RhodesLocated at the crossroads between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, the island of Rhodes was already settled during the Stone Age, later by Cretans, Phoenicians and Dorians.
Rhodes became a prosperous hub within the Greek world after the island's major cities united in 408 BCE and founded a new capital, the city of Rhodes. The following three centuries were the Golden Age of Rhodes when famous artists, philosophers and writers lived here.
The city boasted one of the original Seven Wonders of the World: the Colossus of Rhodes, a monumental statue representing the sun god Helios, completed in 282 BCE. In 226 BCE it was toppled by an earthquake that also badly damaged the city.
A Mysterious Masterpiece
▶The Museum of Islamic Art▶ Rhodes