Along with the Venetian architecture, superb buildings, towers and palaces from the time of the Knights of Saint John (under the rule of a Genoese admiral, 1309-1480) are embellishing the Old Town and the countryside, taking the visitor back to the Middle Age. Arab and Turkish architectural styles mix to the one listed before, enriching the Old Town with minarets and vaulted houses.
Wonderful Byzantine churches as well as cubic whitewashed houses and gothic-style mansions with Arab architectural elements, like doors and windows with pointed arches, complete this explosion of different architectures that are blended in a pure harmony.
In the ancient times, Rhodes mostly had coastal settlements, the oldest being the City of Rhodes and Lindos.
The coastal settlements are built amphitheatrically around a natural harbour, looking over the sea.
During the Byzantine period and after the fall of the island to the Turks, the pirate attacks became very frequent. |
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The fortified inland settlements where built on sites that were invisible from the sea and the main roads, such as on the slopes of mountains and hills, small valleys, plains and areas near rivers.
For the same protection reasons, castles and tower-houses were built on the coasts and in the interior of the island; in case of a pirate raid, the inhabitants were able to hide in those.
To build those new inland settlements, the islanders used materials which can be found in abundance on Rhodes such as stone, wood and earth.
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The traditional Rhodian house can be divided into two types: the farm house and the semi-urban house. The first type of house was used by the less prosperous families and consists in a single rectangular room which was used for all the needs and activities of the family.
The roof was wooden and the floor of trodden earth or paved with black and white pebbles (or rarely green and red) forming geometrical designs of great beauty.
This single-roomed house was gradually elaborated and
enriched with kitchen, oven and stables which were built around the main room.
This single-roomed house was gradually elaborated and enriched with kitchen, oven and stables which were built around the main room.
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The combination of architectural styles is particularly flagrant in the village of Lindos, one of the most ancient settlements of Rhodes which has seen various conquerors who have left their marks in its architecture;
Most of the mansions of this village have traditional Rhodian, Byzantine, medieval, Venetian and Arab characteristics that give a unique, beautiful result. Their ceilings are usually painted and their facades and courtyards decorated and paved with pebbles.
Whitewashed cubic houses with blue doors and windows outlined with blue paint can be found among all this mixed architecture.
The Ottoman occupation has also influenced the architecture of Rhodes.
This can be seen in the rich decoration of the houses and in the wooden trellis which are covering the balconies and windows of the facades (those trellis are called “sachnisi” in Turkish).
Magnificent minarets and mosques meddle in this rich architectural combination, bringing an extra touch to all this beauty. |
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