'sacred stone'; ancient name: Ἱεράπυτνα Hierápytna)[3] is a Greek city and municipality located on the southeast coast of Crete.

Ierapetra is nicknamed "the bride of the Libyan Sea" because of its position as the only town on Crete's southern coast.

The Fortress of Kales, built in the early years of Venetian rule and strengthened by Francesco Morosini in 1626[5] to protect the harbor, is a remnant of this period.

In July 1798, Ierapetra made a small step into world history; Napoleon stayed with a local family[6] after the Battle of the Pyramids in Egypt.

Finds from Ierapetra's past can be found in the local Museum of Antiquities, formerly a school for Muslim children.

It is characterised by a medieval street layout with narrow alleyways, cul-de-sacs, and small houses, which create a village-like atmosphere.

The former mosque and the "house of Napoleon" can be found in this neighborhood, as well as the Aghios Georgios metropolitan church, built in the town center in 1856.

To the west is the southern headland containing the fortress, a port for fishing boats, and the 'Navmachia' area, where sea fights among slaves for citizens' entertainment occurred during the Roman occupation.

This sparked an unprecedented wave of protests within the region, as the hospital serves 40,000 people including some from the neighboring prefecture of Agios Nikolaos.

Protests included occupying the building where the Decentralized Administration was located and an outdoor theatrical play performed by the protestors.

Following those incidents, it was announced that the authorities had halted the plans to close the hospital, instead funding it with 1 million euros and promising to send more doctors.

[11] However, despite the promises of the government, problems still existed surrounding the inadequate provision of health services and the lack of staff in the only hospital in the region.

Around 1,000 people came to storm the town hall, protesting the latest additions to the building and demanding hospital upgrades instead.

[12] A row between the municipal authorities and the commission that advocated the upgrade of the hospital resulted in a stalemate and the prosecution of the people who led the storming of the town hall.

[13] Following an order by the incumbent mayor, 14 citizens were put to trial for the town hall occupation and were found not guilty on 11 July 2011.

Over the next few months, the merger caused yet more problems concerning bureaucracy, inadequate food and supplies, and a lack of qualified medical professionals.

The unrest ended on 22 February 2013 following an agreement with officials that TEI schools, hospitals, and facilities would stay in the region.

Since November 2011, when it lost four communities to the municipality of Siteia, it had an area of 75.376 square kilometres (29.103 sq mi) and a population of 2,589 (2021).

Whereas olive oil has been produced throughout the municipality since Minoan times at the latest, for the last thirty years large quantities of fruit and vegetables have also been exported.

These are grown in plastic greenhouses, which cover an area of 15 square kilometers between the town of Ierapetra and Neos Myrtos.

[23] Ierapetra has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.

The western tip of the island has some remains of past settlement: a few Minoan ruins and a 13th-century Byzantine chapel dedicated to Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas).