Rhodes Old Medieval Town, Rhodes!

As you near the walls of the Medieval Old Town of Rhodes, you're about to step into Europe's oldest continuously inhabited medieval city. It's an exciting sight to witness. One thing to understand from the beginning about the Old Town of Rhodes is that its layout is far from a grid pattern.

How to get there from Krinis Apartments

There are numerous gates through which you can enter the Medieval Town. The nearest gate to us is D' Amboise Gate, about a 10-15 minute walk away. Eleftherias (Liberty) Gate is the main entrance, accessible by walking across Mandraki Port, a scenic route.

In the Medieval - Old - Town of Rhodes, you can enjoy one of the island's most fascinating walks. Don't let "medieval" mislead you: instead of a ruined, deserted place, you'll find a lively town with a mix of bustling commercial streets and quiet alleys, continuously inhabited for over two thousand years. It's no surprise that the Medieval Quarter of Rhodes, the oldest inhabited medieval town in Europe, is part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage network!

This vibrant neighborhood is home to around 6000 people who live and work in the same buildings where the Knights of St. John resided six centuries ago. It's an experience that will remain unforgettable!

Medieval buildings, mosques, traditional fountains, oriental motifs, Byzantine and Gothic churches, shops, and cafes are scattered throughout the Old Town of Rhodes, creating a unique and picturesque setting. There are about 200 streets or alleys, some unnamed! Getting "lost" here is not a setback; it's an opportunity. If you need to find your way, ask for "Sokratous" street, which is the closest thing to a main street in the Medieval City.

The highlights

The Palace of the Grand Master, restored by the Italians in 1940 after nearly a century of abandonment (the building was destroyed by an explosion in a forgotten powder store in its basement in 1856), is notable for its grand entrance and well-preserved towers and battlements. The interiors, adorned with priceless ornamental objects, are equally impressive.

The Archaeological Museum is housed in the Gothic building of the Great Hospital of the Knights and showcases masterpieces of art from Rhodes, finds from ancient Ialysos and Kamiros, and mosaic paintings from the city of Rhodes.

The Knight's Street, the grand street leading to the Palace of the Grand Master, preserves the accommodations of the Order of Knights' "language."

It's worth visiting the Panagia tou Kastrou, the Panagia tou Bourgkou, the clocktower, the synagogue, and the mosques of Suleyman and Recep Pasha.

The medieval city of Rhodes is one of the few remaining medieval cities in the world that is still inhabited and vibrant.

UNESCO Notes

Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

From 1309 to 1523, Rhodes, the largest island of the Dodecanese, was occupied by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, who had lost their last stronghold in Palestine, in Acre, in 1291. They transformed the island's capital into a fortified city capable of withstanding sieges as severe as those led by the Sultan of Egypt in 1444 and Mehmet II in 1480. Rhodes finally fell in 1522 after a six-month siege by Suleyman II.

The medieval city is enclosed within a 4 km-long wall. It is divided into the high town to the north and the lower town to the south-southwest. Originally separated from the lower town by a fortified wall, the high town was entirely built by the Knights. The Order was organized into seven “tongues,” each with its own seat, or “inn.” The inns of the tongues of Italy, France, Spain, and Provence lined the principal east-west axis, the famous Street of the Knights, on both sides, a remarkable example of Gothic urbanism. To the north, near the site of the Knights’ first hospice, stands the Inn of Auvergne, whose facade bears the arms of Guy de Blanchefort, Grand Master from 1512 to 1513. The original hospice was replaced in the 15th century by the Great Hospital, built between 1440 and 1489, on the south side of the Street of the Knights.

The lower town is nearly as dense with monuments as the high town. In 1522, with a population of 5000, it had many churches, some of Byzantine construction. Over the years, the number of palaces and charitable foundations increased in the south-southeast area: the Court of Commerce, the Archbishop’s Palace, the Hospice of St. Catherine, and others.

Its history and development up to 1912 resulted in the addition of valuable Islamic monuments, such as mosques, baths, and houses. After 1523, most churches were converted into Islamic mosques, like the Mosque of Soliman, Kavakli Mestchiti, Demirli Djami, Peial ed Din Djami, Abdul Djelil Djami, Dolapli Mestchiti.

The ramparts of the medieval city, partially built on the foundations of the Byzantine enclosure, were constantly maintained and remodeled between the 14th and 16th centuries under the Grand Masters. Artillery firing posts were the last features to be added. At the beginning of the 16th century, in the section of the Amboise Gate, which was built on the northwest angle in 1512, the curtain wall was 12 m thick with a 4 m-high parapet pierced with gun holes. The fortifications of Rhodes influenced the eastern Mediterranean at the end of the Middle Ages.

Criterion (ii): The fortifications of Rhodes, a “Frankish” town long considered impregnable, influenced the eastern Mediterranean basin at the end of the Middle Ages.

Criterion (iv): This cultural property is an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble illustrating the significant period of history when a military/hospital order founded during the Crusades survived in the eastern Mediterranean area, characterized by an obsessive fear of siege. Rhodes is one of the most beautiful urban ensembles of the Gothic period. The fact that this medieval city is located on an island in the Aegean Sea, on the site of an ancient Greek city, and that it commands a port once adorned by the Colossus erected by Chares of Lindos, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, only adds to its interest. Finally, it must be noted that the chain of history was not broken in 1523 but continued up to 1912 with the addition of valuable Islamic monuments, such as mosques, baths, and houses.

Criterion (v): With its Frankish and Ottoman buildings, the old town of Rhodes is an important ensemble of traditional human settlement, characterized by successive and complex phenomena of acculturation. Contact with the traditions of the Dodecanese changed the forms of Gothic architecture, and building after 1523 combined vernacular forms resulting from the meeting of two worlds with decorative elements of Ottoman origin. All the built-up elements dating before 1912 have become vulnerable due to changes in living conditions and must be protected as much as the great religious, civil, and military monuments, churches, monasteries, mosques, baths, palaces, forts, gates, and ramparts.

Integrity

The increasing dangers due to tourist development and commercial overexploitation of the property, the modification of land use, and building regulations require that the strategic management of the property be continuously strengthened to minimize the pressure on the environment and the urban fabric, including all elements from before 1912.

Authenticity

The medieval city of Rhodes maintains the architectural character and urban organization of a medieval city, as well as its primary building materials. The alterations to the fortification walls and the monuments within the city during the Ottoman period did not harm the character of the historical settlement and are unique and integral evidence of the historic layering of the property. The Italian occupation after 1912 left a strong imprint on the urban landscape of Rhodes, with reconstructions of some major buildings. They must be considered, nonetheless, as a permanent integral part of the urban history of Rhodes.

Protection and management requirements

The property is protected by the provisions of the Archaeological Law 3028/2002 “On the Protection of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage in general,” and by separate ministerial decrees, published in the Official Government Gazette. Protection and management are carried out by the Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs through the responsible regional service (Ephorate of Antiquities of the Dodecanese). The Scientific Committee responsible for the execution of restoration projects in the Medieval City of Rhodes is supervised by the Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs. Since Rhodes is a living city, the Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs cooperates with the responsible bodies (Public, Regional, and Municipal), so that the medieval city of Rhodes can maintain its qualitative features as a perpetually evolving historical settlement.

The protection and management of the medieval city of Rhodes is implemented through continuous and systematic controls of the town-planning framework and building activity, as well as the updating of the institutional and legislative regulations.

Conservation works on the fortifications, monuments, communal spaces, and private buildings are still in progress and are funded by the European Union, the state, and private resources. Both state and municipal authorities are in charge of issues regarding the day-to-day function of the residential area to preserve more effectively the values of the property.

The Palace of the Grand Masters and the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes have been upgraded to promote the property and offer better facilities to visitors (new exhibitions, infrastructures).

The first phase of the urban planning study for the medieval city of Rhodes – which will define specific boundaries for building and use of land within the limits of the property aiming at its preservation and which was elaborated by the Municipality of Rhodes in cooperation with the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Dodecanese – has been approved under conditions that will be incorporated in the second phase. The final study – a Presidential Decree – will become the basis of the management plan.