# Rhodes Old Town Walking Guide Follow a medieval walking route through Rhodes Old Town, from the Grand Master's Palace down Street of the Knights to the dry moat, with its walls and gates\. By Siyi Ma Topic: Earth & Geography [Open the interactive Jig](https://ask.jig.com/j/Qabhvjdf6cxp) ## Transcript ### 1. Welcome to Rhodes Old Town We fly in from the Aegean Sea over Mandraki Harbour, where two bronze deer stand on columns at the harbour mouth and old windmills line the pier\. Ahead rises a whole medieval town, still wrapped in its stone walls\. The Medieval City of Rhodes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site\. ### 2. Walls and gates The Knights of St John built these walls, almost 4 kilometres around and up to 12 metres thick in places\. Glowing markers show four gates you can use: d’Amboise, Liberty, Marine and St Catherine’s\. There are 11 gates in all; Liberty Gate was only opened in 1924\. ### 3. Palace of the Grand Master Our walk starts at the top of the town\. This castle\-like palace was home to the leader of the knights\. Most of what you see was rebuilt in the 1930s on the old medieval plan\. Next stop: Street of the Knights, about 3 minutes’ walk\. ### 4. Street of the Knights Walk downhill along Ippoton, a cobbled street about 200 metres long\. Its stone “inns” were clubhouses for knights who spoke the same language, called a “tongue”\. Look for carved coats of arms above the doors\. Next stop: Archaeological Museum, about 3 minutes’ walk\. ### 5. Archaeological Museum At the bottom of the street stands the knights’ hospital, finished in 1489\. Today it is a museum with a quiet arched courtyard and treasures from ancient Rhodes\. Next stop: Hippocrates Square, about 3 minutes’ walk\. ### 6. Hippocrates Square and Sokratous Street Hippocrates Square sits just inside the Marine Gate\. From here, Sokratous Street climbs uphill, lined with little shops selling sponges, sweets and souvenirs\. Next stop: Suleiman Mosque, about 5 minutes’ walk uphill\. ### 7. Suleiman Mosque At the top of Sokratous Street you will spot rosy pink walls and a tall, slender tower called a minaret\. A mosque was first built here after 1522 and rebuilt in 1808\. Enjoy it from outside\. Next stop: Martyrs’ Square, about 9 minutes’ walk\. ### 8. Jewish Quarter and Martyrs’ Square Winding lanes lead to the old Jewish Quarter\. Martyrs’ Square remembers the Jewish families of Rhodes who were taken away in 1944\. Today children splash past its little seahorse fountain\. Next stop: the moat, about 10 minutes’ walk\. ### 9. Walk along the moat Leave through St John’s Gate and step down into the moat\. It was always dry: a grassy ditch up to 30 metres wide that kept enemies and cannons away\. Stone cannonballs still lie in the grass\. The moat path leads on to St Athanasios Gate, about 6 minutes’ walk\. ### 10. Your half\-day walk As the sun sets, here is the whole route: about 2\.3 kilometres and 7 stops\. That is roughly 40 minutes of walking, so with visits and a snack, plan half a day\. Late October is a lovely time to visit: warm days and smaller crowds\.