Dodecanese - Greece - page 945

built it, introducing a grandiose, lavish interior. Only 24 of the 158 rooms can be visited;
inside you'll find antique furnishing, sculptures, frescoes and mosaic floors.
From the palace, walk through D'Amboise Gate , the most atmospheric of the gates,
which takes you across the moat. When the palace is open, you can also gain access to
the walkway along the top of the wall from here, affording great views into the Old Town
and across to the sea. Another option is to follow the peaceful Moat Walkway , which you
can access next to St Anthony's Gate .
Hora NEIGHBOURHOOD
Bearing traces of its Ottoman past is the Hora. During Turkish times, churches were con-
verted to mosques, the most important of which is the colourful, pink-domed Mosque of
Süleyman MAP GOOGLE MAP , at the top of Sokratous. Currently closed to the public,
it was built in 1522 to commemorate the Ottoman victory against the knights. Opposite is
the 18th-century Muslim Library MAP GOOGLE MAP (Sokratous; 9.30am-4pm Mon-
Sat) . Founded in 1794 by Turkish Rhodian Ahmed Hasuf, it houses a small num-
ber of Persian and Arabic manuscripts and a collection of Korans handwritten on parch-
ment.
Continuing through the winding pedestrian streets will bring you to the municipal
Hammam Turkish Baths MAP GOOGLE MAP (Plateia Arionis; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri,
8am-5pm Sat) . Closed when we passed, it may be open by the time you read this.
Jewish Quarter NEIGHBOURHOOD
MAP GOOGLE MAP
The Jewish Quarter is an almost forgotten sector of Rhodes Old Town, where life contin-
ues at an unhurried pace. This area of quiet streets and sometimes dilapidated houses was
once home to a thriving Jewish community.
Built in 1577, Kahal Shalom Synagogue MAP GOOGLE MAP (Polydorou 5) is
Greece's oldest synagogue and the only one surviving on Rhodes. The Jewish quarter, in
the 1920s, had a population of 4000. Have a look in the Jewish Synagogue Museum
MAP GOOGLE MAP ( 22410 22364; www.rhodesjewishmuseum.org ; Dosiadou;
10am-3pm Sun-Fri, closed winter) . Exhibits include early 20th-century photos, intricately
decorated documents and displays about the 1673 Jews deported from Rhodes to
Auschwitz in 1944. Only 151 of them survived.
Close by you will also find Plateia Evreon Martyron (Square of the Jewish Martyrs;) .
Old Town Aquarium AQUARIUM