Eloúnda

On the north coast of Crete, Elounda lies beside sheltered waters once occupied by the ancient city of Olous. Its people fought intermittently with neighboring Lato before concluding a peace treaty, and much of the old city later disappeared beneath the sea. Across the bay, the island of Spinalonga guarded the harbor entrance. Venice developed salt pans in the shallow waters and began fortifying the island in 1579; the stronghold remained in Venetian hands after most of Crete fell to the Ottomans, until its surrender in 1715.