Malia

Located near a fertile plain in northern Crete and with its own harbour, Malia was one of the major settlements and palaces of the Minoan civilization. Inhabited since Neolithic times (6000 BCE) and with the first evidence of monumental architecture dating to 2200 BCE, the site reached its greatest influence during the palatial periods of c. 1900 BCE to c. 1675 BCE. Following earthquakes and fires, the site became less influential and was finally abandoned c. 1250 BCE.