Chania Sabbionara Rampart

Location: Town

Sabbionara Rampart is a historic monument in the Old Port of Chania. Also known as Kum Kapi, the Gate of Sand, the gate and rampart Sabbionara gave its name to the whole area. The rampart has been built in the sea and this is where the only one of the 3 Venetian gates that survives to this day is located.

The rampart used to offer a direct passage from a small beach on the seashore to the center of the town. The exterior part of the gate and the door was destroyed in 1645 and it was reconstructed during the Ottoman Occupation period, although the new gate was much smaller than the original.

Nowadays the restored rampart functions as a cultural center and houses various exhibitions. A round Venetian emblem depicting a lion, the symbol of Saint Marcos, can be found above the gate, dating to 1591 according to the inscription. The ruins of a cavalier that was destroyed during the Second World War lie south of the gate.