Travelling to Rhodes – Part 1

Rhodes can be found in the Aegean Sea just a mere 20 kilometres from the coast of Anatolia. It belongs to the Dodecanese archipelago, which is the southernmost group of Greek islands, scattered along the coast of Turkey. The name Dodecanese means twelve in Greek, and the name comes from Ottoman times, when 12 of the 18 of these islands were given special privileges because they voluntarily joined the Ottoman Empire, but two of the biggest islands, Rhodes and Kos, didn't join. Due to its geographical location as a gateway to the Aegean Sea, Rhodes has always played a prominent role, as trade routes from the East and West were crossed here, offering safe harbours and was therefore an important stop for merchants and explorers. The distance from Athens and mainland Greece meant that the islands of Dodecanese were often the victims of numerous invasions, and traces are still visible today. In Rhodes we find the remains of the ancient Greeks and Romans, which points to the importance of the island in antiquity, the knights of St. John, Turks and Italians. In 1948, the islands were connected to Greece, and today Rhodes is the capital of Dodecanese and the most important island.

When mentioning the history of Rhodes, special attention is paid to the order of the knights and nurses of St. John, after which the island was nicknamed the Island of Knights. The Order of the Knights of St. John, named after St. John the Baptist, was founded in the 11th century. The knights, who came from prominent Roman-Catholic families guarded the tomb of God and took care of Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem. The great master, who served until death, lead an order, which consisted of seven languages or nationalities: France, Italy, England, Germany, Provence, Spain and Auvergne. During the Crusades, the order became military-oriented, but the knights had to resort to Cyprus after the fall of Jerusalem in 1291, and in 1306 they bought Rhodes. The Knights have strengthened the Dodecanese with about 30 castles, their fortifications are one of the best example of medieval military architecture. After the defeat of 1522, they withdrew from Rhodes, and seven years later they received refuge in Malta, which is why they are also called the Maltese Knights. Their last defeat took place in 1798 when Napoleon conquered Malta.

The island of Rhodes is about 1400 square kilometres big, has over 100,000 inhabitants, half of whom live in the city of Rhodes, located on the northern tip of the island. The city of Rhodes, the main and at the same time the largest island settlement, is best known for its medieval wall, but the history of the city does not start with the arrival of the knights of St. John. In the year 408 BC, the ancient cities of Rhodes , Lindos, Ialyssos and Kameiros set up a settlement in the far north east of the island, which means that the area has been inhabited for more than 2,400 years. The Knights later consolidated and expanded existing walls, and after the Ottoman domination, the Italians rebuilt it at the beginning of the 20th century. The old city of Rhodes is considered to be the largest active medieval city in Europe, but it is also one of the best preserved and was enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988.

The remains of all the cultures that ruled Rhodes can still be admired in the city of Rhodes. A walled city or citadel, founded in 1330, is a masterpiece of medieval architecture. Within 4 km long and up to 12 meters thick wall, which has 11 doors, there are about 6000 inhabitants. In addition to the wall surrounding the old part of the city, the most impressive attraction is the Great Master's Palace, which rises above the city and is visible from afar from ships that approach the northern part of the island. It is a fortress inside the fortress, which was the seat of 19 great masters, and at the same time it represented the centre of the Knights' Quarter and was the last refuge of the population if being at risk. The thick walls of the palace were the last line of defence if the city walls fell. It was built in the 14th century, survived numerous sieges and earthquakes until it was destroyed in 1856. In the 30’s it was restored by the Italian rulers as a summer residence for Mussolini and the King of Italy, although none of them ever visited Rhodes. The magnificent main gate of the great master's palace stand not far from the street of the Knights (Ippoton), which runs 600 meters between the port and the grand master's palace, surrounded by the guest houses of the languages or nationalities of St. John. Guesthouses go back to 14th century, and served as meeting places for knights. As the grand master's palace, the guesthouses were also renovated by the Italians at the beginning of the last century. The maze of Rhodes' streets begins with the Sokratous street, a golden mile of bazaar shops from where you can go on other streets to markets, surrounded by cafes and taverns .You soon get the feeling that you are located somewhere in Turkey and not in Greece. Mosques from Ottoman times are also found among the houses (14 of them are preserved), and the most magnificent of all is the mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent, also called the Pink Mosque, which was built in 1522 in honour of the Sultan's victory over the knights of St. John. Not far away we find ourselves at Hippocrates Square, which has a medieval fountain in its centre. This central square of the old Rhodes is located in front of the sea gate, which is the main entrance to the old city from the commercial port. A large number of Jewish population, which almost disappeared in the Second World War, also lived here, for which we are reminded by the Square of Jewish Martyrs, which boasts a nice fountain with three bronze sea horses. Besides a few spacious markets, most of the old part of the city of Rhodes consists of arched narrow streets that confirm their medieval origin.

The most beautiful view of the city of Rhodes is from a watch tower, where a moderate entrance fee of 5€ includes also one drink. From the heights, you can see the border between the old city wall, where the buildings from the time of the Knights and Ottomans dominate, and the new part of the city outside the walls of old Rhodes. In the 20th century, the city gradually grew, and in the time of the Italian fascist occupation, some magnificent public buildings were built (post office, court, town hall, new market with domes) along the Mandraki port, north of the old town. Mandraki, which has a special charm with three medieval wind mills, is now the centre of life, a link between the old and the new town, full of yachts and boats. The entrance to the port, where the famous Kolos castle was supposedly standing, is protected by the bronze statue of deer and stag. Colossus of Rhodes was one of the seven wonders of the old world, similar to the famous Egyptian pyramids, which, unlike Colossus, still stand today. The 32-meter high statue of Helios, the god of the sun, was built in order to celebrate an important military victory in 305 BC. Traditionally, it is portrayed standing in the port of Mandraki, but it was probably standing closer to the city where today is the Grand Master's Palace. The earthquake ruined it in in 227 BC, and nothing was left of it. Every once in a while there are some tendencies to reconstruct this former symbol of the island.

With an introduction to the city of Rhodes, I am concluding the first part of the article. As the island Rhodes is much more than only the city of Rhodes, in the second part of the article I will focus on other island sights, and we will also go to the neighbouring islet Simi and Turkish Marmaris.