Καλώς ήρθατε στο Ενδοχώρα Ηρακλείου   Click to listen highlighted text! Καλώς ήρθατε στο Ενδοχώρα Ηρακλείου Powered By GSpeech
Print this page

TOUR IN KASTROPOLITEIA OF TEMENOS

Profitis Ilias Site

The proposed route is a short tour of the ruined Castle of Temenos. The course is uphill, and lasts approximately one hour.

Access to the fortress is difficult to impossible by most sides apart from the north-eastern part where the slope is smooth slope. Due to the nature of the soil type of fortification varies. Elsewhere we find double line walls elsewhere only one.

The visitor is in Profitis Ilias follows the road that passes by the Temple of Prophet Elias in eastern direction towards the Castle. In NE edge of the village, our trail leads after 10 minutes walking on stone stairs of the entrance. From the stairs Ascend and pass the Fort precincts. We find the Church of Agia Paraskevi. In the area of the fortress are 4 at least little churches, all renovated in the 20th century, over older foundations temples.

Traces buildings lie scattered in the Castle, especially in space called Kastelli Uptown by locals. 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 are the most common case and their encounter on the flaps, elevations of rocky cliffs, built in way that take advantage of the last centimeter stable soil.

The fortified acropolis is located on the West and the highest Hill the 'Roca' (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.

There are two cisterns in 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.

The two cisterns are visible on the site now called Saint Anthony. It's changing along vaulted tanks large amount (at least 5 m.) and a width of 4 m. opened Windows and entrance on the South Dock and is now used as a church dedicated to Saint Anthony. Underground, beneath this space within the soil located bulge tymboeides other two spacious large cisterns in parallel series with vaulted ceiling and arched openings communication between them, which still hold water.

Beside (5 South) is a source of inexhaustible which has been formed in 1920 in tank and cross fountain for the needs of the village. It was this source that supplied the water cisterns. One of the two tanks next to the Church of our Lady, on the north side of the Hill, reported by Sanders as a Roman cistern.

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. From the side of the small rustic trail that starts Foyntanas goes south. From this point we can continue the course around the roots of the hill towards the southern side. Here we meet the E4 trail, heading northeast to Archanes and southwest to Cypress and Venerato.

Source:
Nick Gigoyrtakis: Byzantine fortifications in Crete during the 2nd Byzantine period (961-1204)

Consultant Route:
Basil Drossos, President Of AEC Lasithiou
Tsakalakis George, Geologist, Office Manager ecotourism

Click to listen highlighted text! Powered By Multix Co.