Historical highlights of Rhodes

Beyond the sun, sea and sand, the Greek island of Rhodes is steeped in thousands of years of history and legend.

Next year marks 700 years since the founding of Rhodes medieval town and 250 years since the ruins of Kamiros were discovered in the west of the island.

Kamiros was once the third most important city in Rhodes and remains one of the best-preserved classical archaeological sites in Greece.

The city was built in the shape of an amphitheatre on a hill with an acropolis at its highest point and the extensive ruins are open to visitors.

Here you will find the foundations of the temple of Athena Polias (circa third century BC); a large cistern reservoir capable of supplying 400 families (circa sixth century BC); a stoa (portico) measuring 200 metres (circa third century BC); and the remains of private houses, built around courtyards.

On the opposite coast of Rhodes, the city of Lindos flourished during the same period but unlike Kamiros has remained continuously inhabited for around 3,000 years.

The Lindos acropolis - which is dominated by the massive temple of Athena Lindia, dating back to around 300 BC - is another of Rhodes' most interesting historical sites.

It sits on a hill above the medieval town, with its white-washed buildings and narrow cobbled streets.

The most famous ancient monument in Rhodes is, unfortunately, untraceable today, although it remains a key emblem of the island.

The Colossus of Rhodes was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world – a giant statue of the Greek god Helios that was said to stand over 30 metres tall at Mandraki harbour.

Legend tells that the Colossus was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC and Pliny the Elder recorded that its broken remains lay where they fell for centuries afterwards.

Today, visitors to Mandraki harbour will find two statues of Rhodian deer in the location the Colossus was said to have stood.

The harbour lies just outside the fortified walls of Rhodes Old Town, the medieval city which was founded by the Knights of St John in 1309.

Now a Unesco world heritage site, this is the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe.

The attractions of Rhodes old town include the Street of the Knights - the most important and imposing avenue of the town that features the former residencies of the various nationalities ("tongues") of the Order of the Knights of St John.

The Street of the Knights leads up to the Grand Master's Palace, an impressive fortress and former headquarters of the leader of the knights.

The Palace today serves as a museum containing important archaeological finds from ancient and modern Rhodes.

These are just a few of the historical treasures that can be explored on Rhodes. To find about more about holidays on Rhodes and its many historical attractions, see the Rhodes tourism website.