Lindos Castle

This past weekend has been packed with spectacular adventure. On Saturday, I traveled to Kameiros, an ancient Greek site dating back over 3,000 years. The site was beautiful and offered a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside. The town center was one of the most interesting areas at Kameiros due to the presence of remarkably well preserved engravings. The engravings consisted of public laws, announcements, acknowledgments etc.
After taking in Kameiros, I traveled further south to the very tip of the island where an interesting natural event occurs daily. At the tip of the island, there is a very narrow stretch of land connecting Rhodes to another small island at Cape Prasonisi. At high tide, the connection is engulfed by the ensuing war between the wave-bearing Aegean Sea and the calm Mediterranean Sea.
From the tip of the island, I made my way back up the other side of Rhodes to Lindos. Here lies one of the most breathtaking places on the island. At Lindos, there is a well preserved castle which once belonged to the Knights of St. John. There is also an ancient Acropolis which was built thousands of years ago. There was also once a Byzantine fortress that was constructed on the same site, but none of it stands any longer.

The castle at Lindos had always been an important spot for the local people. Ancient Greeks had carefully chosen the location for an acropolis, which was followed by a Byzantine Fortress, and eventually a castle for the Knights of St. John. The location offers an unhindered view of the surrounding ocean, allowing the defenders to easily spot incoming ships coming from the east. The castle is surrounded by water on 3 sides, the south, east, and north. To the west there is a valley which extends to form large mountains in the distance. To the south and north, there are small ports which are protected by rocky outcrops. An enemy would undoubtedly have great difficulty landing troops, not to mention assaulting the castle. The castle that stands today is a remnant of the castle built by the Knights from the 1300’s. Little if nothing remains of the Byzantine fortress. Parts of the acropolis had remained and were reconstructed by Danish experts in the early part of the 20th century. The harbor at situated next to the castle is believed to be the place where St. Paul landed on Rhodes. The harbor is rightly named “St. Pauls Harbor.”