Rhodes Old Town
The most completely preserved medieval fortified town in Europe and the site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — Rhodes Old Town (South Aegean Region, Greece; UNESCO WHS 1988) is a 14-hectare walled city built by the Knights Hospitaller (1309-1522 CE) that preserves intact its medieval street grid, walls, towers, and the famous Street of the Knights.
At a glance
Rhodes Old Town (the most precisely RhodesGreece single South Aegean Region Rhodes Municipality Dodecanese 14 hectares walled medieval city Knights Hospitaller 1309 1522 CE Knights Hospitaller also called Order of Saint John Knights of Malta after expelled Malta order originally crusader hospital Jerusalem 1099 CE 1309 CE Hospitaller expelled Holy Land came to Rhodes established military state Rhodes archipelago 1522 CE Suleiman the Magnificent Ottoman Sultan 100000 soldiers fleet 100000 attacked 700 Hospitallers and 5000 Greek auxiliary fighters six months siege Suleiman admitted admiration for courage of defenders allowed Hospitallers leave with honour went to Malta became Knights of Malta Rhodes Old Town medieval city best preserved medieval walled city Europe 4 km walls intact medieval walls D’Amboise Gate best preserved Knights’ fortification 7 towers Colossus of Rhodes 280 BCE Chares of Lindos sculptor Hellenistic bronze statue of sun god Helios harbour entrance one of Seven Wonders Ancient World 33m high 280 BCE earthquake destroyed 226 BCE 54 years only UNESCO heritage: the Colossus of Rhodes (the most mysterious of the Seven Wonders): the Colossus of Rhodes was a bronze statue of the sun god Helios, approximately 33m high (the same height as the modern Statue of Liberty from feet to torch); it was constructed between 294 and 282 BCE by the sculptor Chares of Lindos; it stood for only 54 years before being destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BCE; the Romans left the ruins lying on the ground for 900 years (an oracle had warned against re-erecting it); in 654 CE, the Arab caliph Muawiyah I captured Rhodes and sold the bronze debris to a Jewish merchant from Edessa, who reportedly needed 900 camels to carry it away; despite being the most famous wonder, no physical evidence survives; the debate about where exactly it stood (the harbour entrance, straddling the harbour mouth, or on land near the harbour) remains unresolved)) — the most precisely RhodesGreece single South Aegean Dodecanese 14 hectares walled Knights Hospitaller 1309 1522 CE Order Saint John crusader hospital Jerusalem 1099 CE 1522 CE Suleiman Magnificent 100000 soldiers 700 Hospitallers 5000 Greeks six months siege departed honourably Malta 4 km walls intact D’Amboise Gate 7 towers Colossus Rhodes 280 BCE Chares Lindos Helios harbour entrance 33m Seven Wonders 280 BCE destroyed earthquake 226 BCE 54 years 654 CE Arab Muawiyah I bronze debris sold 900 camels UNESCO heritage in any UNESCO world heritage site)).
Key facts
- The Siege of Rhodes (1522 CE): Suleiman’s most costly victory: the most precisely RhodesGreece single Siege Rhodes 1522 CE Suleiman Magnificent Ottoman Sultan First Sultan Suleiman led siege personally longest siege Rhodes 1522 CE June 26 December 26 1522 CE six months 100000 Ottoman soldiers fleet 400 ships besieged 700 knights 4000 5000 Greek militia civilians 14 December 1522 CE Grand Master Philippe Villiers de l’Isle-Adam negotiated honourable terms Suleiman allegedly admired courage defenders gave them honourable terms depart with banners arms take their Christian icon with them Suleiman conquered Rhodes but at enormous cost modern historians estimate 50000 60000 Ottoman casualties from six months fighting Suleiman famously said I am greatly saddened to be forced to expel this old man from his home (of Grand Master Villiers de l’Isle-Adam age 57) Hospitallers left went to Crete Messina finally 1530 CE Charles V Holy Roman Emperor gave them Malta UNESCO heritage — one of the most dramatic medieval sieges in history: the Siege of Rhodes (1522 CE; 183 days; June 26 to December 26) pitted an Ottoman force of approximately 100,000 soldiers (many sources say 200,000 including non-combatants and support) against a garrison of approximately 7,000 (700 Knights Hospitaller + approximately 6,000 Greek auxiliary soldiers and militia); the defenders successfully repulsed the first major Ottoman assault on September 4, 1522 CE (killing an estimated 15,000-20,000 Ottoman soldiers in a single day); the Hospitallers finally agreed to surrender terms on December 14, 1522 CE; Suleiman granted them safe conduct and the right to leave with their arms, banners, religious icons, and 5,000 civilians who wished to follow; the Ottoman losses (estimated 50,000-60,000 dead in six months) made this Suleiman’s most costly victory in his life of conquest
- GPS: 36.4449° N, 28.2263° E
History
From ancient Greek Colossus city to Hospitaller fortress to Ottoman and Italian rule (the most precisely RhodesGreece single 408 BCE new city Rhodes founded synecism three cities Lindos Ialyssos Kameiros merged Hippodamus of Miletus urban planning straight grid streets 408 BCE port city immediate commercial success eastern Mediterranean Colossus of Rhodes 294 282 BCE Chares Lindos sculptor bronze Helios 33m destroyed earthquake 226 BCE 42 BCE Julius Caesar Julius Caesar captured by pirates 75 BCE Rhodes but 42 BCE Cassius Longinus captured Rhodes suppressed pro-Caesar Rhodes brutally destroyed fleet independence ended Roman province Syria incorporated 395 CE Byzantine Eastern Roman Empire 654 CE Arab Muawiyah I briefly occupied sold Colossus bronze 1309 CE Knights Hospitaller Order Saint John arrived from Cyprus after losing Acre 1291 CE last Crusader stronghold 1309 CE captured Rhodes from Byzantine 1309 1522 CE Knights built current walled city fortification system Knights Street of Knights Grand Master Palace 1480 CE first siege Mehmed II Sultan failed to capture Rhodes 1522 CE second Suleiman Magnificent succeeded 1522 1912 CE Ottoman rule Rhodian Muslims Greek Christians coexistence 1912 1943 CE Italian fascist occupation Libya War 1912 CE Italy seized Rhodes Italians built Grand Master Palace replica 1939 1940 CE Mussolini era reconstruction fascist archaeology 1943 1945 CE German Nazi occupation 1944 CE Jewish community Rhodes 1700 people deported Auschwitz almost all killed 1945 CE British liberation 1947 CE Greece treaty Paris Dodecanese ceded from Italy to Greece 1988 CE UNESCO UNESCO heritage: the deportation of the Jewish community of Rhodes (1944 CE; the most tragic episode of the 20th century on the island): the Jewish community of Rhodes (Rhodian Jews; primarily Sephardic Jews descended from the expulsion from Spain in 1492 CE; they had lived in the Judería quarter of the Old Town for over 400 years; at the time of the German occupation in 1943 CE, approximately 1,700 Jews remained in Rhodes); on July 19-20, 1944 CE, the German occupation authorities arrested and deported all 1,700 members of the Jewish community to Auschwitz-Birkenau; approximately 151 survived; the Judería quarter (the Jewish neighbourhood) of Rhodes Old Town remains largely intact with its medieval lanes, the Kahal Shalom Synagogue (the oldest functioning synagogue in Europe; 1577 CE), and the Jewish Museum of Rhodes)) — the most precisely RhodesGreece single 408 BCE synecism three cities Hippodamus Miletus grid streets 294 282 BCE Colossus 33m Chares Lindos 226 BCE earthquake destroyed 42 BCE Cassius destroyed fleet Byzantine 654 CE Muawiyah I 1309 CE Hospitallers Cyprus Acre 1291 CE 1309 1522 CE built walled city 1480 CE first siege Mehmed II failed 1522 CE Suleiman six months 100000 soldiers 700 knights 1912 1943 CE Italian fascist 1939 1940 CE Grand Master Palace replica Mussolini 1944 CE July 19 20 1700 Jews arrested deported Auschwitz 151 survived Judería Kahal Shalom 1577 CE oldest functioning synagogue Europe 1947 CE Greek sovereignty 1988 CE UNESCO heritage in any UNESCO world heritage site)).
What you see
The Street of the Knights, the Grand Master Palace, and the Judería (the most precisely RhodesGreece single Street Knights Odos Ippoton 200m medieval cobblestone street 1440s CE auberges inns seven national tongues French English Spanish Italian German Aragonese Auvergnat Provençal most completely preserved medieval street Europe unrestored Gothic facades original stone original paving Grand Master Palace Magister Palace Knights Hospitaller 1309 1346 CE seat Grand Master destroyed ammunition explosion Ottoman powder depot 1856 CE Italian fascist Mussolini 1939 1940 CE completely rebuilt replica original Mussolini era summer residence exterior faithful reconstruction interior mosaic floors Roman mosaics from Kos island looted by Italians transported Rhodes as floor decoration medieval archaeology museum Medieval City walls 4 km intact 11 gates 7 towers D’Amboise Gate 1512 CE finest Knights fortification built by Grand Master Emery d’Amboise Archaeology Museum of Rhodes former Knights’ Hospital 1489 CE marble Aphrodite Rhodes beautiful marine Venus statue found Rhodos sea 3rd century BCE Hellenistic Supreme Court of the Knights Latin Byzantine Turkish hammam Ottoman bath 15th century CE interior dome star pattern light openings tile decorated Judería Jewish Quarter Kahal Shalom Synagogue 1577 CE oldest functioning synagogue Europe original Sephardic decoration Sukenot festival UNESCO heritage: the Medical Library of the Knights (the most unexpected cultural institution of a military religious order): the Knights Hospitaller were not only military — they were the dominant hospital organisation of the medieval Mediterranean; the Hospital of the Knights in Rhodes (the building now housing the Archaeological Museum; 1489 CE; the largest medieval building in Rhodes) could accommodate up to 100 patients simultaneously; each patient received individual bed, linen, and daily food service (bread, wine, meat) — a level of medical care unprecedented in the medieval world; the Knights maintained one of the largest medical libraries in the 15th century Mediterranean world; the hospital had separate wards for men and women; it treated not only Christian soldiers and pilgrims but also Jews and Muslims — the medical role of the Hospitallers transcended their military and religious functions)) — the most precisely RhodesGreece single Street Knights 200m 1440s CE seven tongues auberges unrestored Gothic facades most preserved medieval street Europe Grand Master Palace 1309 1346 CE 1856 CE explosion 1939 1940 CE Italian Mussolini replica Roman mosaic floors Kos looted walls 4 km 11 gates 7 towers D’Amboise Gate 1512 CE Emery d’Amboise Archaeological Museum former Knights Hospital 1489 CE marble Aphrodite 3rd century BCE Byzantine Turkish Hammam Judería Kahal Shalom 1577 CE oldest functioning synagogue Europe Knights Hospital 100 patients individual beds linen daily food bread wine meat men women Jews Muslims medieval hospital transcended military function UNESCO heritage in any UNESCO world heritage site)).
Practical information
- Getting there: fly to Rhodes Diagoras Airport (RHO; direct from London (4h), Amsterdam (3h45m), Rome (1h30m), Frankfurt (3h), Paris (3h30m)); from the airport to the Old Town: KTEL bus (Line 4; 25 min; €2.50) or taxi (15 km; 20 min; approximately €20-25); ferry from Athens (Piraeus) overnight (14-18h; approximately €30-45 in cabin); from Bodrum (Turkey): high-speed catamaran (35 min; approximately €45 return; seasonal); the Palace of the Grand Master (€8; includes a permanent exhibition on medieval Rhodes; closed Mondays); the Archaeological Museum (€4; the Hellenistic Aphrodite of Rhodes; open Tuesday-Sunday); the Old Town walls walking circuit (free; the walls can be walked along the top for approximately 4 km; the views over the Old Town and the Aegean are the finest in Rhodes); the Kahal Shalom Synagogue (free; open Sunday-Friday 10 AM-1 PM in season; the caretaker provides guided tours); the visiting time (minimum half day for the Old Town core (Street of the Knights + Grand Master Palace + Judería); a full day for the complete walls circuit and museums); the best time (May-June and September-October; July-August are the hottest and most crowded months on Rhodes))
Getting there
RHO airport (bus 25 min €2.50 or taxi €20-25). Grand Master Palace €8. Archaeological Museum €4. Old Town walls walk: free (4 km, Aegean views). Kahal Shalom Synagogue: free. Best: May-June or September-October. GPS: 36.4449, 28.2263.
Nearby
- Lindos — 55 km south (the ancient Greek city and medieval village on a spectacular headland; the Acropolis of Lindos (the ancient Greek sanctuary of Athena Lindia; 4th century BCE Doric stoa; the best Hellenistic acropolis in the Aegean after Athens; the view from the top over the Rhodes coastline and the Aegean is extraordinary; accessible by donkey (traditional; €5-8 up) or on foot (steep 20 min climb)); the Knights’ fortifications built around the acropolis in the 15th century CE; the whitewashed medieval village below the acropolis with painted ship captains’ houses (17th-18th century CE))
- Bodrum — 35 min by high-speed catamaran from Rhodes (the site of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus — one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (350 BCE); the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology (in the Knights’ castle; the finest collection of Bronze Age shipwrecks in the world, including the Uluburun shipwreck (1300 BCE), the oldest known sailing ship in the world); the modern resort town surrounding a medieval port)
Sources
- Wikipedia, Rhodes Old Town; Knights Hospitaller; Colossus of Rhodes; Siege of Rhodes (1522), accessed June 2026
- UNESCO, Medieval City of Rhodes, WHS reference 493, inscribed 1988
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