History Holidays on Rhodes
Rhodes is a prime holiday destination with a modern city centre, but it is also rich in History. Why not combine the two and have History Holidays! The Old Town of Rhodes has a mixture of medieval and Byzantine influences and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Knights Hospitaller controlled Rhodes from 1309 to 1522 and a number of walks around the old town can inform you about the History of Rhodes under their rule.
Virtual Tours
Can’t travel? I’m developing online tours. Also, if you want to tour in your own time, I can provide a pre-recorded tour to download. Please contact me if you’re interested in this option.
Some of the possible educational walks are given below. If you are interested in another theme, contact me and I’ll design it for you using my local knowledge.
The Walls & Moat. Walk through the moat from Acandia Gate to Mandraki Harbour. The walls provided a strong defence from Byzantine times on and both the Hospitallers and Ottomans failed to take the city, having to agree surrender on terms. There is a special focus on the two sieges of 1480 and 1522 and how the defences changed between the sieges. This walk takes about 60 minutes.
Old Town highlights. This 90 minute walk provides you with an overview of some important sites in the old town, which you can later visit at your own leisure, including the Grand Master’s Palace, the two hospitals, Our Lady of the Castle Church, the Castellania and ending in the Jewish quarter, near Our Lady of the Victory Church.
Through the Backstreets Walk: The walk explores the hidden parts of the Old Town, starting at St. Catherine’s Hospice, going through the Jewish Quarter and ending at the Grand Master’s Palace. This walk takes up to an hour.
Towers & Windmills Walk:This walk looks at St. Nicholas Tower, Naillac Tower and the Tower of France, plus Mandraki, the commercial and Acandia harbours. This walk takes up to 40 minutes.
Educational Walks
These are educational walks, not tours, that I designed as an historian of medieval Rhodes. Even so, due to the laws protecting the livelihood of Greek tourist guides, I cannot accompany you on the walks. Well, I could, as long as I didn’t speak, but what would be the point if you can’t ask questions? What I can do is suggest routes for you to follow independently and provide information to assist you beforehand.
Photographs
You can purchase high quality versions (300 dpi+) of the photographs on this page for a small sum:
€10 for personal use
€20 for one-off commercial use
€35 for unlimited commercial use
This offer is under the condition that the author is acknowledged as follows: Photograph: Simon Phillips
You can also buy other photographs of Cyprus and Rhodes on the same terms.
For further details, contact me at: historymentor@teachers.org
Learn more about Rhodes’ History at History Mentor Facebook
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