Car Rental in Minoan Sanctuary in Youktas

The Minoan sanctuary on Mount Youktas

The ancients believed Zeus was buried here, despite his immortality. According to Cretans, but not the other Greeks, Zeus died and was reborn every year. This myth was a continuation of the Young God of the Minoans which died and was reborn every year. Using a bit of imagination, the silhouetted, prone profile of Zeus' head can be seen from the west as you approach Iraklion. At the summit archaeologists found evidence of its use as a place of worship from the First Minoan Period. On the peak of Youktas a sacred building with three rooms and a court yard was built by the Minoans. The building had cyclopean walls and fortifications around it. It was probably visible from Knossos and Arhanes. The peak sanctuary is on the northern shoulder of the mountain just below the summit, right beside the telecommunications station. There is a stone path to the site on the last bend before the summit.