Iraklion, 25th August Street…then and now.

On 25th August 1898 by the Cretan calendar, or 6th September by the British one, a serious riot resulted in the destruction of a large portion of Candia (Iraklion), and the death of several hundreds of Cretan Christians as well as 14 British soldiers and sailors. Brought about by a miscalculation on the part of the European Admirals who effectively ruled Crete at that time, and an even greater miscalculation on the part of the British Army commander on the spot, Lieutenant Colonel F. M. Reid, 1/Highland Light Infantry, the events of that day are commemorated in Iraklion by the name of the main street leading from the town centre to the harbour; the site of the outbreak of rioting.
On one level a riot which saw the deaths of so many people and the destruction of so much property seems nothing to celebrate, but on another level, the events that day culminated a few months later in the departure of all Ottoman troops and authorities from Crete, paving the way to the creation of the Cretan State, Κρητική Πολιτεία.

25 August Street before riot. Looking down to the harbour.

25th August Street after the riot.

25th August Street today.

Many thanks to Zacharias J. Nikolakakis for the photographs.