The Turkish quarter
The rich history of the area dates back from the Venetian era when it was named Ponte Dei Viari referring to a bridge connecting the eastern gate of the Kasteli settlement with modern Daskalogianni St. and Splantzia Square. The bridge took the name of an affluent Venetian family who were benefactors of the city in difficult times. The area had a lot of underground waters that is why there are findings of underground Venetian water tanks that could supply the city for 6 whole months. Current St. Nickolas church was originally the temple of the adjacent Monastery occupied by the Order of the Dominican monks, and was built in 1320. After the invasion of the Turks in 1645, the church is converted into a Mosque, named Houghiar Tzamissi – Hünkâr Camisi, by adding a minaret on the south side of the temple.
Modern Chania
Somewhere around the late 19th century, near the end of the Ottoman era, the increasing city’s population was suffocating within the limits of the Venetian Walls. Therefore the city began stretching out to the West, the East and mostly to the South. In 1870, the Turkish Chief Commander of Crete, Reouf Pasha, envisioned a city master plan of a Grand Walk for purposes of leisure and outdoor activities, beyond the Venetian Walls. Part of his daily routine, to walk towards a sandy area with a shady fig tree, gave him the inspiration to construct a City Garden (bahce) for everybody to enjoy some public, open, green space where cultural events could take place according to the European standards of the time.
