When the gods
divided the world between themselves, so an
ancient 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 glides still, 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, a cosmopolitan
character, as well as the warm hospitality
generously offered by the people of Rhodes,
and an excellent tourist infrastructure
boasting the most modern hotels, all captivate
the visitor.
This edition
aims to present to visitors the distinctive
attractions offered by each of the ten Municipalities
of Rhodes, and to help them get to know
the beauty of all corners of this lovely
island, north and south.
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