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Rent a car from Autohire Heraklion and visit the traditional village of Archanes!
The traditional village with restored houses, of which the finest is of Mustafa Naili, with fountains and gardens, has won awards in the competition of the European Union and is an example for residential development.
The village is located at the northeastern end of the valley formed by the mountain Giouchtas, which has an altitude of 811 meters. The village is built 16 km from Heraklion. On the north side of the valley is the beautiful canyon Paradeisi.
Inside the city, has been discovered a palace of Late Minoan Period with altars and frescoes. Also, in the place Phourni, next to Archanes, was found an extensive Minoan necropolis. Four kilometers south of Archanes is the abandoned village of Vathypetro. In excavations in 1949 were found wine making facilities and ceramics that were part of the Minoan settlement. The wine press in Vathypetro is one of the oldest in the world. All these show that there has been great Minoan city in the area of current Archanes.
In the area of Archanes, remarkable are the water sources Asomatos, Xeris Caras and Vathypetro. The valley and the whole area of Archanes is a vast vineyard, producing the famous grapes rozaki which are consumed mainly by the markets of Europe. In the area of Archanes are old temples, such as the Trinity, of the early 14th century and the church of Asomatos with frescoes of 1315.
