POLIRRINIA
Ancient city with the ports of Falassarna and Kissamos, the gorge of Polirrinia in the south.
The ancient city of Polirrinia reached its peak during the Roman period (until about the 4th century AD), when it dominated the whole of western Crete at the expense of its rival Kydonia, the present-day city of Hania, with whom it constantly fought for power in the region. Rich of its two ports in Falassarna and Kissamos which traded with distant countries, of its strategic position on a protected hill and of its good agreement with Rome, it became a city impossible to circumvent in Crete. The Romans built an aqueduct, cisterns and a fortress of which a tower remains today. But the history of Polirinnia goes back much further. The foundation of the city dates back to the post-Minoan era when it was part of a federation of Cretan cities under the leadership of Knossos. Its name means "many lambs" and the inhabitants probably lived from livestock. At the end of its apogee, Polirrinia would have suffered from a lack of water and the port of Kissamos would have taken over as a strategic position. Gradually, the city was abandoned, although the fortifications were reinforced in the Byzantine period. Today, walking through its ruins, one can admire the splendid panorama of the bay of Kissamos.
About ten kilometers to the south, one reaches the very accessible gorge of Sirikari, also called the gorge of Polirrinia. The path is feasible for everyone. Count between 2h30 and 3h if you walk with children, and about 11 km.
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