Rhodes is one of the most visited Greek islands. The island is famous for its sun, sea and sand: the ideal place for vacations. It is the third largest Greek island and, officially, the sunniest place in the Europe. Rhodes City is among the finest, not only in Greece but in the whole of the Mediterranean.
It is situated at the island’s most northerly point and ringed by sea on the east and west. Rhodes (Rodos in Greek) combines the cosmopolitan character of a contemporary city with the picturesque of the medieval town, which gives the impression of having been untouched by the passage of time.
The city of Lindos in the south of the island has a very beautiful acropolis and is absolutely worth visiting. Other highlights include the excavations of Old Kamiros.
Rhodes City contains many sights worth exploring. The medieval city is still very much alive. 6,000 people live and work in the same buildings in which the Knights of St. John lived six centuries ago; as a living monument to the past it must be nearly unique in Europe, if not the world.
The Old Town continues today to be divided into the two parts which made it up in the time of the Knights: the northern part, which was the internal fortress of the Knights, known as the Castello, and which contained the official buildings; and the larger southern part, called the Chora, where the Greeks, the Europeans who were not members of the Order and the Jews lived. These two parts of the town were separated by a wall running approximately parallel to the line of Sokratous street, the old Bazaar.
During the years of Turkish occupation, the Greeks were expelled from the Old Town, which was the exclusive province of Turks and Jews. Greeks were allowed to enter only during daytime and those who were caught in the old town after dark were liable to be beheaded.
Coming up from Mandraki Harbor, we enter through the Gate of Freedom (Pili Eleftherias), in Simi sq. The Gate was opened in 1924 by the Italians, who looked on themselves as liberators of the island from the Turks.
Immediately opposite are the ruins of a Temple of Aphrodite, dating from the 3rd century BC, one of the few ancient remains to be found in the Old Town.
Behind the temple is the Inn of the Tongue of Auvergue, built in 1507. Note the outside staircase leading up the front of the building which is a purely Aegean architectural feature, owing nothing to Western influence. The Inn is used today as government offices.
To the left, Arsenal Gate leads to the commercial port. Simi sq. is also known as Arsenal sq., as it was believed that the Knights had shipyards there (the word "arsenal" is derived from the Arabic word for a shipyard). The building on the right houses the Ionian and Popular Bank on the ground floor and the Municipal Art Gallery upstairs.
From here the street climbs slightly to Argyrokastrou sq., a pretty spot with a fine fountain in its center. Its base, which is an early Christian font, was found by Italian archaeologists in the church of St. Irene near the village of Arnitha. The pile of cannonballs near the fountain, and the other piles to be seen here and there in the Old Town, were collected for the defense of Rhodes during the Turkish siege of 1522.
Argyrokastrou sq. also boasts one of the oldest buildings in the Castle - the Armeria, built in the 14th century, probably by Grand Master Roger de Pias, whose escutcheon can be seen on the left hand side of the building.
Its similarities to the Hospital of the Knights (now the Museum) lead scholars to believe that this was the first building used as a Hospital. Later, it was used by the Turks as an armory (armeria). To the left as we look at the Armeria, which today houses the Institute of History and Archaeology, is the Museum of Folk Art.
Lindos is less than 50 kilometer from the Rhodes City and one of the the island's major tourist attractions. The village has perfectly preserved its medieval character, with pebble-covered streets and whitewashed houses built on a slope just over the sea.
A series of steps leads to the ancient Acropolis with its Doric Temple of Athena. Through the main gate we discern the ruins of the Knight's 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 (4.5 m x 5 m).
We cross the Doric Stoa (5th century BC) with its 42 columns (20 have been restored) and climb the majestic staircase to 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).
Ruins of an ancient theater have been found on the slope of the Acropolis. 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 harbor on the other side of village has been named Agios Pavlos.
In the village you can visit the Byzantine church covered with eighteenth century frescoes. In the recent years, some 15th century houses have been declared traditional buildings to be preserved and can be visited. Today, this peaceful traditional village has been chosen by many VIPs as the place to build a vacation house. |
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