Rhodes: the island of the Colossus

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The island of Rhodes (1,400 sq km, 120,000 inhabitants) is located in the Aegean Sea, in the south-eastern part of the Dodecanese archipelago. This island is located north-east of the island of Karpathos and south-west of the coast of Turkey, from which it is only about twenty kilometers away.

The island is the largest in the Dodecanese, with a squat shape extending from south-west to north-east. The capital, the city of Rhodes is located at the northern end of the island, the one that looks towards Turkey.

Rhodes is a mountainous island, in some places the mountains are very close to the coasts especially in the central part. While in the southern and northern part the island is flat. The island reaches its maximum height with Mount Attavyros (1,216 meters) which is located in the central western part of the island.

HERE WAS ONE OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

This island was famous in classical times for hosting one of the seven wonders of the world, the famous Colossus of Rhodes, a huge statue (32 meters high) of the Greek god Helios. It is not certain where this statue was positioned, it is usually believed that it was located at the entrance to the port of Rhodes, but recent studies suggest that it was on the hill overlooking the port.

Rhodes was an important center of antiquity, entered the sphere of the Roman Empire and then from 395 of the Byzantine one. The Knights of the Order of St. John in Jerusalem (Hospitaller Knights who later became Knights of Rhodes) occupied the island from 1309 to 1523 and transformed it into a fortified stronghold.

In 1523, after 6 months of siege, the island was conquered by the troops of Suleiman the Magnificent and became part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1912 the island of Rhodes and the Dodecanese were occupied by Italy which maintained control over the islands until 1943, when they were occupied by German troops. After the Second World War the islands became part of the Greek state.

The medieval city of Rhodes, one of the most beautiful sets of urban Gothic architecture, has been on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 1988. Rhodes is together with the other large Greek island of Crete one of the main tourist resorts in Greece. There are long beaches, historic centers of great charm such as the cities of Rhodes and Lindos, interesting archaeological excavations such as those of Kameiros, Ialysos, Lindos and Rhodes.

HOW TO GET

FLIGHTS: Rhodes airport is located near the north-western coast of the island. This is among the busiest airports in Greece, there are countless connections with Athens and with the rest of Greece. There are also many connections with the main European countries which become more frequent in the summer months. Among the companies that have flights to the island are the Greek companies Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air, EasyJet, Volotea, Vueling and Ryanair airlines.

FERRIES: Rhodes is the main port of the Dodecanese. The island is connected by daily ferries with the port of Piraeus, the time taken for the crossing is about 13 hours. The island is connected by regular ferries with all the main islands of the Dodecanese, with Crete, Thessaloniki, Marmaris (in Turkey) and with several Cycladic islands.

The citadel of the Knights of Saint John.

The climate of Rhodes.