⭐ Travel Guide for Island Crete ⛵, Greece❗

Sabionara Gate

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Sabbionara Gate, also known as the Gate of the Sand, is located on the northwestern flank of the bastion of the same name, at the northeastern end of the Venetian Walls of Heraklion. It was one of the three auxiliary gates along the seaward section of the fortifications, together with the gates of Saint Andrew and Dermatas.

The Venetians initially called the bastion Little Martinengo, in honour of the military commander Girolamo Martinengo. The name Sabbionara later prevailed, deriving from the Italian word sabbia, meaning sand, because the fortification was founded on the sandy shore east of the Venetian harbour. Much of this former beach is now occupied by reclaimed land and the installations of the modern port.

The gate was completed in 1603 and connected the beach with the interior of Candia. Like the other gates along the coastal wall, it was smaller and architecturally simpler than the principal city gates. Its seaward exit has a restrained design and survives almost intact, while its inner side emerges on present-day Doukos Beaufort Street.

The city-facing entrance has an elegant and carefully designed gabled façade, recalling the architectural form of the Gate of Saint George or Lazaretto. After the Ottoman conquest, the bastion was reconstructed and the gate continued to serve the needs of the city. In later times, however, much of the structure was buried beneath the embankments created for the commercial port and concealed by newer buildings.

The inner façade and vaulted passage were brought to light again after the removal of the later structures. Restoration and landscaping works around the monument were completed in 2014. Access to the interior is not permanently available and is occasionally permitted during guided tours or special cultural events, so visitors are advised to check current arrangements before visiting.

The flat upper section of Sabbionara Bastion also contains the former Commercial School of Heraklion, a building erected during the 1930s that now houses the 6th Junior High School of Heraklion.