Saudi Arabian Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal enjoyed his visit to Crete so much that he decided to join the ranks of rich and famous who own Greek islands. Specifically, he expressed interest in owning Dia, an uninhabited island located 6 nautical miles north of Heraklion. He reportedly expressed this interest in exploiting the island in talks with Greek Tourism Olga Kefalogianni.

Qatar officials believe that such an investment would benefit the entire Cretan economy, however they would be limited in what they can do there as it is part of the European Network of Nature (Natura 2000). There is a lot of biodiversity in the area, a key breeding ground for sea birds that nest in the coastal cliffs and monk seals are often seen in the area.

Dia is a small secluded island covering a total area of 15 square kilometers. Boat trips are currently organized to the island from the port of Heraklion and it has four bays that are ideal for snorkeling and relaxing. An important port in antiquity, French oceanographer Jacques Yves-Cousteau had discovered remains of an ancient port in the area in 1976. Cousteau had reasoned that the sunken port was part of a larger complex that was destroyed witht he eruption of Thera, Santorini, at 1450 B.C. with speculation as to whether this area could have been part of the lost island of Atlantis.

Legend has it that Dia was initially a lizard that was turned into a rock by Zeus.

With so much antiquity and natural beauty the price of Dia may indeed be dear…

Photos of Dia –

The Church of Analypsis (Ascension) is one of the trademark landmarks of the island.