Amoudara is the longest beach in Prefecture Iraklion-Crete Greece. It features a long a flat beach, lined with hotels, studios, bars, markets and tavernas. and is within easy reach of the capital city he capital of the island and the largest city. In the middle of the north coast, is also the transport hub with the international airport and the sea port, resulting in that most of tourism traffic arriving in Crete will pass from Iraklion at least twice. The city has a population of 200 000 the fifth largest in Greece.
Iraklion in ancient times serves as a port of Knossos but it is only in the 9th century AD that it appears as a town founded by the Saracens, at that time occupiers of Crete. It soon became the slave trade center in the Mediterranean, to be soon after taken over by the Venetians who built immense fortification walls, that stand intact even today, called it Kandax which was later paraphrased to become Candia.During the four centuries of the Venetian occupation of Crete, many buildings were erected that are excellent examples of Venetian Architecture of that time, and many of them exist today. The Basilica di San Marco and the Loggia are two such specimens, while the Morozini fountain with its four lions has even given its name in the central spot of the town.  
A busy town, a communications hub that receive and distribute most tourism traffic arriving on the island, but light industry and Agriculture in the periphery, also affect the life. Iraklion is very privileged today, to have in its suburb list, famous names like Knossos, the most prominent city of the Minoan era. Linked directly with Knossos, is the Iraklion Archaelogical Museum housing most findings not only from Knossos but other Minoan Palaces like Phaestos in the south, Malia on the east and Zakros at the extreme east of Crete.
Of course, one will find many more items exposed in this very interesting museum from numerous other excavations around the island which is definitely not short of history. There are more museums in Iraklion but those of Byzantine art and the private of Nikos Kazantzakis have to be mentioned for their importance. Visit also: the spectacular beach of Matala! Knossos   The most famous archaeological site on Crete. It contains the ruins of the largest and most luxurious Minoan palace, built in the middle of a large town. The first palace was built around 2000 B.C. and destroyed around 1700 B.C. The second one was built immediately afterward , more magnificent than the first. This was also destroyed, around 1500 B.C., most likely by the terrible eruption of the volcano on Santorini. The excavations were carried out in 1900 by the English archaeologist Arthur Evans who then reconstructed certain sections of the ruins.

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