Rhodes Town began to be built in ancient times as a joint project of three neighboring city-states tired of competing with each other. By the 3rd century BC, Rhodes Town had become the wealthiest port in the Eastern Mediterranean. In 292 BC, they erected a 33-meter bronze statue of the god Helios — the Colossus of Rhodes. In 1309, the Knights Hospitaller came to Rhodes Town and over 213 years turned the ancient city into the most powerful fortress in the Christian world.
How the ancient Rhodes Town was built
In 408 BC, three old cities on the island (Ialyssos, Kameiros, and Lindos) decided that individually they could not maintain trade and compete with Athens. They united and from scratch founded a new city on the northern tip of the island. They named it simply — Rhodes Town. They chose an ideal location: natural bays on two sides, protection from the winds, and control over sea routes to Egypt and the Levant.
The architects Hippodamus and Dionysius designed Rhodes Town according to the so-called "Hippodamian system" — straight streets intersecting at right angles, zoning into residential quarters, public buildings, and a port. It was one of the first cities of antiquity with a well-planned sewage system and aqueduct.
In the Hellenistic period, Rhodes Town became the financial capital of the eastern Mediterranean. It was here that insurance law and maritime codes were invented. The Rhodians were known as a neutral side: they did not get involved in the wars of the major powers but rented out their ships to anyone who paid. Thanks to this, Rhodes Town experienced a golden age in the 3rd–2nd centuries BC.
Colossus of Rhodes: the bronze giant that stood for 56 years
The Colossus was not just a statue. It was a political and technological challenge.
In 305 BC, the ruler of Cyprus, Demetrius Poliorcetes ("The Besieger of Cities"), tried to capture Rhodes Town with a 40,000-man army and giant siege towers, but the assault failed. The Rhodians fought back and sold the abandoned siege equipment. With the proceeds, they decided to erect a statue of the god Helios — the patron of the island.
The sculptor Chares of Lindos built it for 12 years, from 304 to 292 BC. Height — about 33 meters (like an 11-story building). A framework of iron beams and stone, covered with bronze sheets using a technique lost in the Middle Ages.
Where did the Colossus of Rhodes stand? Debates continue to this day. Contrary to popular myth, the Colossus did not stand with its legs straddling the harbor entrance — that is a 16th-century invention. Most likely, it stood on a pedestal at the harbor entrance (now the area by the Fort of St. Nicholas).
In 226 BC, an earthquake destroyed the Colossus. The fragments lay there for over 800 years — tourists from Ancient Rome came to see them. In 654 AD, Arab troops hauled away the bronze to Syria, loading it onto 900 camels. Not a single detail has survived, only legends.
The Knights` period of Rhodes Town (1309–1522)
After the Crusaders lost the Holy Land, the Hospitallers (Johannites) wandered for a long time. In 1307, they bought Rhodes Town from the Genoese adventurer Vignolo de Vignoli for a paltry sum. It turned out to be the best investment in history.
Over more than 200 years, the knights turned the old ancient-Byzantine city into the most modern fortress in the Christian world. They didn`t just build walls — they created a state. On the island lived Orthodox Greeks, Catholic knights, Jews, and Syrian merchants. Rhodes Town was divided into "Collachium" (the northern part, where the knights lived — the current Old Town) and "Burgum" (the southern part, for common people). They installed the latest artillery towers and gunpowder magazines on the walls.
The Order held out for 213 years. In 1522, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent landed a 200,000-man army against 7,000 defenders (including 500 knights). The siege lasted six months. The knights surrendered on honorable terms — Suleiman personally respected their bravery. They were allowed to leave for Crete with their weapons.
Ottoman period (1522–1912): minarets and fountains
The Turks did not destroy Rhodes Town — they needed the port and taxes. They converted churches into mosques (sometimes bricking up altars instead of demolishing them), built baths (hammams), fountains, and covered markets. The most noticeable change was the appearance of minarets, which are still visible in the Old Town of Rhodes Town. By the 19th century, Rhodes Town had become a province of the Ottoman Empire — the walls decayed, the port silted up.
The Italians, who captured the island in 1912, began a grand restoration. They evicted Turkish families from the Hospitaller-era buildings, "cleansed" the monuments of Ottoman layers, and also built their own Fascist quarter in the "Littorio" style. The Palace of the Grand Masters was completely restored. Without the Italians, medieval Rhodes Town would have simply crumbled.
What to see in Rhodes Town
Palace of the Grand Master. This is an Italian reconstruction from the 1930s (the original was blown up by the Turks in 1856 when lightning struck a gunpowder magazine), but inside — ancient mosaics from Kos and an impressive staircase. This is the main attraction of Rhodes Town.
Street of the Knights (Ippoton). The main artery of the Old Town of Rhodes Town. Cobblestoned, straight, 200 meters long. On both sides are the "tongues" of the order: three-story houses where knights from England, France, Italy, Spain, etc. lived. Pay attention to the carved coats of arms above the doors.
Archaeological Museum (former Knights` Hospital). Entrance from Museloni Square. Here lie the most valuable items — the statue of the "Lioness" (actually a griffin), funerary steles, and the famous "Aphrodite of Rhodes Town" (1st century BC). The building itself is a Gothic masterpiece: an inner courtyard with a well, the knights` operating ward with stone benches.
Suleiman Mosque (or Ibrahim Pasha Mosque, 1540). Pink-striped, with a minaret visible from any point of Rhodes Town. Go inside — modest, clean, excellent acoustics. Next to it is the "Soultania" covered market, where they sell spices.
Jewish Quarter (La Juderia). Dosiadi and Polydorou streets. In 1944, the Nazis deported 1,600 people from here — 151 survived. The "Kahal Shalom" synagogue (1577), one of the oldest in Greece, has survived. The floors are laid with pebbles in geometric patterns.
Porte d’Amboise (Amboise Gate). The most beautiful gate. Ambassadors and tournament winners entered through them. Pay attention to the coat of arms of Grand Master d’Amboise above the arch.
Mandraki Harbor and the Columns with the Deer
Mandraki Harbor is a small bay on the eastern side of Rhodes Town, right at the foot of the fortress walls. Today, pleasure boats, fishing boats, and tourist yachts moor here. On the western side, it is bounded by a long pier with the Fort of St. Nicholas (built by the knights in 1464–1467), and on the eastern side, by a short pier with three windmills. It was in this gap, between the two piers, that the entrance to the ancient harbor was located.
Two Columns with the Deer
At the tip of the eastern pier stand two stone pillars about 15 meters high. On each is a bronze figure of a deer. The columns were installed by the Italians in the 1920s. The deer are not a random choice: they are copies of Hellenistic sculptures found on the island. The originals are kept in the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes Town. The pillars themselves are new, but they stand on ancient foundations.
Why is this place important? Because it is here, according to the most well-founded version of archaeologists, that the Colossus of Rhodes stood. When the earthquake broke the statue at the knees in 226 BC, it fell precisely here, into the coastal zone.
What you will see in Mandraki Harbor now
Approach the pillars with the deer up close. From water level, you won`t feel the scale — the columns just seem tall. But climb up to the small viewing platform at the Fort of St. Nicholas (free entry, open until sunset) and look at the pillars from the side. You will see the distance between them — about 50 meters. The Colossus was twice as tall as these columns. According to ancient authors, two people could barely wrap their arms around the statue`s thumb.
Right in front of the columns, on the harbor bottom, divers in the 1970s found large bronze fragments — they were taken to the museum. But the main metal, as already mentioned, was taken away by the Arabs in 654 AD. Not a single bolt or rivet from the Colossus remains on the surface.
New Town of Rhodes Town (outside the walls)
Rhodes Town Promenade (Akti Sachtouri). On the other side of the Old Town of Rhodes Town — a line of Italian architecture from the 1920s-30s: the Governor`s Palace with stylized medieval battlements, the National Theatre, the Post Office.
Monte Smith Hill (a 30-minute walk from the center of Rhodes Town). Ruins of a stadium from the 3rd century BC (the starting line with stone grooves for feet has survived) and the Temple of Apollo Pythios. Three columns at sunset with a view of the sea — the best spot for a picnic with local wine.
Beaches of Rhodes Town: from the Aquarium westward
If you exit the Old Town of Rhodes Town through the Gate of Freedom (Eleftherias) and walk past the Casino building (the former Italian Governor`s Palace), you will run into the Aquarium — a white domed building from the 1930s. This is where the main beach zone of Rhodes Town begins, stretching westward for several kilometers.
Elli Beach (Elli Beach) – eastern side
This is the most famous and most crowded beach in Rhodes Town. It is the only beach on the eastern side of Rhodes Town. It is located right opposite the Aquarium and the Casino. In the 1930s, the English writer Lawrence Durrell called it the best beach in the Mediterranean. Of course, this is an exaggeration, but in Rhodes Town, this beach is one of the most popular.
What you will see: sand mixed with pebbles. The entry into the water is gentle, the water is clear, turquoise. The beach is equipped with everything necessary. Along the embankment stretches a series of beach bars and cafes. Elli Beach is overcrowded in the high season (July–August). Closer to the Aquarium, there are slightly fewer people, but in general, spots by the water need to be taken in the morning. The beach is awarded the Blue Flag — a sign of quality and clean water.
Western coast from Rhodes Town center
If you go further west from the Aquarium (past the Aquarium View hotel), the beach changes its name to Windy Beach, and then to Ialyssos. This coastline stretches almost continuously to the airport and beyond for several kilometers.
The key feature of the west coast: this is the windward side of the island. Winds blow here more often and stronger than in the east. The waves are higher, the water is cleaner, but swimming in strong winds can be uncomfortable. Locals and tourists who don`t like calm weather come here precisely for the wind — it`s good for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The beach surface, unlike Elli, further west is dominated by pebbles.
Rhodes Town is a place where three eras mixed: the ancient Greeks erected a huge statue here, the knights built powerful walls, and the Turks added mosques and baths. Today, you can walk down the same street that the knights walked on, see the two pillars with deer at the site of the Colossus, and swim just two minutes from the fortress of Rhodes Town.
