Rhodes is home to the medieval city of Rhodes and the site traditionally associated with the Colossus of Rhodes. The island lies in the southeastern Aegean Sea and is part of Greece’s Dodecanese island group.
The Colossus was a gigantic statue of the sun god Helios, erected around 280 BCE after Rhodes successfully resisted a siege. An earthquake probably toppled it in 226 BCE. The statue did not straddle the harbour entrance, despite a popular later image; ancient accounts indicate it stood near the harbour area.
The medieval city of Rhodes was fortified by the Knights Hospitaller, who governed the island from 1309 to 1522. Its walls, streets, Palace of the Grand Master, and other buildings form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rhodes is Greece’s fourth-largest island by area. It is also close to the coast of Turkey, which lies less than 20 kilometres away at the nearest point.