Introduction A visitor to Sfakia, as he comes by road through the pass of Katre and reaches the opening to the Askifou plateau, usually gets a good view of two ruined forts standing on two hill tops that overlook the plain below.  This is the first evidence of a massive undertaking by the Turks, following […]

Γιώργος Κ. Δαλιδάκης* Για πολλά χρόνια τώρα πολλοί ψάχνουν να βρουν την προέλευση του ονόματος των Σφακίων και πολλές θεωρίες έχουν δημοσιεύει σε βιβλία και σε διάφορα άρθρα. Αυτό το άρθρο παρουσιάζει αυτές τις θεωρίες και θέτει ορισμένες άλλες γνώμες για ένα θέμα που δεν φαίνεται ότι θα βρούμε μια μέρα καμιά θετική λύση. Παπαδοπετράκης: […]

by George K. Dalidakis* Many visitors to Sfakia often come across monuments that are obviously of some historical significance to the people of the area but due to lack of readily available information they are unable to appreciate the contribution of those that the monuments were erected for. This presentation will attempt to address this […]

by George K. Dalidakis One often hears, while travelling around Crete, claims from some of the villagers that they are from royal blood, descendants of nobility that once existed in Crete.  The visitor would often dismiss such stories as the ramblings of old people, or as a misunderstanding due to the sometimes difficult Cretan dialect.  […]

Γιώργος Κ. Δαλιδάκης Όταν κάποιος ταξιδεύει στην Κρήτη θα ακούσει αρκετά συχνά ανθρώπους να λένεότι κατάγονται από βασιλικό αίμα, απόγονοι ευγενών που ζούσαν κάποτε στην Κρήτη. Ο επισκέπτης συχνά θα απορρίψει αυτές τις ιστορίες σαν γεροντικές φαντασίες ή σαν παρεξήγηση της Κρητικής διαλέκτου που σε μερικά μέρη παρουσιάζει δυσκολίες. Θα κάνει όμως λάθος, καθώς υπήρχαν […]

This is a summary translation of a book written in Greek and published in September 2008 in a small number of copies that were distributed by the writer as a gift, mainly to the people of Chora Sfakion. This summary translation has been provided for those that cannot read Greek but have an interest in […]

by George K. Dalidakis* Over the years people have been searching for the derivation of the name of Sfakia and various theories have been promoted and published in a number of books and articles. This article summarises these theories and adds some more views on a topic that is unlikely to ever reach to a […]

About the book, from the back cover: On the rugged and remote coast of southwest Crete, the fiercely proud and independent people of Sfakia have survived millennia of invasions by many of the world’s most aggressive and dominant civilisations. This book describes the lives of the indomitable and warrior-like Sfakian people as they struggled to […]