Island of Rhodes
Island of Rhodes is situated approximately 18 kn southwest of Turkey, in the eastern Aegean Sea. Famous worldwide for having housed the Colossus of Rhodes, a 30 m tall bronze statue of the Greek God Helios, designated as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the city of Rhodes, along with its old town core, is declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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A neolithic settlement, the city was populated by the Minoan civilization in the 16th century BC. The Byzantine era followed and, much later in the 14th century, the island of Rhodes was occupied by the Knights Hospitaller, who rebuilt the city in a European medieval manner, the sculpted fortification walls scattered amongst the town and the imposing Palace of the Grand Master being a majestic evidence thereof. The palace is a vast pinnacled fortress, with square bastions and a Gothic main entrance flanked by round towers with cannon ports and windows of Gothic tracery. The palace of the Grand Master houses the world famous Laocoon sculpture, of a Trojan Priest attacked by snakes as a punishment from the Sea God Poseidon.
The ottoman era brought about the construction of mosques, public baths and mansions. The building facades from the Knights' period, with carved decorations, arched gates and stone walls were enriched with Ottoman architecture features such as the picturesque enclosed wooden balconies over the narrow streets.
The city of Rhodes still displays this mixture of oriental and western influences into the local architecture, although many buildings were destroyed in World War II.
The European medieval Knights Street is remarkable for this architectural blend, as is the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent for the Ottoman era, featuring superimposed Byzantine cupolas and a tall and slender minaret.
The historical upper town houses Gothic buildings and the recently excavated Byzantine harbor has revealed unique medieval shipwrecks.
Rhodes also has an Acropolis dating since the Hellenistic period, encompassing a stadium and a small classical theatre, as well as part of the ruined temple of Apollo. Other remarkable sights are the Rhodes windmills, the ruins of the Romanesque basilica and the rich 16th century Kahal Shalom Synagogue.
The medieval fortifications extend into the splendid Rhodes harbor, where one the Colossus of Rhodes used to stand. At its place, two great columns support two modern statues of deers made of bronze.
