The
city of Hania lies on the northwest coastline of Crete,
between the Aegean and the slopes of the White Mountains.
Due
to its favorable geographical position, the city was inhabited
in Neolithic times. Archaeological research has brought
to surface many objects dated from the Neolithic times indicating
that an important civilization had been developed in during that
time. It flourished during the centuries of the Minoan civilization
(2800 to 1150 BC). During the classic period the ancient city
of Kydonia (on the remains of which the city of Hania was later
built) was one of the principal cities of Crete and a dominant
power until the 7th Century AD. From 823 to 961 AD, when re-conquered
by the Byzantine Emperor Nikiforos Fokas, the city was under Arab
domination.
Named
the "Venice of the East" during the Venetian
occupation (1252 to 1645 AD), Crete had developed its own unique
culture under the influence of Renaissance ideas.
Crete
remained isolated from developments in the West until the end
of the 19th Century due to the Turkish invasion of 1645. At the
beginning of the 20th Century, a revolutionary movement occurred
in Hania, leading to the political unification of Crete with Greece
in 1913.
Due
to its favorable geographical position, the city was inhabited
in Neolithic times. Archaeological research has brought
to surface many objects dated from the Neolithic times indicating
that an important civilization had been developed in during that
time. It flourished during the centuries of the Minoan civilization
(2800 to 1150 BC). During the classic period the ancient city
of Kydonia (on the remains of which the city of Hania was later
built) was one of the principal cities of Crete and a dominant
power until the 7th Century AD. From 823 to 961 AD, when re-conquered
by the Byzantine Emperor Nikiforos Fokas, the city was under Arab
domination.
