The centre of Minoan civilization and capital of Minoan Crete lies 5km south of Heraklion. The Minoan palace is the main site of interest at Knossos, an important city in antiquity, which was continuously inhabited from the Neolithic period until the 5th c. AD. The palace was built on the Kephala hill and had easy access to the sea and the Cretan interior. According to tradition, it was the seat of the wise king Minos. The Palace of Knossos is connected with thrilling legends, such as the myth of the Labyrinth, with the Minotaur, and the story of Daidalos and Ikaros.Knossos flourished for approximately two thousand years. It had large palace buildings, extensive workshop installations and luxurious rock-cut caves and tholos tombs and because it was a major centre of trade and economy, Knossos maintained ties with the majority of cities in the Eastern Mediterranean.