Irakleio
Irakleio (Modern Greek: Ηράκλειο, Irakleio)—archaically Irakleion, Herakleion, sometimes called Candia—is the fifth largest city of Greece, on the northern coast of the island of Crete. It is the largest city and the capital of Crete (periphery of Crete) and of the Irakleio Prefecture. It has 140 357 inhabitants (2007).
The famous, archeological site of Knossos lies in the upper hills behind Irakleio.
Naming[1]
The official, current name in Modern Greek is Ηράκλειο, Irakleio [iˈrakliɔ] (but in katharevousa, a former standard variety of modern Greek until 1976, it was Ἠράκλειον, Irakleion). This name is a revived use of the Ancient Greek name Ἠράκλειον, Hērákleion and refers to the hero Heracles.
In 824 AD, as the city was under Arabian rule, it was named in Byzantine Greek Χάνδαξ, Chandax, from Arabic Khandaq “moat”. This name was adapted into Càndiga, then Candia, in the Northern Italian language of the merchands and rulers of the Republic of Venice. The name Candia was borrowed by a lot of other languages (e.g. en English: Candia) and used to designate not only the city but the whole island of Crete. In early Modern Greek, Χάνδαξ, Chandax evolved into Χάνδακας, Chandakas. In 1822, the ancient name Ηράκλειο, Irakleio was restored.
Footnotes
- ↑ Information retrieved in: BAMBINIOTIS Georgios (1998) = ΜΠΑΜΠΙΝΙΩΤΗΣ Γεώργιος, Λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Dictionary Of The Modern Greek Language], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας, art. Ηράκλειο.