The Mosque of Mastabas with its peculiar architecture of 9 domes and 13 adjacent cells, the "Priory" and its surroundings is the most well-known monument of Rethymno. It is now a part of Goulandris Natural History Museum as decided by the Ministry of Culture. After its restoration and the completion of the museological study, it functions as a Paleontological Museum / branch of Goulandris Natural History Museum on Crete.
The paleontological collection of the Municipality of Rethymno was given to the Museum and became the basis of the museum’s starting collection. Visitors have the opportunity to learn about the evolutionary course of Crete and its geological and paleontological changes that took place within a 300 million years period. More specifically, you can see the unusual findings of endemic mammals in real size representations, the Cretan dwarf elephants, the dwarf hippos and the polymorphous Cretan deer. The Candiacervus Ropalophorus deer is also the emblem of the museum.
The 2.5 acres garden has been designed to accommodate all kinds of trees and plants that thrive in Crete such as plane trees, sour orange trees, olive trees, carob trees, Cretan palm trees, oleanders and laurels and shrubs like wild roses, arbutus, mastic trees, myrtle, lavender, burning bush, osier, rosemary and wild lavender.
Open Hours
- Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday 9:00-15:00
Tickets
- Full fare ticket: 4€
- Reduced fare ticket: 2€ (students from 10 to 18 years old, university students – after showing their student ID -, The Center for the Open Care for the Elderly (ΚΑΠΗ) – organized visits)
Free admission for:
- Children below the age of 10.
- Teachers, tour guides, journalists, Friends of museums, people with special needs (ΑμεΑ), multi child parents (with a show of ID).
- Employees of the municipality of Rethymno.
- Soldiers of infantry, navy and aviation, police, students of the Hellenic Military Army (organized visit).
- Members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM).
