Rhodes an island to explore
When the gods divided the world among themselves, so an ancient Greek legend goes, Helios (the sun god) noticed an island emerging from the sea. He was so fascinated by its beauty that he immediately asked Zeus whether he might have this island as his share. Rhodes was that island. An island that glided, and still glides, like a dolphin, over the waves in the transparent seas of the south-eastern Aegean, where West meets East. Wreathed in golden beaches, with bright green hills and valleys, and bathed in the light of the god Helios (her ancient patron), it is a place favoured by nature, made on a human scale.
Inhabited since prehistoric times, Rhodes quickly developed into an important financial and cultural centre of the ancient Greek world. Its affluence, natural beauty and strategic position, endowed the early Rhodians with wealth, but, equally, it attracted other powers in each subsequent era, eager to possess the island. The Romans, Knights of Saint John, Ottoman Turks and, later, the Italians, all left deep signs of their presence, but they always failed to sever the deep Greek roots of the island, which finally joined metropolitan Greece after the Second World War.
Rhodes today offers the visitor a plethora of all year round leisure alternatives, covering all types of tourist activity.
The natural beauty of the island, the monuments from her long and often turbulent history, its cosmopolitan character, as well as the warm hospitality generously offered by the people of Rhodes along with an excellent tourist infrastructure, all captivate the visitor.
Inhabited since prehistoric times, Rhodes quickly developed into an important financial and cultural centre of the ancient Greek world. Its affluence, natural beauty and strategic position, endowed the early Rhodians with wealth, but, equally, it attracted other powers in each subsequent era, eager to possess the island. The Romans, Knights of Saint John, Ottoman Turks and, later, the Italians, all left deep signs of their presence, but they always failed to sever the deep Greek roots of the island, which finally joined metropolitan Greece after the Second World War.
Rhodes today offers the visitor a plethora of all year round leisure alternatives, covering all types of tourist activity.
The natural beauty of the island, the monuments from her long and often turbulent history, its cosmopolitan character, as well as the warm hospitality generously offered by the people of Rhodes along with an excellent tourist infrastructure, all captivate the visitor.
