We chose Rhodes for our island excursion this year because of its peculiar history. Wrested from the Byzantines by the Knights of St. John in 1309, Rhodes was effectively Western European for over 200 years, and that is when the main town was fortified in the western style: stone city walls, stone castle, moat, narrow medieval streets, crests carved into the walls...and although it was defeated by the Sulieman the Magnificent in 1522 in a dramatic battle that was said to be 100,000 Turks against 600 knights, 600 citizens and assorted others, it retained its western look. Rhodes stayed Turkish until 1912 when it was seized by the Italians who tried to make it into an Italian Disneyland, thankfully building a new city rather than knocking down the old. It didn't become Greek until after WWII in 1947. So Rhodes Town has this wonderful medieval European old town, intact mosques and a fascinating Turkish burial ground (their tombstones wear appropriate hats!), as well as an Italian town, AND under the Turks the Jewish population flourished and there is a part of the old city that was known as "Little Jerusalem." Something for everyone here.
A Gothic door...
...with Greek inscription
The crusader cross on a fountain in a courtyard.
Layers of history: medieval walls lead to an intact mosque.
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| The inside of the synagogue... still in use, though there are only 6 Jewish families left. |
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| Greek plateia with medieval castle in the background |
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| Gothic door of a Greek taverna sporting the traditional May Day wreaths which were everywhere in Rhodes. My kind of place! |
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