The City of Knights

For your very own Game of Thrones moment, step back in time and discover the UNESCO-protected Medieval City of Rhodes

If you close your eyes in the Medieval City of Rhodes and imagine the clip-clopping sound of horses' hooves as they clatter through the vaulted stone streets, twisting alleys and cobbled lanes, you can transport yourself in a millisecond back to a time when real medieval crusaders roamed this fortified enclave, protecting their adopted stronghold from enemy attacks. Welcome to the time of the Order of Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, crusaders who landed their ships in Rhodes in 1309 and set about building themselves a secured walled city that still stands today as one of the best-preserved medieval settlements in Europe. In fact, it is so well preserved that to explore its endless nooks and crannies is to take a journey back in time, unravelling multiple layers of history and heritage as you go.

PROTECTING CULTURAL HERITAGE Thanks to UNESCO – who considered the Medieval City so special that they have been protecting and preserving it as a World Heritage Site since 1988 – the time portal-like qualities of this spellbinding pocket of history are now world-renowned. You feel it from the moment you first step foot through the almost impregnable gates that are dotted around the austere 4km-long wall that contains the city. Inside those walls the city is divided into two very distinct parts: the compact Upper Town to the north, and the larger, more sprawling Lower Town to the south. For authentic crusader castles, unparalleled architectural history, imposing monuments and age-old streets, head straight to the Upper Town, entirely constructed by the Knights and home to their most impressive monument – the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes. Today you can still picture the knights of the 14th and 15th centuries filling the great vaulted halls and majestic courtyard of their headquarters with the clamour of medieval life. But that is not all – the Upper Town is bursting at the seams with things to see, including the incredible Street of the Knights, with its austere stone walls leaning in from either side, arched windows and heavy gothic touches. Lying at the heart of the site as its main thoroughfare, the Street of the Knights is lined with the inns where each of the seven ‘tongues’ of the Order of the Knights would reside. On the south side of the street is the beautifully restored Great Hospital, and at the north, the great Inn of Auvergne, whose façade is adorned with an impressively ornate coat of arms.

UNRAVELLING LAYERS OF HISTORY But what really adds that multilayered dimension that makes exploring the city so rewarding is the intricate jigsaw puzzle of history that is the Lower Town.

Here, reminders of the Knights’ occupation coexist side by side with remnants left by the many other cultures and civilisations who were also intent on leaving their own indelible marks on the city. Ancient Byzantine churches and Jewish Synagogues stand next to Islamic mosques and public bathhouses from the Ottoman period, which began in 1523 when the Knights were finally defeated by the fearsome Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. The best way to experience the city and really soak up its unique atmosphere is to get lost in the maze of winding back streets, which will eventually lead out onto sun-drenched squares where, come dusk, locals gather to share gossip over iced coffees. And indeed, witnessing the way that this part of the city shifts from day into night is a magical experience in itself. As the sun sets and the medieval stones are lit up, the city seems to glow under an enchanted fairytalelike spell that lasts long into the night, with restaurants, bars and nightclubs breathing youthful life and dynamism into a city so steeped in history. Athens may have the Acropolis, but the Medieval citadel of Rhodes leaves visitors with something equally special – a palpable feeling of times gone by, intricately merged with a vibrant and alluring contemporary scene.