VENITIAN PORT
Venetian harbor with panoramic view that is the emblem of the old town of Hania.
A visit to Hania will start and end with a walk along the old port. The postcard is there: delicate ochre residences, imposing maritime buildings and vestiges of the various occupants who marked the city.
From west to east, we first go from the Firkas fortress (see above) to the Ottoman fountain of Venizelos square. It is on this part of the quay that the villas of the old merchants and traders of the city are concentrated.
Continuing, we pass the Giali Camici mosque (17th century), the only one of the period that has survived and which gives a touch of orientalism to the whole. Further on, we discover the Venetian docks and arsenals.
First, admire the Grand Arsenal (1585) to which the Ottomans had added a floor in the 1870s. Today, free exhibitions are held here all summer. Beyond Katehaki Square, admire what remains of the 16 Venetian docks built between 1467 and 1599 to shelter the fleet in winter. A few years later, General Moro ordered the construction of additional and imposing docks: the Neoria Moro.
Finally, the port is closed by the pier that is dominated by the Egyptian lighthouse. Built at the end of the 16th century by the Venetians, it was renovated in the years 1830-1840 by Mehmet Ali, regent of Egypt, hence its name. Culminating at more than 20 m, it is the emblem of the old city. Come and wait for the sunset, you will have a magnificent view of the old port on your left, and the open sea on your right.
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