The palace of Phaistos on the road which leads from Heraklion to Tymbaki in the south of the Heraklion prefecture is located at a small distance from the Libyan Sea, on a spot that overlooks the Messara valley, between the mountains of Ida and Asterousa. Messara, strategically positioned in central Crete in a lush environment, was settled as far back as 4000 BC and became a Minoan centre during the Pre-Palatial period (approx. 3500 – 2000 BC).
