Dikti or Dicte () (also Lasithiotika Ori; "Lasithian Mountains"; anciently, Aigaion oros () or ) is a mountain range on the east of the island of
Crete
Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
in the regional unit of
Lasithi
Lasithi () is the easternmost regional unit on the island of Crete, to the east of Heraklion. Its capital is Agios Nikolaos, the other major towns being Ierapetra and Sitia. The mountains include the Dikti in the west and the Thrypti in the ...
. On the west it extends to the regional unit of Heraklion.
According to some versions of
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
,
Zeus
Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus.
Zeus is the child ...
was reared on this mountain in a cave called Dictaeon Antron (
Psychro Cave).
On the north of the main massif, the
Lasithi Plateau is located. The topology of the mountain range is rich with plateaus (Lasithi,
Katharo, Omalos Viannou,
Limnakaro), valleys and secondary peaks. Some important peaks are Spathi (2,148 m) (the highest point), Afentis Christos/Psari Madara (2,141 m), Lazaros (2,085 m), Madara (1,783 m), Skafidaras (1,673 m), Katharo Tsivi (1,665 m), Sarakino (1,588 m), Afentis (1,571 m), Selena (1,559 m), Varsami (1,545 m), Toumpa Moutsounas (1,538 m), Platia Korfi (1,489 m), Mahairas (1,487 m), Virgiomeno Oros (1,414 m). The main massif forms a horseshoe around the valley of
Selakano. Large parts of the mountain area, including the Selakano valley, are forested with pines (''
Pinus brutia
''Pinus brutia'', commonly known as the Turkish pine and Calabrian pine, is a species of pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey, but certain varieties are naturalized as far east as Afghanistan. It is ...
''), Kermes oaks (''
Quercus coccifera
''Quercus coccifera'', the kermes oak or commonly known as Palestine oak, is an oak shrub or tree in section '' Ilex'' of the genus. It has many synonyms, including ''Quercus calliprinos''. It is native to the Mediterranean region and Northern ...
''), cypresses (''
Cupressus sempervirens
''Cupressus sempervirens'', the Mediterranean cypress (also known as Italian cypress, Tuscan cypress, Persian cypress, or pencil pine), is a species of cypress native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Iran. While some studies show it ha ...
''), Holm Oaks (''
Quercus ilex
''Quercus ilex'', the holly oak, also (ambiguously, as many oaks are evergreen) evergreen oak, is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the section (botany), section ''List of Quercus species#Section Ilex, Il ...
'') and Cretan Maples (''
Acer sempervirens'').
The fertile valleys and plateaus of Dikti/Dicte are of significant importance in the local economy.
The dominant feature of Dikti is the Lasithi Plateau, the largest plateau in Crete. It is a place with a long history. Diktaion Antron, is located here, a cave in which — according to one legend — Zeus was born.
Gallery
File:Snow Covered Dikti Summit Spathi.jpg, Spathi summit
File:Lasithi-55.jpg, View of gorge in Dikti
File:Lasithi-60.jpg, View of gorge in Dikti
File:Lasithi-61.jpg, View of Lasithi plateau
File:Katharo plateau 10.jpg, Landscape in Katharo plateau
File:Katharo plateau 12.jpg, Landscape in Katharo plateau
File:Katharo plateau 14.jpg, Road in Katharo
File:Katharo plateau 15.jpg, Road in Katharo
File:Katharo plateau 16.jpg, View of Katharo plateau
File:Katharo plateau 18.jpg, Landscape in Katharo plateau
File:Katharo plateau 2.jpg, View of Katharo
File:Katharo plateau 3.jpg, View of Katharo
File:Katharo plateau 4.jpg, Landscape in Katharo plateau
File:Katharo plateau 7.jpg, Tree in Katharo plateau
File:Lisitsa-24.jpg, A flock of sheep in Dikti
File:Iris cretensis.jpg, '' Iris cretensis''
File:Ophrys episcopalis2.jpg, '' Ophrys episcopalis''
File:Papilio machaon σε anchusa azurea.jpg, ''Papilio machaon
''Papilio machaon'', the Old World swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. The butterfly is also known as the common yellow swallowtail or simply the swallowtail (a common name applied to all members of the family, but this speci ...
'' on '' Anchusa azurea''
See also
*
Britomartis
Britomartis (;) was a Greek goddess of mountains, nets, and hunting who was primarily worshipped on the island of Crete. She was sometimes described as a nymph, but she was more commonly conflated or syncretized with the goddesses Artemis, Athena ...
*
Diktynna
*
Dittany
References
External links
Greek Mountain Flora
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of Greece
Landforms of Lasithi
Places in Greek mythology
Geography of ancient Crete
Mountains of Crete
Zeus