Rhodes excursions
The Aquarium
On the northernmost tip of Neohori stands the official Institute of Hydrobiology (the Aquarium). As well as being the premier research laboratory for scientific projects, the centre also presents a popular aquarium. On display are rare species of fish and other marine fauna. Particularly impressive are the tanks located below sea-level which feature special marine exhibits.
The Medieval Town is a living monument, an exquisite museum if you like, that has much to reveal to the visitor. Every corner, every street, every building has its own history, and so it is understandable that a “guide” will confine him or her self to the best-known sights. They will have time only for some key historical facts, leaving visitors, perhaps with the help of some more detailed or specific information, to discover by themselves, walking along the narrow maze of streets, a taste of the Old Town that we cannot give in the course of our short “tour”.
Starting from Mandraki, and passing through Eleftheria Gate at Symi Square, the first building we see is the 15th century Inn of Tongue of Auverge, now the offices of the Archaeological Services. To the right of Symi Square is the Municipal Art Gallery with its Collection of works by modern Greek painters. Just a litle further is Argyrokastro Square, a beautiful small space, at the center of which is a fountain made out of an early-Christian baptismal font.
Also In Argyrokastro Square is one of the oldest and most beautiful buildings in the medieval town – the old arsenal of the Knights – which today houses the Folk Art and Folklore Museum.
On show are various exhibits from the past, such as the Rhodian “sperveri”, a hand-made curtain of asbestos cloth and silk surrounding the nuptial bed. Other treasures include plates from Rhodes and Byzantium, local costumes, furniture, and various traditional household items.
Leaving Argyrokastro Square and walking through the low arch that today controls vehicle access to the medieval town, we arrive, at the foot of the Street of the knights, at the Byzantine 12th century Church of the Virgin Mary of the Castle (now the Byzantine Art museum).
Immediately after, in Museum Square, are the inn of the Tongue of England, and the old hospital of the knights, which today houses the Archaeological Museum.
As visitors leave the Castle, suitably impressed, they will probably be thinking that there is nothing of the Medieval town left to see. But they soon realize this isn’t the case, and as they continue walking they quickly discover that a new surprise beckons at every corner.
Further delights await as the walker passes Kleobulos Square and crosses Orpheus Street, a wide road shaded from the sun by the large, spreading plane trees. There the visitor can rest opposite the canons of the Castle at the base of the Clock Tower, which is now a nightclub. This tower is often a willing model, posing for the open-air pavement artists of the area. And so our stroll goes on…
At the foot of Orpheus Street, beyond the inner wall of the Castle, where Socrates Street begins, is the mosque of Suleiman, built in 1808, opposite the Ahmet Hafuz library, which dates from 1794.
And now before us is Socrates Street, with its scores of busy shoppers, or window-shoppers, buying or browsing in the hundreds of stores that line both sides of this 24-hour high-street!
Off Socrates Street, both left and right, narrow lanes wind into the heart of the medieval town. One of them, Hippodamus Street (right), leads to the Turkish quarter. A little way on the right-hand side is the 15th century church of Agia Paraskevi and shortly after this, on the left, is the very narrow Arhelaou Street, which gives on to Arionos Square and the mosque of Sultan Mustafa (1765) and the Turkish Hamam (baths), which are still operated by the local municipality.
From Arionos Square a lane descends to the open-air theatre. Regularly, on summer evenings, folk-dance performances are held here.
A little further down, taking the road to the right, we come to the Byzantine church of Agios Fanourios. Walking back along Agios Fanourios Street, we end up half-way down Socrates Street, and still descending, we reach the beautiful fountain in the center of Hippocrates Square.
In the square stands the important building known as “Castellania”, of an unusual architectural style with a grand external staircase. During the Italian period it was the hub of the town’s commercial life, and the first floor held the Commercial Court. Today the Folklore Archives of the Dodecanese and the Public Library are housed here.
Leaving Hippocrates Square, we traverse Aristotle Street towards the square of the Hebrew Martyrs, the heart of the Jewish quarter. In the middle of this square there is an ornate fountain with tiles depicting shells, starfish, and marine life, and the beautiful decoration is completed with three large iron sea-horses.
On the north side of the square is the Admiralty (15th century), for many years the residence of the Bishop of Rhodes. On the south-eastern side is the Synagogue and, continuing to the end of the street, we arrive at the Church of the Virgin Mary of the Burgh (14th century), the biggest church of the medieval town, now divided into two sections.
An extension of Aristotle Street leads to the reconstructed Hostel of Saint Catherine, and a little further to the east, in another square, is the 15th century church of Agios Panteleimon.
Moreover, if you want an even more complete picture of the Old Town, you can walk along the walls (as permitted) and also in the moat surrounding the walls, behind which thrives the medieval Town of Rhodes.
