Mount Ida is the highest mountain on Crete. Its summit, Timios Stavros, rises 2,456 meters above sea level. It beats the highest peak of the White Mountains by just three meters. Mount Ida also stands out from its surroundings more than any other mountain in Greece. The mountain belongs to a larger massif called Psiloritis, a name that means “the highest.”
Psiloritis has five peaks above 2,000 meters. Agathias reaches 2,424 meters. Stolistra, Voulomenou, and Koussakas are lower, but they all pass 2,000 meters. The massif also sits on a water divide. Water on the southern side drains to the Libyan Sea, while the northern basin faces the Aegean Sea.
The mountain mattered to ancient people. The Minoans dedicated it to goddesses. In Greek myth, it was sacred to the Titaness Rhea. On its slopes lies the Idaean Cave, where, according to one legend, the god Zeus was born. Other legends place his birth in Psychro Cave, on the Lasithi Plateau.
Later, Christians built a small stone chapel of the Holy Cross on the summit. People hold a celebration there on September 14, the day of the Holy Cross.
The easiest route to the top starts on the Nida plateau, which lies at 1,412 meters. The plateau is known for its mitata, the stone huts that shepherds use. Nearby, on the peak called Skinakas, the University of Crete runs an astronomical observatory.
Today the upper part of the mountain is rocky, and no trees grow there. Historical texts say that Psiloritis was once covered in thick forests. The forests were home to several species found only on Crete.
On a clear day, the view from the summit is wide. To the west, you can see the White Mountains. To the east, you can see Mount Dicte. To the south, you can see the Messara plain, the Asterousia mountains, and the Libyan Sea.
The area around Mount Ida is a natural park. It is a member of UNESCO’s Global Geoparks Network. On the northern foothills of the mountain, a plateau called Zominthos holds the remains of a Minoan villa. Researchers there have studied the plants that its residents ate.