Lassithi Zakros Palace

Location: Zakros

The Minoan Palace of Zakros is located in a remote area 45 km southeast of Sitia and 100 km from Agios Nikolaos. It commanded a strategic position for trade relations with the Eastern Mediterranean and was the fourth greatest palatial center after Knossos, Phaistos, and Malia.

Like the other Minoan palaces, it was first built around 1900 BC but was then destroyed by a tremendous earthquake. Following this, it was rebuilt in about 1600 BC, only to be definitively destroyed by fire in 1450 BC. The palace itself covered an area of 4,500 square meters, while, along with the surrounding buildings, it occupied a surface of 8,000 square meters.

Excavations show that the floor plan of this palace was similar to that of other Minoan palaces in Crete. The palace was centered around a monumental courtyard, whose main entrance was on the eastern side. From there started a road that led to the port. The courtyard had balconies, impressive columns and an altar for religious ceremonies, while the wings around it were characterized by labyrinthine corridors with numerous rooms.

The western wing of the palace had religious functions and consisted of vestibules, pillared halls, lustral basins, workshops and storehouses. It also comprised an archive room where Linear A clay tablets were discovered, as well as an unplundered treasury with a multitude of unique ritual vessels. In fact, this is the only Minoan palace that was never looted. By contrast, the eastern wing housed the royal apartments, a ceremonial hall and a hall with a cistern. There were also storerooms, banquet halls and other ancillary areas in the northern wing of the complex, while the southern side was reserved for workshops that manufactured luxury items.

The Palace was surrounded by several multi-room buildings, which were probably never used as residences but rather as ancillary blocks of the main edifice. The wider area brims with archaeological treasures, as the palace stands right at the exit of the eerie Gorge of the Dead, a gorge that owes its name to the early Minoan tombs discovered inside its caves. Moreover, to the north of the Zakros Palace, visitors will find the Pelekita Cave, one of the largest caves in Crete, which boasts towering boulders and rich stalactite and stalagmite decorations. Near this cave, which bears traces of human activity from the Neolithic times, archaeologists have discovered the quarry where the Minoans excavated the materials they needed for the construction of the palace.

Findings from the palace include pieces of jewelry, gold foils, ivory items, pottery, and tools, most of which are now exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. The rest are displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos and the Archaeological Museum of Sitia.