After the Cretan Rising of 1896 and the subsequent unfortunate Greco-Turkish war (1896-1897), as well the declaration of Crete as semi-independent state under his Highness the Sultan (1898-1913) and the appointment of Prince George, son of the Greek King George I, as High Commissioner of Crete, numerous Muslims with their families left the island. They resettled in various areas of the Ottoman Empire, such as the Dodecanese Islands (Patmos, Kos, Rhodes), western Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, Libya and Morocco.

In order to integrate the refugees and especially those who went to Rhodes, the Ottoman administration planned the following residential estates that were realized at state expense: 1) Kritika (Kritika A), 2) Sandy Cape or Cum Burnu (Kritika B) and 3) Chochlakas in the south of Rhodes, between the villages of Lachania and Kattavia. Some of the refugees also settled in the medieval town of Rhodes.

The following two estates still exist and their inhabitants are descendants of the late-19th-century Cretan-Turkish refugees: 1) the estate of Kritika A and 2) the estate of Chochlakas. Due to the remodelling of the city of Rhodes under the Italian administration (1912-1943), the estate Sandy Cape or Cum Burnu (Kritika B) no longer exists.

The inhabitants of these estates are Greek citizens of Muslim faith and speak Greek, preserving the Cretan dialect as well as Cretan customs and traditions, but are incorporated and well integrated into local society.