Rhodes the largest of the Dodecanese Islands of Greece lies in the Southern Aegean just a few miles off the Turkish mainland. The Capital, Rhodes, has a population of around 50,000 though the numbers visiting the City and the Island as a whole increases enormously during the tourist season which begins in March and continues until the arrival of winter. Rhodes is a favourite stop for our Rhodes Cruise.
Rhodes was a famous name in history. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Colossus of Rhodes, was a notable landmark; sadly destroyed by an earthquake many centuries ago in 226 BC. The Medieval Old Town still rightly earns World Heritage status.
It was variously Persian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine before in the Middle Ages it was occupied by the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, hence the sometimes used nickname for the Island, the Island of the Knights. Rhodes became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1523 and remained so until 1912 when it was seized by Italy and formally assigned to Italy after World War I. Germany took over briefly in 1943 after the Italians surrendered but their defeat led Rhodes to officially become part of Greece.
It is over 500 sq. miles, 50 miles long and 24 wide, shaped like the head of a spear. There is almost 140 miles of coastline to enjoy with many villages and resorts spread around its circumference.
The interior is fairly mountainous with little in the way of inhabitants. Pine and cypress cover the slopes though there are arable areas where agriculture provides citrus fruit, grapes, vegetables and olives that are used in the excellent cuisine to be had in the Island's restaurants. Rhodes has a valley, Petaloudes, which is known for its tiger moths in the summer months and many visitors go to see butterfly valley Rhodes as those visitors to Fethiye in Turkey do to its equivalent.