Greece Cities: Rhodes

The most famous monument of the island of Rhodes – Ancient Rhodes, which is below the modern capital.

Built according to the Ippodama Miletsky project, with a clear layout and division of quarters for residential and commercial, by the beginning of the new era, he was the largest city spokes and one of the main ports of the Mediterranean. His walls stretched for 15 km long, and the population reached a hundred thousand people – unprecedented at the time of the figure (it is interesting that now there is hardly half of this number). A simple listing of the main monuments of the old part of the city will not be able to transfer the small part of its charm, so it is better to spend a couple of three days to study. Eleven perfectly preserved medieval gates are removed in the vaulted passages of the streets (it is characteristic that the earthquakes often did not touch these ancient structures here), spend past stone walls according to the famous "Prochaloto" – Mosaic sidewalks, and then remove to the heart of the city – the famous Palace of the Grand Master, or the Gossometers Palace. Dominant over the northern sector of fortifications complex (in the summer is open on Mondays from 12.30 to 19.00, from Thursday to Sunday – from 8.00 to 19.thirty; In winter – on Mondays from 12.30 to 15.00, from Thursday to Sunday – from 8.00 to 15.00; 6 euros, or 10 euros for the combined ticket to all museums of the old quarter) was built by knights-hospiters in the XIV century, but in 1856 destroyed by a warehouse of ammunition caused by zipper. Then, already under the Italians, he was restored as a summer residence of Mussolini and King Vittorio Emmanuele III, but none of them never visited the palace. The appearance of the complex was restored particularly carefully, using the samples of the medieval engravings, but inside the restorers received complete freedom of action, creating a sample of truly Romanese magnificence in the form of what it was seen. On the first floor now there are luxurious galleries telling about the history of Rhodes from ancient times to Turkish conquest. And in the courtyard is the main building of the Archaeological Museum, also known for its beautiful collection.

Carefully restored ODHOS IPPOTON ("Street knights") leads to the east of Platia Kleovoulou Square, stretching in front of the palace; She completely built up with old "hotels", in which they settled knight hospiters according to their linguistic and ethnicity. Today, buildings are given to government agencies, hotels, foreign consulates and cultural institutions, and local residents believe that the Italian reconstruction was unsuccessful. At the base of the hill is a hospital, also renovated and conveyed to the archaeological museum (open from Thursday to Sunday from 8.30 to 14.45; 3 euros or a single ticket of the museum complex). In addition to the main collection, there is a good garden of sculpture with an ancient gallery (it is here that the famous Aphrodite adiuomen is stored, or "Sea Venus") and a collection of decorative art (it works from Thursday to Sunday from 8.30 to 14.45; 2 euros or a single ticket) in two typical old buildings. Nearby and excellent Byzantine Museum is located (from Thursday to Sunday from 8.30 to 14.45; 2 euros or a single ticket), which occupies a complex of the former Knight’s Cathedral, rebuilt from the Byzantine shrine Panayia-Tu-Castrast. Here you can see medieval icons and frescoes collected from the destroyed chapels on the Rhodes and Halk (now – the Turkish Island of Hebeliad), and the main treasure is the full cycle of frescoes from the Tari Monastery (dated 1624, they were carefully removed to open the gaze much more ancient Frescoes under them).

If you descend from the palace, it is unlikely to be able to miss the most notable Turkish monument of Rhodes – the Mosque Suleymanship, built in the XIX century on the foundation of the XVI century. It is currently closed like many local monuments of the Ottoman period, but completely renovated in anticipation of opening. In the old town, there are generally a lot of mosques and Islamic chapels, many of which are rebuilt from the Byzantine churches after 1522, when Christians were sent from the Old Town and founded many settlements around. Few of them, like Ibrahim Pasha Mosque on Platonos Street, are still used by the Turkish minority, and the Ottoman library opposite Suleimania (open from Monday to Saturday from 9.30 to 16.00; For the entrance, quite a small donation to the keeper) contains a rich collection of early medieval manuscripts and coran. In the former IMARET (asylum for Muslim Wanderers) on Sokratous 179 now there is now an exceptionally pleasant cafe Palio Syssitio, in which temporary exhibitions are held in the courtyard. Traditional Hammam Mustafa on Platia Arionos is still valid (open from Monday to Friday from 10.00 to 17.00, on Saturdays – from 8.00 to 17.00; 1.5 Euro).

Continuing the descent from the Sleymannia mosque, you can go outside the Odhos Sokratous street, from time immemorial being the chief commercial center of the city, and now and now completely built up the fur and jewelry stores. From decorated with colored tiled central fountain on Platia Ippokratous Odhos Aristotelous Street leads to Platia Ton Evreon Martyron ("Square of Jewish Martyrs"), named in memory of the large local Jewish community, almost completely destroyed during the summer of 1944. Of the four synagogues that the nearby Jewish quarter was decorated, only decorative arcades Calo-Kadosh Shalom survived (open daily, except Saturday, from 10.00 to 15.00) on Odhos Simiou. Another memorial dedicated to one and a half thousand Jews of Rhodes and Spit sent from here to concentration camps; as well as a good Jewish museum built on the means of the diaspora.

Former suburb of non-Choreo (Niochi) is surrounded by an almost continuous beach, especially good in the areas of Kumbum and Eli. And at the very northernmost point of the island there is a good aquarium (open daily: from April to September – from 9.00 to 20.thirty; From October to March – from 9.00 to 16.thirty; 4.5 euros), besides ordinary pools for such a complex with maritime, possessing a good historical collection and an underground labyrinth of ancient tanks for fish. A little south is a museum of modern Greek art (from Thursday to Saturday from 8.00 to 14.00, on Fridays it also works with 17.00 to 20.00; 3 Euros) – The most extensive collection of Greek painting XX century outside Athens.

East Ekaton Hourmadhies towers built by Italians Albergo Delle Rose complex (Hotel Rodon), now being the third casino in Greece, and a little further mosque Murad Reis and adjacent to her beautiful Muslim cemetery. 2 km south-west of Mandhraki, we can find modest ruins of another antique quarter of old rhodes with their restored theater and the stadium, as well as three columns of the Apollo temple.

Here, in the Old Town, from Platonos and Platia Dhamayitou to Platia Arionos and Menekleous, dozens stretched, if not hundreds of bars, clubs, restaurants and discos. In the new city, this goal should be visited the area between Alexandhrou Dhiakou, Orfanidhou, Lohagou Fanouraki and Nikiforou Mandhilara.

Reviews and studies of trips

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