The villages of Karteros and Amnisos
.
These
two coastal resorts lie 7km to the east of Heraklion and is a
favourite place for the inhabitants of the capital to spend
their weekends. Karteros was the area where the Byzantine
General Karteros landed in order to begin his attack on the
Arabs. Amnisos was the sea port of ancient Knossos.
Interesting places to see and visit in the area are firstly,
ancient Amnisos where a Minoan building was located, known as
the Mansion of Amnisos murals, the famous mural with lilies. The
building seems to have been the residence of a Navy official and
it was violently destroyed by fire. A second sight of interest
lies to the west of Paliohoras hill. Here there is a sanctum
with a circular altar and it is claimed that in the sanctum Zeus
was worshipped by the ancients.
At the end of the 19th century the Cave of Elitheia, the goddess
of childbirth, was discovered here. This cave, also known as the
Cave of the Nymphs, is about 1km south of Amnisos. It seems to
have been a place of worship ever since the Neolithic period
right through until the 5th century BC. There is a rectangular
altar in the centre of the cave and two stalagmites that appear
like human figures. .