User:Mourtzana

Situated on the Old National Road Rethimnon - Iraklio. Belongs to the municipality of Kouloukona, Prefecture of Rethimnon in Crete (Greece).

Built after the re-conquest of Crete by Nikiforos Fokas from the Saracens in 961AD. The island was under the Saracens' rule around 134 years. During then, one of the main policies of the Byzantines was to re-Hellanize the island. Hence, many noble families were given huge property lands for incentive that eventually became feudal villages bearing their surnames.

Mourtzana was founded by the Mourtzanos family. Mourtzanos is a Saracen nickname for Coral (Mourjan), which means "Dark Red."

The village is considered one of the richest in architecture, in Milopotamos, dated from Venetian rule. The Ottoman Turks who gave privileges to the Mourtzanos family by offering them the Turkish noble title “Agha” conquered it.

See: ''I Archontoromaiiki Oikogeneia "Mourtzanos". Kritologika Grammata. Rethimnon. 17. 2001.pp 303-321''