The Castle of Rhodes – Old Town

Even at first sight, it is comprehensible that the city of Rhodes is made of two halves; namely  the New Town and the Old Town.  For the most part, the old town attracts the visitors attention.  The Old Town is a medieval city constructed within a castle with six gateways.  Rhodes with its reinforced city walls is one of the few medieval towns which is still in good condition and it is registered with UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Strolling on the stone pavements you will marvel at the buildings of the Knights,trenches and fences enclosed within the city walls, churches, mosques, palaces, squares, gardens and courtyards of the houses.  Furthermore, the castle houses many souveneir shops, tavernas, stores and jewelers in the once called the Old Market.

This archaic city is split in two halves. ”Collachium” is the region where the Knights resided.  Thus, the most important and outstanding buildings were erected there.  The region named” Burgo” is the larger half where the locals lived.

In the year 1309, the city of Rhodes came under the rule of the Knights of Saint Jean and the city was constructed in the Medieval European style.  Between 14th and 15th century, the Knights strengthened and fortified the city walls hence the medieval city of Rhodes was established.

In 1408, the strong walls of the city built by the Knights withstood the incursion of the Ottoman.  In 1522, Rhodes was finally conquered by Suleyman the Magnificent  and stayed in the possession of the Ottoman Empire approximately for 400 years.