Kanakia | A peaceful destination below the palace of King Ajax of Salamis 

Kanakia | A peaceful destination below the palace of King Ajax of Salamis
Leaving the port of Salamina and going south towards Aianteio, at a distance of 18km and in less than 20 minutes we reach a part of the island that in my opinion is worth discovering. Climbing the Aianteio mountain, we are in the largest natural "lung" of the Saronic. A wonderful route where we come across a dense pine forest where the monastery of Agios Nikolaos of Lemonion is located and nearby the Byzantine chapel of Agios Ioannis Kalyvitis, which dates back to around the 10th century.
Descending the mountain of Aianteiou, we reach one of the largest beaches of Salamina, which is opposite the islands of Aegina and Agistri. Kanakia Salamina is offered to those looking for quiet holidays or one-day getaways at a distance of 1 hour and 20 minutes from the center of Athens.
Athenians often tend to take the Saronic Gulf for granted and over-explored, thus turning their attention to less nearby destinations. In reality, however, there are still some corners hidden by the intense tourist development of recent years. One of them is Kanakia, unknown to most people located on the south side of Salamis, with only 206 permanent residents, according to the last census.
Coming here, therefore, you will not find large hotel units or infrastructure of this type. However, both near the sea and further inside Kanakia you will find options for renting apartments (some also through Airbnb), if you wish to stay a few days here for peace and relaxation.
The only tavern in the village is based on fresh fish and seafood and depends on the catch brought daily by the trawlers that open in the bay.
An uninhabited islet of the same name juts out in front of the beach, as well as a smaller Gaidouronisi on its side. In the past, the settlement was known as Karakiani or Kanakiani, names probably of Slavic origin, which testify to the remote roots of the current village. In fact, until the 1970s there was no road to reach here and the inhabitants only moved by sea.
The palace of Ajax of Telamonius
The fact that Salamis was one of the states of the Mycenaeans is well known because of Homer's "Iliadas", since one of the distinguished heroes of the Achaeans during the Trojan War was its king, Ajax Telamonius who stood out for his performance and his bravery.
After 2000, a multi-year archaeological investigation by Mr. Yannos Lolos, professor of Prehistoric Archeology at the University of Ioannina, brought to light a Mycenaean acropolis on the outskirts of today's Kanakia, documenting the continuous habitation of the site from the end of prehistoric times until 1200 BC. Since then the building complex has fallen into permanent disuse, following the general fate of the Mycenaean palaces, which were swept away one after the other.
A defining element that determines that it is a palace is the Double Palace. That is, two throne rooms. And it is the only case so far that two throne rooms have been found in a Mycenaean palace complex.
In addition to the palace, however, a large industrial unit has also been revealed which consists of three buildings and includes 32 rooms with workshops and warehouses. Among other things, vases, cups, amphorae, clay bathers and a treasure trove of copper tools and plates were found there. And among these plates there is a find of extraordinary importance, this find certifies that Salamis of that distant era had maritime communication with Egypt. A bronze flake, an 8.5 cm plate of scaly armor of Eastern origin.
Professor Yannos Lolos told us that the uniqueness of this plaque is that it is the first and only one that has been found in the entire Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East, because it bears an Egyptian royal delta, i.e. a seal. It is the seal of Pharaoh Ramses the second (1279-1213 BC) of the 19th dynasty and in hieroglyphic writing we read "Ramses, the beloved of the god" and it means Amon. It is about Ramses the Second, the Great, from the leading figures of the then known world.
With these findings in Salamis at the site of Kanakia, it is now the first time that a Mycenaean palace can, with all possible certainty, be attributed to a famous Homeric hero and leading protagonist of the Epic ..Ajax the Telamonius.
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