Rhodes (Monday, July 7)

On Monday morning, we arrived at Rhodes, largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands. While nothing remains of the famous Colossus of Rhodes, one of the ancient seven wonders of the world, the medieval city is quite remarkable.

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During the 14th and 15th centuries AD, Rhodes was ruled by the knights of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem until the Turks kicked them out in the early 16th century. Each of the seven "languages" of the knights (England, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Provence, and Auvergne) had their own palaces located along a steep street leading up to the Palace of the Grand Master, and their own sectors of the city walls to defend. The old city itself is a maze of narrow, twisting streets. The old medieval city has been beautifully restored. The Palace of the Grand Master was largely destroyed in the 19th century when a Turkish powder magazine in the basement blew up, and was restored by architects of Benito Mussolini in the 1930s during the period after the First World War when Rhodes was ruled by Italy. The buildings of the Palace are much as it appeared during the middle ages, but the interior is an odd mish-mash of crusader-era artifacts, modern fixtures, and Roman and Greek floor mosaics relocated from the island of Kos. The museum of ancient artifacts located on the lower floors is very nicely laid out and presents much of the long history of Rhodes before the Christian era.

Our walking tour after visiting the Palace took us through the old city and round the medieval walls, including a brief excursion into the moat.

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