The temporary exhibitions at the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion offer opportunities to view the world from a different perspective. Their curatorial approach is not limited to presenting unknown or underappreciated works of art of outstanding significance. It aims to leave behind a legacy of images, knowledge, and questions that will stay with us for many years to come.

Crete in historical cartography from the 16th through the 18th centuries is depicted in fifty maps, each of which, in turn, tells the story of the deeds and daily lives of its people. The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion and the curator of the British School of Archaeology at Knossos, Kostis Christakis, an archaeologist, and Nikos Skoutelis, a professor at the School of Architectural Engineering at the Technical University of Crete.

It gives us the opportunity to encounter Venetian-ruled Crete at the height of its power, its pivotal role at the crossroads of the maritime trade routes that made possible the world-historical dialogue between the West and the East, the Cretan War with its dramatic siege and the eventual fall of Chandakas, and finally the cartographic annexation of the island to Greece, which was already part of the victorious Ottoman Empire.

Through the dynamic relationship between cartographers and the world they were called upon to depict—from the topography, the natural and man-made environment, the inhabitants, the myths, and the history of the island to the universe itself— the artistic creation of maps emerged for more than three centuries as a field of science, experimentation, lived experience, political propaganda, questioning of reality, and utopian thought.

This meeting holds special symbolic significance, as it is taking place at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, whose building houses the city’s ancient harbor—the very site where the Venetian monastery of St. Francis was built —a landmark for ships arriving at the port from all corners of the Mediterranean. It was in this monastery—after its conversion into the Hunkar Mosque—that the conqueror of the ruined Chandax offered his first prayer following twenty-one years of a grueling siege.

This exhibition explores this fascinating journey and comes to life with lectures, a roundtable discussion, a film screening, a workshop, and guided tours throughout its run, from September 29, 2026, to January 10, 2027.