Karpathos to Rhodes: The Colossus
RHODES (RODOS) [QR-453]
Coordinates: 36°26'N, 28°13'E
Marina: Mandraki Harbor (medieval, central) or Kolona Marina (modern, south)
Berth Cost: €40-75/night
Character: Medieval walled city (UNESCO), crusader history, largest Dodecanese island
🗿 The Colossus & The Siege That Changed Everything
A Fairy Tale from 305 BC (and 1522 AD)
Part I: The Bronze Giant
In 305 BC, Demetrius "The Besieger"—one of Alexander the Great's successors—attacked Rhodes with 40,000 men and siege towers nine stories tall.
Rhodes held out. For a full year. Against impossible odds.
When Demetrius finally gave up and left, the Rhodians sold his abandoned siege equipment and used the money to build the Colossus of Rhodes—a 110-foot bronze statue of Helios (sun god) straddling the harbor entrance.
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
It stood for 54 years. Then an earthquake in 226 BC snapped it at the knees. It fell into the harbor.
For 800 years, the broken Colossus lay in Rhodes harbor—tourists came just to see the ruins. Then, in 654 AD, Arab raiders conquered Rhodes, cut up the bronze, and sold it as scrap. According to legend, it took 900 camels to carry it away.
What remains? Nothing. Not a single piece. Just the story.
But the harbor where it fell? You're sailing into it right now.
Part II: The Knights vs. The Sultan
Fast forward to 1522. Rhodes is held by the Knights of St. John—crusader-monks who fled Jerusalem, conquered Rhodes, and turned it into a fortress-island.
Suleiman the Magnificent, Ottoman Sultan, wants it. He brings 200,000 men and 400 ships.
The Knights? 700 knights, maybe 6,000 soldiers total.
The siege lasted six months. Ottoman cannons fired 1,000 rounds per day. The walls held. Tunnels, counter-tunnels, explosions, hand-to-hand fighting in the breaches.
Finally, Suleiman offered terms: Leave with honor, or die.
The Knights left. Suleiman let them march out with flags flying, taking their wounded, their relics, their pride.
They sailed to Malta. (Where they'd later defeat Suleiman's navy again, but that's another story.)
The result?
Rhodes became Ottoman for 400 years. The fortress you're about to walk through? Built to withstand apocalypse. It almost did.
Shipwrecks Around Rhodes:
The seabed around Rhodes is an underwater museum. Bronze Age merchant ships, Roman grain haulers, medieval galleys, WWII wrecks—layers of history stacked in the sand.
Diving: Several licensed dive operators offer wreck dives (permits required for ancient wrecks). Modern wrecks (WWII Italian ships) are accessible.
Rhodes Old Town (UNESCO) [QR-454]
Walk through the medieval gates. You're in the 14th century—Knights of St. John built this fortress city when they controlled the Eastern Mediterranean.
Palace of the Grand Master [QR-455] - Crusader fortress, €8
Street of the Knights [QR-456] - Medieval Europe frozen in stone
Archaeological Museum [QR-457] - Ancient Rhodes artifacts
Lindos [QR-458] - Acropolis on hilltop, white village below, stunning beach (1 hour by bus from Rhodes Town)
Dining:
Marco Polo Mansion [QR-459] - Old Town, romantic courtyard, Mediterranean fusion
Tamam [QR-460] - Turkish-Greek cuisine (Rhodes was Ottoman 1522-1912)
Kerasma [QR-461] - Modern Greek, local ingredients
For authentic, non-touristic Rhodes:
Skip the old town tourist traps. Want the real experience? Go to the villages.
Afandou - Anchor here (east coast, quieter bay)
Katholiki Restaurant [QR-462] - Traditional taverna, family-run, locals eat here, smiles guaranteed, €20-35
Even smaller, cozier? Want to become friends with the people making your food?
Gummersbach Παραδοσιακο Καφενειο Τσιπουραδικο [QR-463] - Traditional kafeneio/tsipouradiko style
- Ask what they're serving that day (homemade, whatever's fresh)
- You'll eat what they cook, drink what they pour
- By the end of the meal, you're family
- This is the real Rhodes
- €15-30
The lesson: Tourist areas serve tourist food. Villages serve food. Always go to the villages.
A Personal Memory: Rhodes & Music
Years ago, I sailed to Rhodes for the first time—not as captain, but as a conservatory student with my teacher Kerim Hoca and fellow musicians. We were performing at the Anthestiria (Flower Festival) at Rhodes' National Theater.
The boat: Bodrum municipality's 15-20m sailboat.
The crew: Young musicians, nervous sailors, all of us.
The mission: Perform, explore, live.
On later trips to Rhodes, I met people who became more than friends:
Iris Mavraki - Greek singer whose voice could break your heart or mend it, depending on the song. We performed together in smoky tavernas and concert halls, in Turkey and Greece, the music erasing borders the politicians insisted on drawing.
Chris & George - Amazing musicians who became family. The kind of friends where you pick up exactly where you left off, even if years have passed.
Rhodes wasn't just another port. It was where I learned that Greeks and Turks are like rakı and ouzo—both anise-flavored, both turn cloudy with water, both blamed for the next morning's headache, both absolutely necessary for a proper night of music and truth-telling. We are the same people, speaking in different alphabets, singing the same longing.
The return trip to Turkey: Rougher seas than we'd hoped. Beck's beer as seasickness remedy (surprisingly effective—or maybe we were just too buzzed to notice the rolling). Laughter through the waves, salt spray, and the understanding that discomfort shared becomes memory treasured.
The dream: Return to Rhodes someday. Not just to visit, but to stay long enough. To jam with Iris, Chris, and George in a waterfront taverna where the bouzouki weeps and the trombone answers. To play until the owner stops charging for drinks and starts pouring them for free. To make music until the sun rises over the Aegean and someone has to remind us we have boats to sail.
The Aegean connects people. Music connects people. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you get both at once.
Rhodes gave me that.
Stay 2-3 nights - Rhodes deserves your time.