Zakros is a town located towards the eastern coast of Crete. Some of the main attractions offered by this destination are based on its ruins of antique constructions, some of them dating from the Minoan times. This town is very rich in history and interesting past events and its antique ruins are a living memory of them.
The past of Zakros is very relevant for its region due to the fact that, during the Minoan times, it was one of the main administrative centers of the zone and had one of the most important harbors as well. Nowadays, Zakros harbor is still very important for the region, being one of the main commercial hubs for the trade of products between the east of Crete and other places.
The town of Zakros is divided in two main areas, the first known as Lower Zakros or Kato Zakros, and the second known as Upper Zakros or Epano Zakros. Lower Zakros is the region of the town that surrounds the harbor and the coast, while Upper Zakros is the area around the hillside.
There have been several archaeological excavations conducted within the territory of Zakros in the last decades, and still nowadays archaeologists continue their work. During the first excavations, the now famous Palace of Zakros and other 12 surrounding constructions were discovered, being this one of the most important archaeological discoveries brought to light in that area of Crete.
It is believed that the Palace of Zakros would be used by Minoans in order to be able to watch and have control over what happened in the region and specially the east area. This palace would occupy more than 8000 m2 and would have about 150 rooms of different sizes as well as a large central court room of about 400 m2, one of the biggest rooms of its kind founded in Crete. The original Palace of Zakros was destroyed by an earthquake around the year 1550 BC, and was rebuilt some years after. That second Palace of Zakros was partially destroyed in 1450 BC, but still nowadays some parts of it are still conserved.