Tower of Malaxa

Malaxa , apart from a village, is a mountainous area, the hills of which block the plains of Kydonia plain from the south. It is a fortified area that rises up opposite Souda Bay, which has several times been a scene of warfare between Crete and its occasional conquers.

During the Cretan War , the Revolution of Daskalogiannis and the Great Revolution of 1821 , Malaxa was the theater of many battles. The rebels always managed to occupy the highlands and to control the region.

The Turks managed to oust the rebels and to consolidate their position by building a strong guarding tower. The tower operated till 1897, when the rebels besieged that and forced the garrison to surrender.

The Great Powers then bombed the tower of Malaxa and totally destroyed it. Today, some ruins of the tower survive in a miserable situation.