The Island of Crete and the Town of Candia

Abstract

Having sailed through the Ionian and along the coasts of the Peloponnese, pilgrims’ galleys arrived at the island of Crete and the town of Candia. Although it was one of the most important trading centres in the Mediterranean and a necessary stop on the route leading to the East, the port of Candia, an artificial harbour built by the Venetians, was not always easy to enter. Quite often, mainly because of opposing winds, the ships heading towards the town docked at the safe anchorage of the neighbouring Bay of Fraskia or at the island of Dia (Standia) (Fig. 57).2 The Bay of Fraskia, a natural harbour west of Candia, was quite often used by the ships travelling to the city. It is mentioned as a portus, a natural haven, in 1217, while it is characterised as a safe anchorage in nautical charts and portolans.3 The site must have been an important navigational landmark,