The UNESCO World Heritage List includes Minoan palace centersthe registration of which was announced in the context of the work of the 47th Synod of the World Heritage Committee.

Evolution is the international recognition of the prominent ecumenical value of the six extremely important archaeological sites of Crete – Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Zakros, Zominthos and Kydonia – who formed the serial candidacy.

At the same time, it is a commitment for Greece to maintain and protect the cultural values of these important monumental sets.

According to its announcement, the Ministry of Culture states that it is the crown of the systematic, painful, long -term effort by the experienced executives and services of the Ministry of Culture and their constructive cooperation with the Region of Crete and the relevant bodies to prepare it.

The World Heritage Committee, based on the evaluation of its competent advisory body, ICOMOS, acknowledged the prominent ecumenical value of the Minoan palace centers, the authenticity and integrity of the good, as well as the existence of a powerful framework for protection and the constituent of the world.

The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, present during the announcement of the registration, during the completion of the registration process, made the following statement:

“Today is a landmark for our country, for the Greek people, for Crete, for culture in its long historical duration. With the registration of the Minoan palace centers in the World Heritage List, Minoan civilization, one of the brighter cultures of the prehistoric Aegean is recognized and established worldwide. The impressive architectural remains of the Minoan palace complexes, preserved throughout Crete, are the authentic expressors of this culture. The palaces were not only administrative and financial centers. They were centers of culture, art and technological innovation. High art creations and aesthetic, monumental architecture, with developed writing and administration system, and with strong commercial and cultural contacts with the peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean. The emergence of Minoan civilization allows us to better understand the beginnings of European cultural events, establishing Crete as a cradle of culture of global importance. Thanks from the bottom of my heart all those who contributed to this success of my country. The institutional representatives of UNESCO and the World Heritage Center -and especially the director of Lazare Eloundou -the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the permanent Greek delegation -the head of George Koumoutsakos -the Region Elena Kountouris, by Dinas Benissi and the Director of Restoration of Ancient Monuments Themis Vlachoulis – and our representatives to the World Heritage Site – in the face of Eugenia Gerousi. Thanks to their hard work, their long experience, their knowledge and their dedication, today we have all become extremely proud. “

Minoan palace centers are the most iconic element of the identity of Minoan civilization, one of the most remarkable prehistoric cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean during two millennia (2800-1100 BC). The Minoan Heritage, Ark and Treasury of Values, Myths and Social Ideas, has influenced artistic and spiritual thinking by having a historical path of many millennia.

The legend of the composite and chaotic labyrinth designed for King Minos, a miracle of engineering, which symbolized creativity and complexity and reflects the construction complexity and monumentality of the palaces, is still a symbol of labyrinthine with the world.

At the same time, Minoan art with its naturalistic characteristics affects the artistic creative composition around the world, in a variety of areas such as philosophy, painting, literature, music, poetry, theater and cinema.

Minoan palace centers constitute the most authentic and representative expression of flourishing Minoan society offering evidence of early urban development and revealing complex socio -political structures, functionally organized around a hierarchical administrative system.

They were administrative, economic and religious centers, the complex architecture of which, with influences from Egypt and the Near East, was designed to serve the various needs and functions of a hierarchical society. These monuments have been a reference point in the history of mankind as they provide material testimonies for the development of early economic systems, such as agriculture, livestock farming and maritime trade. They are also a valuable source of documentation for the two oldest writing systems in Europe – Cretan hieroglyphics and Linear A – which have been invented in Crete since the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC.

The Directorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, in collaboration with the Ephorates of Antiquities of Crete and the dynamic support of the Region of Crete, took responsibility for the constitution of the candidacy dossier.

For the archaeological documentation of the dossier, the assistance of foreign archaeological schools and the Directors of Systematic Excavation Research, active in Crete, was valuable. The National Kapodistrian University of Athens, through the Department of Physical Environment-Meteorology, has greatly contributed to the documentation of the risks associated with climate change, while the University Community contributed to the documentation of specialized issues.

The dossier was enriched with a number of data that were very willing to provide local government agencies and services, external partners and experts, and the contribution of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection in the training of risks that enriched the management plan was particularly important.

In addition, in excellent cooperation with the Region of Crete, a strategy, “Integrated Spatial Investment (OCA)” Cultural Routes of Minoan Palace Centers “, was developed, with the main subject of upgrading the experience of visitors to the Minoan Palace Centers.