Photos

Murat Reis Mosque with its elegant minaret lies near the Prefectural Building. It is built on the site of Aghios Antonios Church next to the Knight's Cemetery. The Turkish cemetery contains the tombs of exiled Turks, an admiral of Suleyman II's fleet in a round mausoleum and a poet banished by the Sultan for his sarcastic poetry. In the square around the mosque the ruins of the ancient walls have been found together with inscribed stone balls marked with their weight. They begin at 5 mnes and reach 10 talents (2 to 261 kilos approximately). From the type of letters the balls have been dated to the famed siege by Dimitris Poliorcetes.


Rhodes (Greek: Ρόδος Rhódhos; Italian Rodi; Ladino: Rodi or Rodes; Ottoman Turkish: ردوس Rodos) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, situated in eastern Aegean Sea. This Greek island lies approximately 11 miles (18 km) to the west of the Turkish shores, situated between the Greek mainland and the island of Cyprus. As of 2001, it has a population of 117,007 of which 53,709 reside in the capital city of the island.

History

The earliest known settlers were the Dorians c. 1000 BC. During the Classical period the island's affiliations vacillated between Athens, Sparta, and Persia in attempts to preserve a balance of power. A devastating earthquake c. 225 BC destroyed the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In the medieval period Rhodes was occupied by the Byzantines, Muslims, and Knights of St. John (see Knights of Malta). The knights converted the island into a fortress and held it for two centuries until 1523, when the Turks took control. In 1912 it was taken from Turkey by Italy, and in 1947 it was awarded by treaty to Greece. A year-round tourist industry has brought prosperity to the island.
(Source: Encyclopædia Britannica and rhodestravels.com)