Heraklion was inhabited since Neolithic times. During the Roman period it served as the port for Knossos. The Saracens, who conquered Crete around 828 AD, founded the present city. In those days Heraklion was known as Rabdh el Khandak. (The Fortress of a Trench), after a great ditch (Khandak), which surrounded the city in order to protect the Saracens from new invaders. From the name Khandak derives the name Chandaka of the Second Byzantine period and the Venetian names Candia or Candica of the Venetian period. During this period Heraklion was one of the most important cities in the Mediterranean. Its Venetian fortification is one of the most important monuments of its kind in the whole Mediterranean. After a siege that lasted more than 20 years Megalo Kastro finally fell in Turkish hands in 1669. The Ottoman rule was characterized by cruelty and brutality. Cultural flourishing and economic development stopped abruptly. Heraklion was then completely destroyed and depopulated. In the beginning of 19th century the city was first named Herakleia and then Heraklion, as it is known today. After the Second World War and more specifically in the last 40 years Heraklion changed spectacularly. It was rapidly developed and its population increased. Nowadays, it is a modern city with many archeological sites of great importance, such as the Archeological Museum of Heraklion, which contains the world';s greatest collection of Minoan art. The Minoan Palace of Knossos is located near the city and it is worth visiting. The city of Heraklion is the capital of the island and the fourth largest city in Greece with more than 125.000 inhabitants.