Ausgrabungsstätten

Minoan Villas of Tylissos

Malevizi, Heraklion · Free

Route

Highlights & amenities

Entry: Free

Facilities

Eintritt

About

Three Minoan mansions in a village.

Tylissos lies about 14 km south-west of Heraklion, in the village of the same name. Here archaeologists uncovered three large Minoan villas, built around 1600 BC, with store rooms, light wells and staircases. They were probably the homes of rich landowners.

The site is known for its clever water system, with a cistern and clay pipes. Finds include large bronze cauldrons and a statue of a man in prayer, now in the Heraklion museum.

The site is small and quiet, easy to combine with Fodele or the Anogia road.

Tylissos is mentioned in Linear B tablets and continued to be an important town after the Minoan period. The villas are well signposted and the site is small enough to explore in half an hour. Look for the light wells, the staircases and the stone channels of the water system. The village has a couple of tavernas, and the drive on towards Anogia climbs into the mountains with great views.

Around Malevizi

Nearest town: Heraklion, about 16 km by road
Nearest airport: Heraklion airport (HER), about 20 km by road

Heraklion is the heart of Minoan Crete and the island’s busiest region. Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum are the two places almost everyone visits, and they work well together on one day. In the south, the wide Messara plain holds the palace of Phaistos, the Roman ruins of Gortyna and the famous caves above the bay of Matala. More about Heraklion