Rhodes - Dodecanese, Greece - 1000 Places to See Before You Die on Waymarking.com

The Knights Hospitallers established their headquarters at Rhodes after the fall Acre and the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1291. They settled there upon leaving Acre, Tripoli and Cyprus and remained on the Island for the next two hundred years.

Rhodes is strategically located between three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa. It controls sea route between the Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, the coast of the Middle East, and Egypt. Between the 14th and 16th centuries the Knights of St. John constructed magnificent walls, 2.5 miles in length, around the Old Town to protect the city from attack by the Turks. The walls and the Old Town are well preserved and provide a glimpse of life in Medieval times.

The knights at Rhodes successfully defended themselves from attack by the Egyptians in 1444 and by the Turks in 1480. It was then that the Knights Grand Master, Fabrizio Del Carreto, commissioned the strengthening of the city's defences. By 1521, Rhodes had the strongest fortifications of any Christian Bastion in the World. The Old Town of Rhodes is encircled within these massive walls. The great walls of the city are constructed of stone. They are, in places, an amazing forty feet thick and protected by dry moats. The walls are reinforced with ramparts that were used as the first line defense. Marine Gate, or Harbor Gate, is flanked by two huge bastions. It's perhaps the most spectacular of all the gates into the Old Town.

At the northern tip of the city Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, once stood. According to tradition, it was a lighthouse in the form of a giant human figure that straddled the entrance to Mandraki Harbor. Ships entering Rhodes sailed between the legs of the giant. In 226 BC a strong earthquake toppled the Colossus. In its place today a pair of bronze deer statues flank the inlet to Mandraki Harbor. The Dama-Dama Deer is the modern iconic symbol of the Island of Rhodes. Each deer is placed on a tall column built where the legs of the Colossus once stood. Today ships entering the harbor must pass between these statues.

Because Rhodes is one of the best preserved Medieval towns in Europe in 1988 it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the 1,000 places to visit before you die.

Name of Source Book: 1,000 Places To Visit Before You Die Page Location in Source Book: 174 Type of Waymark: city Location of Coordinates: Marine Gate (Harbor Gate) Cost of Admission (Parks, Museums, etc.): 0.00 (listed in local currency) List Available Hours, Dates, Season: Always open. Official Tourism Website: [Web Link]

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