Malia Palace in Municipality of Agios Nikolaos

You're standing at Malia, the remains of a Minoan palace on the north coast of Crete. The modern village of Malia is about three kilometres away, and Knossos lies some thirty-five kilometres to the west. Look towards the sea, a little over a kilometre from here. In between is marshy ground, and it was probably just as soggy back in Minoan times. So Malia never had a harbour.