Heraklion is first referred by Stravon as the port of  Knossos , in his book ’’Geographics” .At the A’Byzantine period(330-824AD) the city was called Castle. In 824AC the Castle was conquered by Saracen Arabs and was made the capital of their territory in Crete.Because of the moat("khandaq" in Arabian), which was dug round the city ,the Arabs named it Rabdh el Khandaq and the Byzantines Khandax.

      In 961AD the Byzantines ,led by Nikiforos Fokas, managed to capture the city after an 8-month besiege. The Byzantines kept it until 1204. .Then the city was conquered by the Latins of Bonifate Mompheratique who sold it to the Venetians. The Venetians built large walls round the city and extended the city's harbour.

     In the following centuries Heraklion became a trading center and a commercial port of  the west Mediterranean.

     In 1669 Haraclio fell to the Ottoman Turks, who had been besieging it for 20 years continuously. After the city's conquest, the Turks sacked it and slaughtered much of its population. Nevertheless nothing could stop the city's growth. From 1821 the Turks handed city, as the whole of Crete, to the Egyptian who kept it till 1846.

      It was liberated in 1913 by the Greek Navy. During World War II it was nearly completely destroyed. Heraklion was finally freed in 1944.