The Island of Rhodes

Our visit to the island of Rhodes is one of the longest on the tour. We arrive at 7 a.m. and depart at 6 p.m. so we have a bit of time to explore either on our own or on one of the two optional excursions offered by the cruise line.

Rhodes is only 11 miles off the coast of southwest Turkey and is the largest of the Dodecanese Islands. It is shaped like a spearhead and is approximately 50 miles long and 25 miles wide. Rhodes Town is located at the northern tip.

The village of Lindos is located about two-thirds of the way down the island’s south coast and is featured on one of the optional excursions. It is known for its impressive Acropolis built on a rocky outcrop looking out to sea.

Philermos, or Mount Filerimos on some maps, is a short drive just south of Rhodes Town and is featured on the other optional excursion. It features a beautiful monastery dating to the 14th century, Our Lady of Philermos.

The island is most famous for the Colossus of Rhodes, a giant statue of the sun god Helios dating to the 3rd century BC that stood in Rhodes Harbor and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

This giant bronze statue was documented as once standing at the harbor. It was completed in 280 BC but was destroyed in an earthquake in 224 BC. It no longer exists. Today modern bronze deer statues stand in Mandraki harbor where the Colossus may have stood.

In the first century AD, St. Paul brought Christianity to the island. A long Byzantine era came to an end as the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, or Knights Hospitaller, arrived in 1309 and built the famous medieval walls. The Palace of the Grand Masters was built during this period.

The Ottoman Empire then ruled for four centuries. Rhodes became a part of Greece in 1948.