The Minoan Palace and the archaeological site of Malia are located 3 km east of the city of Malia. It covers an area of 7500 sq.m. and is considered the third largest Minoan palace and the most "provincial". According to legend, the third son of Zeus and Europe reigned here, Sarpedon, brother of Minos and Radamant.
Archaeological excavations in Mali began by Joseph Hadzidakis in 1915. Later they were continued by the French Archaeological School. They continue today.
The Palace of Malia was inferior in luxury and decoration to the palaces in Festus and Knossos. He did not have a theater, and perhaps the rooms were not decorated with frescoes.
The city itself has existed here since the Neolithic era. Fragments of the city dating from the old palace era were discovered. The Malian Palace shares the tragic "fate" of the rest of the Minoan palaces of Crete. The first palace in Malia was erected around the 1900s BC. and was ruined by an earthquake around 1700 BC In its place, a new palace was erected, the ruins of which we now observe: the western courtyard, storage facilities (round cellars), the western entrance, the reception room with a multi-aisle passage, columned (pillar) crypt, loggia, a large staircase and core, the southern entrance, main entrance, eastern entrance, storage rooms, hypostyle hall, inclined (curved) structure, northern courtyard, northern entrance, quarter M. The new palace in Malia lasted until 1450 BC, after which it was destroyed as a result of a mysterious catastrophe leading to the disappearance of the Minoan tsivi lizings.
About 500 m north of the palace was a necropolis (royal burial). Here was found the famous Bee pendant - a pendant in the form of two bees or wasps with a drop of honey in the crest. Exhibited in the Heraklion Museum, like many other finds of the Minoan palace of Malia.