Rhodes

Rhodes, the largest of the Dodecanese islands, is not an ordinary holiday resort but a cosmopolitan place of international reputation. Indeed, this relatively limited space, endowed with innumerable natural beauties, is rightly considered a tourists' Paradise. Holidays here are not restricted to the three summer months, as the sunny period lasts much longer.

In Rhodes everyone can choose their preferred type of holiday - the intensity of an excellently equipped major resort or the peace and quiet of a small, traditional seaside or mountain village. Swimming in the crystal-clear waters of Rhodes is equally fascinating on populous beaches or on isolated pebbled seashores.

Lovers of history will be drawn to the remarkable monuments all over the island, signs of its long past. Those who prefer mobility will find an adequate network of roads enabling them to reach almost every corner of the island. Daily air and sea communications with other islands, numerous tourist agencies open limitless horizons to the traveller.

By its present reality, Rhodes would resemble a rose (rhodon in Greek) rather than the mythical nymph after whom the island was allegedly named.

Rhodes is 260 nautical miles from Piraeus.It's very close to the coasts of Near East.Rhodes, the pearl of the Mediterranean as they call it, is a very interesting island not only for it's natural beauty, but also for the archeological treasures.

Strategically placed, the island has had a tumultuous past linked to the sea. Rhodes was inhabited already in prehistoric times. The island gradually expanded its influence and became the main commercial link in the Mediterranean. In 408 BC the island's three important Doric cities lalissos, Lindos and Kamiros united to found the city of Rhodes on the island's northeastern edge. This marked a new era in the history of the island.

The Sun-worshipping city of Rhodes (Rodos) became an important political, commercial and religious centre. Its golden era lasted from the 5th to the 3rd century BC. Rhodes extended its rule, minted its own coin, introduced the first maritime law rules, advanced the arts, theatre and sports. Its School of Rhetoric became famous and attracted many well-known Romans and Greeks.

In the 2nd century BC Rhodes became an ally of Rome: this led to a gradual weakening of the island, which from the 4th century AD became a Roman prefecture. St Paul visited the island and recruited the first Christians in 57 AD; as in 395 AD the Roman Empire split, Rhodes and the other islands of the "Provincia insularum" were included in the Byzantine Empire. New seafarers attacked and often looted the city in the following centuries.

It's fascinating to walk in the medieval town, full of impressive 15th-century buildings, stone-paved lanes with arches and vaults, rows of little shops - as a modern touch to the medieval picture - offering a surprising variety of commodities.

Perhaps the best starting-point for a journey through medieval Rhodes is the wall (14th century; 5 km long). As we cross one of the most famous gates, Pili Eleftherias (Freedom Gate) we encounter traces of the Temple of Venus (3rd century BC), also the Inn of the Auvergne Knights, the Arsenal, the Museum of Decorative Arts (folklore exhibits from the Dodecanese islands), the Byzantine Museum (in a 13th-century church), the majestic Harbour Gate. The Archaeological Museum (tel. 0241/27.674), housed in the 15th-century building of the Knights' Hospital, includes collections of coins, pots and sculptures from the Mycenaean up to the Roman era. We note the kneeling Venus of Rhodes (1st century AD) and the sepulchral column of Tymarista and Crito.

The Knights' Road, official street of the medieval city, follows the ancient road to the end (the Acropolis) but to the Palace of the Grand Masters. Along the road lay the Inns of the Knights of Seven Languages, of which four still remain. The Palace of the Grand Masters or Knights' Palace (14th c.) is a palace and fortress that dominates the old town. It was destroyed in 1856 and rebuilt in 1939. Floors are covered with ancient mosaics from the island of Cos. There is an interesting collection of 16th and 17th-century Western furniture, and an impressive arcade used as a place for meetings and as a majestic entrance. The Palace has been renovated and is used to house important international functions.

Other remarkable sights of the old town ale the Mosque of Suleiman, an old church with a beautiful Italian door, the Castellania (16th- century building now housing the Library) with its beautiful fountain, St Catherine's Hospital, the Admiralty Palace to its right, finally the Folk Dance Theatre working to preserve traditional music, dances and costumes in their purest form.

The Knights of the Order of St. John were established in Rhodes in 1309 AD. Their stay has endowed the city with a series of majestic buildings protected by a fortified wall.

From 1522 onwards the Dodecanese islands form part of the Ottoman Empire until 1912 AD, when they fell under Italian rule. The Treaty of Paris ended foreign occupation, and in March 1948 the islands were united with Greece.

Most visitors of the island's east coast flow to Lindos (47 km from the city of Rhodes), built on the ruins of the ancient Doric town of the same name. In medieval times Lindos was the second most important centre of the island, after the city of Rhodes itself. The ancient Acropolis was then built into a castle.

It is said that St. Paul the Apostle landed here when he came to the island of Rhodes; accordingly, the tiny harbour on the other side of the village has been named "Agios Pavlos". Under the steep cliff of the Acropolis lies the present townlet, charming with its whitewashed houses and pebbled courtyards. Houses retain traditional interiors, heavy ironwork on balconies and brown windows. Some 15th-century houses have been officially declared traditional buildings to be preserved.

One should also visit the church of the Virgin Mary (Panagia) of Lindos and the chapel of Agios Pavlos. A series of steps leads to the Acropolis. Inside the main gate we discern the ruins of the Knights' Lodge and the Byzantine church of St. John. Outside the Doric Stoa the prow of a Lindian Hellenistic trireme has been carved in a rock (4.5m x 5m). We cross the Doric Stoa (5th century BC) with its 42 columns (20 have been restored) and climb the majestic staircase to a higher terrace with Propylaean ruins (5th century BC). From this point we reach the Sanctuary of Lindian Athena, with its elegant bi-prostyle temple on the edge of the cliff (4th century).

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