Rhodes historical past

Being the main port of the Dodecanese, Rhodes is linked with all the other islands of the group during summer time.
Schedules can be found at the EOT and the Municipal Tourist Office of Rhodes.
3 weekly ferries are travelling to Nisyros and Tilos.
2 ferries per week are linking Rhodes to Astypalaia, Kassos, Karpathos and Ibiza.
There are daily boats from Pireaus that generally leave between the hours of 1pm and 6pm. You can get a schedule in the Athens News which comes out every Friday with the weekly ferry schedules and the Kathemerini Insert in the International Herald Tribune. If you are going deck chances are you can get a ticket at the boat but it is best to book in advance so there is no chance of being left behind. If you want a cabin, which is recommended since it is about a 17 hour trip, then do it through your travel agent. The ferry makes stops at Patmos, Kalymnos, Leros and Kos too or various combintaions of these islands. There are infrequent connections to Santorini, Mykonos, Crete and some other islands but not every day. The most popular boat is the Blue Star which takes about 13 to 15 hours they say. The Anthi Maria costs only 17 euro from Piraus but does not have cabins. There is a once a week ferry to Samos, Chios, Lesvos, Limnos and Thessaloniki.Greek Ferries are the primary means of transport to and from the islands, and the trip is an experience to be savored, like a cruise (sometimes). Islands like Lesvos, Rhodes and Crete are best reached by ferry because the trip is overnight and it’s like being in a big moving hotel. A really nice cabin for two should cost about 120 euros or so. Santorini should be appoached by ferry for the view which is breathtaking and worth the 8-10 hour trip, especially if you can get there in the lateafternoon. Unless of course you don’t like being on boats in which case no view is worth 8-10 hours of boredom punctuated by the arrivals and departures from the other islands on the Santorini route.

There are ferries and excursions boats that go to the nearby islands of Simi, Kastelorizo, Kos, Kalymnos, Patmos, Tilos and Leros and these are usually highspeeds. You can do daytrips to the closer islands or overnight trips or even bounce your way back to Pireaus if the schedules work in your favor. These boats leave from Mandraki harbor and you can go there and get schedules or arrange trips through one of the local travel agents. There are also cruises to Lindos (highspeed or slow boat, take your pick) and other places around the island.

In 1309 Rhodes, Kos and Leros sold to the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. A new era begins for Rhodes as the Battalion who first objective was for the treatment of Christians pilgrims in the Holy Land, emerges as a military, economic and commercial power in the region. The Knights that descended from all the Catholic countries have managed to reach agreements with the major powers of Western Europe in order to weaken the Muslim forces had begun to be developed. During the ippotokratias Rhodes was a strong commercial center because of the importance of trade in the Mediterranean season and the geographic location of the island. It was renewed and expanded the medieval city, which remains alive until today and all the major castles, fortifications of the city, and many monasteries and churches. The fleet of Ioanniton control of shipping in the eastern Mediterranean and a constant threat to the Turkish fleet. The Muslims have tried repeatedly to oust the Ioannites from the area while the Knights with a combination of continuous military preparedness, diplomacy and espionage have managed to cope. In 1480 the great siege of the island by the Turks apokroustike by the Knights and the Rhodes population. The next siege in 1522 but by the Sultan Suleiman, despite the brave resistance has not had the same result. The battalion had to capitulate and to leave the island on 1 January 1522.