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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.

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 popular 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 traveler.

Its medieval aspect, fortified behind an impressive wall, merges harmoniously with the refined, cosmopolitan air of a modern resort with luxurious hotels, broad avenues with rows of trees, and rich commercial stores.

Sightseeing in the old town

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 one crosses one of the most famous gates, Pili Eleftherias (Freedom Gate) one encounters 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. One would note the kneeling Venus of Rhodes (1st century AD) and the sepulchral column of Tymarista and Crito.

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. The 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, and finally the Folk Dance Theatre working to preserve traditional music, dances and costumes in their purest form.

The new town

On entering Mandraki (yacht harbour), the most picturesque of the three ports of the city, we are welcomed by two bronze deer, which were erected where probably the famous Colossus of Rhodes used to stand, they have become the modern emblem of the town.
Nearby on the mole stands the lighthouse tower of St. Nicholas and the three old colourful windmills.

Numerous monumental buildings surround Mandraki and add to its majestic air - among others the New Market (Nea Agora), a polygonal building with an internal courtyard, the Archbishop's Palace, the Evangelismos (Annunciation) church, the Central Post Office, Town Hall, Theatre and Government-House (Italian-period building) - all four impressive buildings along the pier.

Next to the Theatre one admires Murad Reis Mosque and its graceful minaret. At the north end of the town stands the Institute of Marine Biology (Aquarium).

Archaeological Museum of Rhodes A number of the most significant archaeological findings of the islands of Dodecanese are found in the Archaeological museum of Rhodes, which was constructed to be used as the Main Hospital of the city during the 15th century. The second hospital used by the Knights, now houses the library of the Archaeological Institute. The visitor, who enters the Old City from the Harbour's entrance, realizes that the museums’ building occupies his whole range of vision. After the main entrance, one finds himself in the big inner courtyard. Exactly opposite himself, on a big pedestal, one can see a seated lion that holds with his forelegs the head of Taurus. Inside the building the collection is of a great interest and consists of epitaph plaques from the post-Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Knights' periods as well as a number of interesting statues including two Kouros and two Aphrodites, the smaller of which is known as the Aphrodite of Rhodes. Moreover, there is a vast collection of earthenware urns and pots.

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