DAY 7--RHODES, GREECE
In ancient times, it is easy to see why the people of Rhodes chose Helios, the Sun God, as their divine patron with an average of 300+ days of sunshine a year. The island has been famous since antiquity as the site of Colossus of Rhodes. The citadel of Rhodes, built by the Hospitaliers (or Knights of St. John), is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe which in 1988 was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The northern harbor--where two bronze deer guard the harbor entrance, along with St. Nicholas Fort.
It is believed that the Colossus of Rhodes (one of the seven Wonders of the Ancient World) once stood here---
The island has been inhabited since about 4000 BC.
Windmills with a different look than on Mykonos!
The northern harbor--where two bronze deer guard the harbor entrance, along with St. Nicholas Fort.
It is believed that the Colossus of Rhodes (one of the seven Wonders of the Ancient World) once stood here---
---a bronze statue 107 feet high, which took 12 years to complete. The monument was toppled by an earthquake in 227 BC after standing for 56 years at the harbor entrance.
Rhodes Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the oldest continuously inhabited medieval town of Europe. A massive wall (2-1/2 miles long) that was built by the Knights of St. John encloses the old town and you can gain entrance by way of 1/11 gates.
View of the wall from the harbor
Dolphin statue in harbor
Doug crossing the busy street intersecting the harbor from Old Town Rhodes. He made it across the street while the traffic stopped, but I didn't---
---so when I finally made it across the street and into the walled city, our tour group was nowhere to be seen! Doug sat in this square to see if he could recognize anyone in our group.
They were nowhere to be found!
So, we went exploring on our own! (We did receive our money back after the cruise, however.)
Ippokratous Square with Palace of Grand Masters in background and---
Castellania Fountain in the middle of the square!
Palace of Castellan is a square building restored by the Italians and its exterior staircase is a popular spot where people relax to watch the activity. Castellania was originally built in 1507 and was the Knight's commercial court.
Busy shopping mecca with minaret of Mosque of Suleyman in background
Mosque of Suleyman--early 19th-century structure that stands on the site of the original mosque built in 1522.
This is the first minaret I had ever seen!
Knights armour--I think I asked Doug to pose one too many times!!
Clock Tower
Beautiful paneled door!
Doug always takes time to be generous, especially to children! How can you ignore such a darling boy playing an accordian on the street with his dog as his companion!
His family was close by!
We're almost to the Palace.
Looking up at the arched portico ceiling
We made it, however, the main entrance to the Palace was being repaired.
So, we went in through another gate into the walled city--St. Anthony's Gate.
Can you imagine the hours it took to piece these stones on their spines!?
The battlement area
One of the cannons used for protection
I guess you could say this is a camel!?!--pretty clever!
D'Amboise Gate--another 1/11 gates into walled city
A dry moat was the first protection!
The Palace is a very imposing fort built to be the last line of defense should the outer walls of the city be breached. It was the residence of the Grand Master of the Knights, and where the Order assembled. It has 300 rooms, a moat, drawbridges, watch towers and colossal battlements.
After Rhodes fell to the Turks in 1522, it was converted to a prison. The palace was completely destroyed by lightning that caused an explosion of stored black powder in 1856 that leveled the original palace. In the 1930s the Italians used old drawings to rebuild the Palace to create the summer residence of Mussolini and King Victor Emmanuel III (Remember the huge monument in Rome with the 5-ft. moustache--that's the same guy!).
In the corner of the Palace of the Grand Masters is the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes that is housed in the converted Knight's Hospital.
Courtyard of the hospital with niches filled with statues
Closeup of one of the statues
Inside the museum--(I did a little touch-up so that I wouldn't be publishing anything too graphic!) the collection includes Rhodian artifacts from prehistoric years---
---all the way up to Hellenistic and Roman times. I didn't take many pictures because after I took these two I saw a sign, "No photography allowed."
I couldn't find any information about these doors, but they are definitely old and not used anymore!
Grand marble stairway leading up to the Palace interior---
The exterior of the Palace is a faithful reproduction of the original, but the interior was built more to accommodate modern inhabitants than for accuracy to the original plans.
The Palace has a collection of authentic antique furniture and ancient floor mosaics the Italians assembled to decorate the various rooms.
The 1st Century floor mosaics were brought to Rhodes from the neighboring Island of Kos.
Someday, if not already, I would think the island's residents would want the mosaics back!
Famous Medussa mosaic
Beautifully crafted wood beams!
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The Knights of St. John were a religious/military order in Jerusalem for care and defense of the Holy Land. Following the conquest of Jerusalem by Islam, the order began their operation from Rhodes in 1309 to 1522.
This must be the bust of one of Knights' Grand Masters,
along with their clothing---
and artifacts!
Looks like a Roman soldier to me! I guess our guides really did help us understand things better!
The statue of Laocoon and his Sons that was created by three sculptors from Rhodes. There are many copies of this famous marble statue, including this well-known one in Rhodes. The original is in the Vatican Museum in Rome.
A beautiful relief sculpture!
Right before exiting the port gate, we saw the gothic arches of the Hospice of St. Catherine---
---that was built in 1392 as a rest stop for Italians traveling to the Holy Land.
Also, the ruins of this church---
---the "Church of the Virgin of the Burgh."
We exited the walled city and returned to our docked ship.
The end of another great day of sightseeing and back to our ship!
2 comments:
I laughed so hard when you said you had Doug pose one too many times! I actually was thinking how great a sport he was to be in so many pictures. George gets the same way--but sadly, sometimes he is the only one I can take the picture of! Another beautiful day in a fantastic place. I loved your cute outfit you had on this day.
Amazing statue that was toppled by the earthquake. That would have been something to see. By the way, I love your polka dot black and whie top. Of course, you and Doug look great in every photo. Another very interesting city and part of your trip. Thanks for sharing and taking the time to research!
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