The fertile flatland of Messara.

‘Beneath me, stretched as a never ending magical carpet, lies the flatland of Messara. From this height this all looks like ‘the garden of Eden’. The famous English writer Henry Miller once wrote these words about the flatland, looking from the hill where the excavations of the palace of Festos took place.

The flatland of Messara is 40 kilometres long and 12 kilometres wide. It is a fertile flatland that is protected by mountain ranges on three sides; on the North side by the Ida highlands, on the East side by the Dikti highlands and on the South side by the Asterousia highlands. On the West side the plateau runs between Timbaki and Matala and ends in the sea. The Geropótamos river runs through the flatland. Cultivation mainly consists of olives, tomatoes and corn. The flatland is also called ‘the corn shed’ of Crete.

The flatland has a few archaeological places of interest. The Minoans built the palace in Festos and a summer residence in Agia Triada, which lies more in the direction of the coast. In 67 BC the Romans made the city of Gortys the capital city of Crete. This city had about 30.000 inhabitants which says something about the importance of this region.

Also prominent is that the different villages and the city of Mires are connected with each other by straight roads and that you can find a large number of gas stations, due to the fact that there are many tractors and pick ups that need petrol .