Fortress of Rhodes
The fortress of Rhodes was a bastion of the Christian order of the Knights of St John (aka Knights Hospitallers). After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Knights, who were occupying the island of Rhodes since 1309, built a fortress on top of one of the town's nearby hills to protect from a possible Ottoman invasion on the island. Today, the ëOld Towní of Rhodes is surrounded by the impressive 15th century fortress wall, 2 1/2 miles long. It is just one of the testaments of the unusual history of the independent Rhodians, who seemed to have opposed Athens in almost every major conflict of those times.
