City Walls and Moat of Rhodes

On Gingerguide's self-guided Rhodes audio tour, City Walls and Moat of Rhodes is a stop worth about ~45 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.

City Walls and Moat of Rhodes, Rhodes
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

About City Walls and Moat of Rhodes

A four-kilometre ring of Knights' walls above a broad dry moat that never held water and is now a grassy public park hosting concerts and open-air events.

A wall circuit roughly four kilometres long, built and repeatedly strengthened by the Knights Hospitaller between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, encloses the medieval Old Town of Rhodes. The land walls are fronted by a broad dry moat that was never filled with water. In the most heavily reinforced sectors the walls reach up to about twelve metres thick and are backed by bastions, towers and angled terrepleins designed to absorb Ottoman cannon fire. Defence of the circuit was divided among the tongues of the Order, so individual stretches of wall were assigned to and named after different nations of Knights.

The fortifications resisted the Ottoman siege of 1480 but fell after the prolonged siege of 1522, which ended Hospitaller rule of the island. Principal gates include the Marine Gate, the d'Amboise Gate of 1512, the Gate of St Athanasius (1441-1442) and St John's (Koskinou) Gate. Today the dry moat is a landscaped public park and open-air venue, walked by visitors and used for concerts and events.

Did you know? The broad moat around the walls was never flooded, always a dry ditch. Today it is a landscaped park where visitors stroll and the city stages concerts and open-air events among the ramparts.

How much time do you need at City Walls and Moat of Rhodes?

Around ~45 min works well for City Walls and Moat of Rhodes — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.

Should you stop at City Walls and Moat of Rhodes?

Yes — City Walls and Moat of Rhodes made the cut as one of 18 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Rhodes. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.

Nearby stops in Rhodes

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Hear the story of City Walls and Moat of Rhodes

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