The modern town ofIerapetra has about 12,000 inhabitants. Although you might not guess it, it is the richest town on the island and ranks quite high among rich towns in the entire country. Its wealth does not derive from tourism, however, but from... cucumbers and tomatoes.

Until 1965 it was a rather poor place with an economy that was based on farming and stockbreeding.

Then something happened and its fate changed; a young Dutchman by the name of Paul Coopers came to Ierapetra, armed with some precious knowledge. Coopers was a member of a poor and large family, who had studied agronomy with the support of the Church and was under the obligation to offer his services free of charge in some underdeveloped area.

He chose Ierapetra because he foresaw that its mild climate and fertile ground would be excellent for the greenhouse crops that were becoming so popular. The locals did not pay much heed to his advice and they were even mistrustful. But Coopers was not one to get easily disappointed, and he persisted in spite of their narrow-mindedness. He built a greenhouse and showed them how lucrative it was to produce juicy red tomatoes in the heart of winter! In the next twenty years the entire south coast of

Crete was covered with greenhouses, and the farmers’ pockets were filled with earnings. Ironically, Coopers did not live to see the fruits of his success. He died in 1968 in a car accident and was posthumously honoured by the locals with a splendid statue, which they erected among the greenhouses, at the same place where he once planted the “seed” of their present wealth.In spite of its wealth, Ierapetra is a town full of eye sores: ugly apartment buildings that stifle it with cement, narrow streets full of potholes, and debris lying around everywhere.

The municipal beach at the east side of town is not so ugly, but you will certainly find better beaches a few kilometres to the east. Near the harbour you can see a part of the old town which has survived, but as the fronts of the houses have not yet been restored and there are no pedestrian zones

it gives the impression of a rather shabby old neighbourhood. At the west part of the old town you can see a Turkish mosque and fountain, the most obvious reminders of the Turkish presence in the area. As for the time of the Venetian rule, it has left behind several landmarks, especially small churches. Among them, the church of Afendis Christos (Christ, Our Lord), which dates from the 14th century and is situated just west of the fortress, the Panagia tou Kale just opposite of the fortress gate, and the church of Aghios Nikolaos. Though thechurches are usually locked, there is always somebody around who knows where to find the keys.

Another thing worth seeing is the archaeological collection, housed in an old building opposite the town hall at the main square. (Incidentally, the building once served as a Turkish school). The place is open Tuesday through Sunday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Among other exhibits, one can distinguish the marble statue of the goddess Demeter, dating from the 2nd century BC, and a clay Minoan sarcophagus of the 14th century BC, which was found in Episkopi and bears some wonderful representations of chariot processions, hunting scenes etc.