Nikos Kazantzakis Airport: the writer behind Heraklion Airport’s name

Who was Nikos Kazantzakis?

Nikos Kazantzakis (1883–1957) was a Cretan writer, poet and philosopher, born in Heraklion when Crete was still under Ottoman rule. He studied law in Athens and philosophy in Paris, travelled constantly, and wrote novels, plays, travel books and a 33,333-line sequel to Homer’s Odyssey. Abroad he is known for two novels that both became films: Zorba the Greek (1946, filmed in 1964 with Anthony Quinn) and The Last Temptation of Christ (1955, filmed by Martin Scorsese in 1988). He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature many times.

Why Heraklion Airport is called Nikos Kazantzakis

Greek airports carry the names of local figures: Chania honours the revolutionary Ioannis Daskalogiannis, Sitia the poet Vitsentzos Kornaros. Heraklion chose its best-known writer. The full official name is Heraklion International Airport “Nikos Kazantzakis”, which is why you will see “N. Kazantzakis” on the terminal façade and searches for “Kazantzakis airport” land on HER. Inside the terminal stands a bust of the writer on a stone plinth.

Kazantzakis sites near Heraklion Airport

The grave is a good use of a long wait before a flight: a short taxi ride from the terminal, then a walk along the walls with a view over the city. See our airport to city centre guide for how to get there.

Kazantzakis and Crete today

The quote on his tombstone is everywhere in Crete, on T-shirts, mugs and fridge magnets at the airport shops. Locals still call the airport simply “to aerodromio” (the airport) or “Nikos Kazantzakis”. If you want the background before landing, Report to Greco, his autobiographical last book, is the best introduction to the Crete he grew up in. And if you are curious about the codes on your ticket, read HER and LGIR explained.