Sightseeing in the old town

It's fascinating to walk in the medieval town, full of impressive 15th-century buildings, stone-paved lanes with arches and vaults, rows of little shops - as a modern touch to the medieval picture - offering a surprising variety of commodities

Perhaps the best starting-point for a journey through medieval Rhodes is the wall (14th century; 5 km long). As we cross one of the most famous gates, Pili Eleftherias (Freedom Gate) we encounter traces of the Temple of Venus, (3rd century BC), also the Inn of the Auvergne Knights, the Arsenal, the Museum of Decorative Arts (folklore exhibits from the Dodecanese islands), the Byzantine Museum (in a 13th-century church), the majestic Harbour Gate. The Archaeological Museum (tel. 0241/27.674), housed in the 15th-century building of the Knights' Hospital, includes collections of coins, pots and sculptures from the Mycenaean up to the Roman era. We note the kneeling Venus of Rhodes (1st century AD) and the sepulchral column of Tymarista and Crito. The Knights' Road, official street of the medieval city, follows the ancient road not to the end (the Acropolis) but to the Palace of the Grand Masters. Along the road lay the Inns of the Knights of Seven Languages, of which four still remain. The Palace of the Grand Masters or Knights' Palace (14th c.) is a palace and fortress that dominates the old town. It was destroyed in 1856 and rebuilt in 1339. Floors are covered with ancient mosaics from the island of Cos. There is an interesting collection of 16th and 17th-century Western furniture, and an impressive arcade used as a place for meetings and as a majestic entrance. The Palace has been renovated and is used to house important international functions. Other remarkable sights of the old town are the Mosque of Suleiman, an old church with a beautiful Italian door, the Castellania (16thcentury building now housing the Library) with its beautiful fountain, St Catherine's Hospital, the Admiralty Palace to its night, finally the Folk Dance Theatre working to preserve traditional music, dances and costumes in their purest form.