Where in the world is....Shari Holloway: Rhodes, Greece

All right everyone, I give up. I've been trying to get caught up on pictures since Istanbul and I just keep getting farther behind. Greece has so many diversions, so many things to see and do that I can't seem to accomplish anything. So I'll start back to blogging real time with Rhodes.

Rhodes is the biggest of the Dodecanese Islands and is (justifiable so), called the Pearl of the Mediterranean. Rhodes is very far from Athens but quite close to Turkey -- the ferry boat ride from Rhodes to Athens takes about 13 hours, but only 50 minutes from Rhodes to Marmaris,Turkey.

Rhodes is a mish mash of influences. It was always an island outpost but around 1100 BC, it began to exert power and influence on the surrounding areas. Since then, Rhodes has been ruled by Dorians, Romans, Persians, Spartans, Turkish, Egyptians, Italians, Germans and finally, Greeks.

I thought the history of Rhodes was very interesting -- especially from the Middle Ages to present day. In early 1300's (AD) a pirate sold the island of Rhodes to the “Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem” who took full control in 1309. The Knights remained in charge of Rhodes until 1522 AD. Though Rhode always had a walled fortress, the Knights drastically fortified it increasing the walls from 2 meters to almost 12 meters thick (in places) to make it impenetrable to cannon balls. Some of the cannon balls fired back then measured 7 feet in diameter. The Knights also added the moat, counterwalls opposite the moat, high towers and bastions.

The Knights maintained control of Rhodes even through 3 sieges by the Turks and and an (estimated) 7.1 magnitude earthquake in 1481. In the final siege of 1522 , “Suleiman the Magnificant” (the Turkish Sultan) attacked with over 200,000 men and 400 ships, compared to the Knights, whose complete forces were only 5,500 men. The battle raged for 6 months until the Knights, on the brink of defeat, ageed to formally cede the City to Suleiman.

The Turkish occupations of Rhodes is considered its darkest times. The Turks ruled almost 400 years until 1912 when the Italians (with the assistance of the Greek inhabitants) captured Rhodes. At first this was a good thing and Rhodes thought it would soon be united with Greece. Unfortunately, Mussolini and Fascism was on the rise. It was not until 1943 that Mussolini's government failed, then Germany moved in to take control and finally in 1945 the islands were liberated by British forces. In 1948 the Islands were reunited with Greece.

That somewhat explains why everywhere you look you see a mix of building styles, architecture and uses. In 1988, the Medieval town of Rhodes (aka Old Rhodes) was designated a World Heritage City by UNESCO. Old Rhodes is amazing. It is inhabited by 6000 people, it is a working city set in a medievel castle setting, a maze of stone paths and walkways so convoluted that you can't even begin to figure out where you are going or where you've been. The best way to explore is to just wander around lost until you see something that interests you. Then, eat some ice cream!

Shari