers elliptical and cylindrical. In Eastern pleyratis Citadel which is protected by a wall width of 1.60 m. triangular Tower. The top is isolated and confined so literally it is a fortress within a fortress. Walls surround an extensive area where it dominates the Citadel. Here, large circular towers protect the Citadel.

Two cisterns (tankers) are preserved on the West side of the Fort, at least two on the north side and five in the wider Eastern area of the fortress. One tower ladder down protected alongside the rocks from the western edge to the great resource that currently flows in western foothills of Rokas small Fountana.

This ladder was prostasteymeni with oval angle Tower, and result in complex system tunnels and tanks which are either surface or underground contain large amounts of water.

A particularly interesting case is the cylindrical tower which is located on the Northwest corner of the fortifications on the Acropolis, about 16 meters below the top. It is a complicated construction which although outwardly resembles a simple fortified Tower, in fact envelops a complex construction that aimed to collect and maintain large amounts of water.

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