Tourists find the Rhodes Island very fascinating and attractive to explore. The centre of capital of the island is a well preserved ancient town bordered by medieval walls and gates. The Old town attracts tourists from all over the world for Rhodes holidays because of the one-of-a-kind setting and environment that it provides on Rhodes Island.

Old Town of Rhodes:

Containing a mixture of historic, Ottoman, Byzantine and medieval monuments, the Old town of Rhodes on Rhodes Island has been declared as one of the UNESCO’s World’s Heritage sites.

This Medieval town of Rhodes is a distinctive place and contains some very impressive sites. The Turkish Quarter along with the Jewish Quarter and the Quarter of Knight’s composes the old town of Rhodes.

The Old Town’s Kollakio is the place where majority of the medieval landmarks are situated. The Old Town can be accessed by nine main gateways, known locally as ‘Pyles’, and the remarkable buildings situated inside these gates offer a pleasant mixture of Latin, Byzantine and also Turkish styles.

Therefore, when coming for Rhodes Holidays, visiting the Turkish Quarter is a must if you want to discover the historic treasures of old town.

Exploring the Turkish Quarter:

In the western part of the Old Town of Rhodes, the atmosphere is more oriental where countless Byzantine churches have been converted into mosques, various lively stalls take one back to the times of the old bazaar, the alleys are lined with vaulted houses, each square has a fountain and the facades are set off by beautiful arched rows.

From both the sides of the Socrates Street, narrow lanes take one right into the heart of the medieval town. One of these narrow lines is the Hippodamus Street that leads to the Turkish quarter. The 15th century’s Agia Paraskevi church is located on the right-hand side. As you go beyond this street you will reach the next one which is called the Arhelaou Street . Going farther leads one to the Arionos Square, the mosque of Sultan Mustafa and the Turkish Hamam.

Suleiman Mosque and the Hammam Baths:

In the Turkish Quarter perhaps the most attractive structure is that of Suleiman Mosque with a pink coloured dome. Their Turkish legacies include the Turkish ‘Hammam’ baths that are still operated by the local municipals.

The Archelaou Street which is on the backside of the mosque will lead you to the Arionos square, where you’ll find the Mosque of Sultan Mustafa and the public baths. These are the sacred Turkish baths (hammam) that have been fully restored.

Turkish library:

The Archelaou Street on its other side has the famous Turkish library. Nearly 210 year ago, in 1794, Ahmed Hafuz build this library. Some great selections from the Turkish, Arab and Persian literature and documents can be found in the library. Amongst these manuscripts the important ones include

1. One richly ornamented Koran of 1412
2. One richly ornamented Koran of 1540
3. An anonymous chronicle of the 1522 siege

Kurmale-Medresse:

If you go a little further in the west of Suleiman Mosque you will reach the Apollonion Street that will direct you to the famous Byzantine-Gothic church of St. George. George. During Ottoman occupation this church was known with the name of Kurmale-Medresse which means the school with the date palm and was used as a medresse.

If you want to have a great time on Rhodes Island we recommend that you go for a Aparthotel Rhodes or check in to one of the Rhodes Town Hotels for your Rhodes Holidays

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