CANDIA, formerly the capital and still the most populous city of Crete, to which it has given its name (see Crete), is situated on the northern shore somewhat nearer the eastern than the western end of the island, in 35° 20' N. lat. and 25° 9' E. long. It is still surrounded by its extensive Venetian fortifications; but they have fallen into disrepair, and a good part of the town is in a dilapidated condition, mainly from the effects of earthquakes. The principal buildings are the pasha’s palace, the mosques, which are fourteen in number, the two Greek churches, the Armenian church, the Capuchin monastery, the bazaars, and the baths. The town is the seat of a Greek archbishop, and one of the churches ranks as a cathedral. The chief trade is in oil and soap, both of which are of excellent quality; 900 tuns of the former were exported in 1873, and of the latter 40,000 cwts. The coasting trade, which is of considerable importance, is mainly carried on in Turkish vessels. The manufacture of leather for home consumption is an extensive industry, and wine of good quality is produced in the neighbourhood. The harbour, which had grown almost inaccessible, was deepened by Mustapha Pasha between 1820 and 1840. It is formed for the most part by the ancient moles, and was never deep enough to admit the larger vessels even of the Venetians, which were accustomed to anchor in the port of the neighbouring island of Standia. A short distance from St George’s Gate there is a small village exclusively inhabited by lepers, who number about seventy families. The population of the town is estimated at from 15,000 to 18,000, about two-thirds being Turks. Candia, or as it is frequently called, Mégalo Castro (the Great Fortress), occupies the site of the ancient Heracleion, the seaport of Gnossus, and is still known by that name to the Greek speaking population. The ruins of the mother city are situated at the distance of about two miles and a half to the S.E. at the village of Makri Teikos or Long Wall. Founded by the Saracens in the 9th century, Candia was fortified by the Genoese in the 12th, and was greatly extended and strengthened by the

Venetians in the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. It was besieged by the Turks under the Vizier Achmet in 1667; and, in spite of a most heroic defence, in which the Venetians lost 30,000 in killed and wounded, it was forced to surrender in 1669. (Spratt’s Travels in Crete, 1865.)