“The largest and arguably the most beautiful of the 12 islands forming the Dodecanese, Rhodes has long played a major role in history. Lying just 12 miles off the coast of Turkey, the island straddles the sea-lanes linking Egypt, Southern Europe and the Holy Land. Rhodes Town bears witness to that long history. The ancient city features a classical stadium and the ruins of the Temple of Apollo. The “old” city is a walled town with medieval buildings and streets harking back to the days of the Crusades. The new town is a Mecca of luxury resorts lining the island’s picturesque Mandaraki Harbor.
The Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, is reputed to have once stood guard over the harbor. Today, the bronze statues of a stag and doe top the two columns marking the harbor entrance.” – the Princess Patter
We got up early and headed out for a full day on the Isle of Rhodes. Our first stop was in the old city.
Next we went up to the ruins of the ancient Greek grounds for the games. Our guide explained that this area became known as the Stadium but originally “stadium” was a unit of measure for a race (approximately 192 yards).
Next our tour bus took us to a parking area accessible to the town of Lindos. Because the streets of the town wouldn’t accommodate much more than a motor scooter, we were obliged to walk down the mountainside to the village. We walked through the narrow alleys of Lindos and then up the 300 steps and mountain paths to the Acropolis of Lindos. (We could have paid for a donkey ride half way up but decided to walk.) Our guide, Georges, explained that the Greek word ‘Acropolis’ refers to the highest point in a city or town. At this point you would normally find temple(s), maybe a place for priests, maybe a place for philosophers to meet and maybe stalls for craftsmen. (Georges also explained why we were not visiting the Acropolis of Rhodes. Because Greece has been sacked by the Romans, the Arabs, the Venetians, the Ottoman Empire, Italy, Germany and Britain. Temples have been torn down and/or built over and statuary destroyed or carted off to Rome or London … little or nothing is left of the Acropolis of Rhodes!)
It was a tough climb but we made it up to the Acropolis. Before entering the walls of the Acropolis we took time to enjoy the view from the plateau below the gate looking out over the Mediterranean Sea. Our guide pointed out several pieces of marble that lay at the edge of the plateau. They were in fact the bases of statues that had been chopped off and carted away. Leaving only these marble rocks with their occasional Greek inscription. Also, on the wall at the foot of the stairs leading up to the gate, is a craven relief of a Greek ship which was probably the base for a statue commemorating a naval victory …
At the top of the steps and through the door, we entered a room with a vaulted ceiling. This did not date to the ancient Greek construction but to a later addition of the Knights of St. John who controlled the island for a period from 1310 to 1522 (see The Grand Master’s Palace below). Once we exited the vaulted room we were on the grounds of the ancient acropolis. Turning left, we came to the arches that served as the shops of craftsmen, up a flight of stairs brought us to the remains of the columns, arches and canopy that comprised the stoic (philosophers’) area. Up another steep flight of steps and we came to an area that probably housed the priests and behind that … the Temple of Athena Lindos. Archeologists have dated this temple back to the 9th century B.C.E. and there is evidence that the site may have been used by an earlier cult going back to pre-Hellenic times.
After leaving the Acropolis, climbing back down to Lindos, walking through the town, climbing back up the mountainside and climbing back into our bus, we were taken to the medieval walled City of Rhodes and to the Grand Master’s Palace.
The Palace of the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of St. John was destroyed by an explosion during the Ottoman Empire occupation of Rhodes. However, the Italians occupied the island from 1914 to 1940 and they rebuild the Palace as a residence for their King. So, the existing palace is relatively new but it was built somewhat on the plan of the ancient Palace of the Grand Master.
From the palace we walked down Knights’ Street in the medieval city. This is where the actual Knights of the Order of St. John lived in apartments clustered by ‘tongues’ or language groups (i.e. French, Spanish, German, English, etc.) …
Finally, we returned to the harbor which is graced with the statues of two deer on columns. The story is that these were placed there to replace the Colossus of Rhodes which stood in the harbor but fell down during an earthquake. Our guide disputes this story. He states that the story is that the Colossus fell down and destroyed 33 homes. Now how could it do that if it was in the harbor. On the other hand the remains of a temple of Helios is now being excavated in the court yard of the Palace of the Grand Master. Our guide claims that this is the highest point in the City of Rhodes and would have been the natural site for the city’s acropolis and the acropolis would have been the logical site for the Colossus. In which case, if it fell down, it would certainly have destroyed many houses … anyway that’s Georges’ story …
