Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dodecanese Highlights
Wander beneath Byzantine arches and along the ancient cobbled alleyways of
Rhodes Old Town
(
Click here
)
Follow the winding road up to the traditional mountaintop village of
Olymbos
(
Click here
)
Test your mettle diving for wrecks or climbing limestone cliffs on
Kalymnos
(
Click
Find the deserted beach you've always dreamed of on
Lipsi
(
Click here
)
Go hiking or birding on postcard-perfect
Tilos
(
Click here
)
Enter the fabled volcano of
Nisyros
(
Click here
), home to an imprisoned Titan
Feel your pulse quicken as your boat pulls into
Symi's
(
Click here
)
gorgeous Itali-
anate harbour
Make a pilgrimage to
Patmos
(
Click here
)
, where St John wrote his 'Revelations'
History
The Dodecanese islands have been inhabited since pre-Minoan times. Following Alexan-
der the Great's death in 323 BC, Ptolemy I of Egypt ruled the Dodecanese.
The Dodecanese islanders were the first Greeks to become Christians. This was
through the tireless efforts of St Paul, who made two journeys to the archipelago during
the 1st century, and through St John, who was banished to Patmos where he had his rev-
elation and added a chapter to the Bible.
The early Byzantine era saw the islands prosper, but by the 7th century AD they were
plundered by a string of invaders. The Knights of St John of Jerusalem (Knights Hospit-
aller) arrived in the 14th century and eventually became rulers of almost all the Do-
decanese, building mighty fortifications strong enough to withstand time but not suffi-
cient to keep out the Turks in 1522.
The Turks were themselves ousted by the Italians in 1912. The latter, inspired by Mus-
solini's vision of a vast Mediterranean empire, made Italian the official language of the
Dodecanese and prohibited the practice of Orthodoxy. They also constructed grandiose
public buildings in the fascist style, which was the antithesis of archetypal Greek archi-
tecture. More beneficially, they excavated and restored many archaeological monuments.
After the Italian surrender of 1943, the islands (particularly Leros) became a battle-
ground for British and German forces, with much suffering inflicted upon the population.
The Dodecanese were formally returned to Greece in 1947.
