The opening of the Museum of Ancient Eleutherna, the first on-site museum on the isle of Crete, is billed as a landmark architectural project for Greece. For archeologist Nikolaos Stampolidis, the creation of Eleutherna Archeological Park comes as vindication after thirty years of systematic archeological excavation with his team from the University of Crete.

Nestled on the slope of Mount Idea, overlooking the sea, the ancient city-state, 25km southeast of Rethymno, is set for its grand opening on June 19 – purposely scheduled to coincide with the rising of the full moon. Visitors are in store for a magical night in the presence of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and leading figures from the fields of politics, science, business and the arts.

The state-of-the-art museum takes visitors back to the dawn of Greek culture and the world of Homer, to give them an opportunity to admire the many finds that came to light during long excavations at the site. Secrets of the city from 3,000 BC up until the 14th century give visitors a chance to appreciate the layers of history surrounded by an unspoilt landscape of natural beauty.

Houses, villas, roads, public buildings and baths, cisterns and basins, barriers and walls, temples and churches, furnaces and workshops and above all, the cemetery (necropolis) of warriors and their families at the dawn of Greek history have all been methodically and systematically unearthed.

Enjoy the slide show giving a taste of some of the highlights.