Tarra

Tarra was an ancient city of western Crete, near Samaria Gorge, at Agia Roumeli village.

It was probably established in the Classical period and constituted a very important religious center of the Dorians, with many temples and offerings. The ancient city flourished in the Greco-Roman period and was the cult of Apollo Tarraios.

Although it was a small city, Tarra was independent, with its own currency. The coins had the head of the Cretan wild goat and an arrow, on one side, and a bee on the other, possibly indicating the main occupations of its inhabitants. Tarra had strong fortifications, parts of which are still preserved. On the western side of the riverbed that crosses Samaria, lie the remains of an ancient temple, probably dedicated to Apollo, which was later converted into a small church of Virgin Mary.

According to sources, Tarra had great glassmaking workshops, but archeological researches have not yet confirmed this.

The findings from the ancient city of Tara are hosted in the Archaeological Museum of Chania.