I + 1 : Sailing to Lindos

The day started windy as expected. The wind continued to blow from the north-west at a strength of 20 knots. We would enjoy a wonderful day of sailing down to Lindos, the old religious center of Rhodes.

Sails were up from the start. We silently moved down Rhodes' Coast at a Speed of 6.5 kn.

Yesterday's decision to sail down Rhodes' East Coast paid off. In the lee of the island, the wind was perfect for sailing, the sea pretty flat with few waves. It felt more like effortless gliding than sailing. We did not have to adjust the sails once. It took 4 h to reach Lindos

The constant North-Westerly yesterday made sailing easy

The site of Lindos was settled by Dorians around the 10th century BC at the time of great turmoil that marked the transition from bronze to iron age. Coming from mainland Greece, the new settlers looked for a place with water, a safe harbor and a rock which was easy to fortify. Lindos had it all.

Sailing into the Big Harbor of Lindos - From far away the Greek

Acropolis looks like a Medieval Kastro - the Village is to the right

It was its location that made Lindos the natural meeting place between Phoenicians and Dorians. Already good sailors and fishermen, the Dorians picked up many maritime skills and technologies from the Phoenicians who passed Lindos when sailing to the western Mediterranean in their quest for tin and precious metals. Thanks to its two safe harbors, Lindos was a major trading center by the 8th century BC and one of the six members of the Doric Hexapolis.

On the Way up to the Acropolis, a Trireme is carved into the Rock - wonder how old it is

Lindos' business model worked well for centuries. Eventually though, Lindos attracted the attention of the Persian Empire. Anybody who wanted to trade with Persia had to submit. The Persians had a keen eye for taxable wealth! In 490 BC they invaded the island and submitted Lindos to a gruelling, several weeks long siege. Lindos had to surrender. The island of Rhodes became a Persian Satrap. Lindos' triremes had to participate in the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC - albeit on the Persian side. Dorians were fighting Dorians!

View from the Acropolis on the Big Harbor to the North of Lindos - it was ideal for the 30 meters long Triremes and shorter commercial Vessels

The Rhodisian towns of Lindos, Italysos and Kamiros concluded from the Persian occupation and the following turmoil that they needed to join forces to stay independent. The three towns agreed to merge and built an entirely new town on the northern tip of the island. By 408 BC, the City of Rhodes was born. Built on cliffs it was easy to defend. It had four natural harbors. The perimeter of its walls included large agricultural areas which allowed it to survive extended sieges. Eventually, the City of Rhodes had more than 80'000 inhabitants - at 40% the size of Athens it was a large town in antiquity.

Lindos and the Acropolis from the Air - the Big Harbor is to the left

With most of its population gone, Lindos became a religious center built around the Temple of Athena, Zeus' daughter. The origins of the Athena Temple date back to the 6th century. It was entirely rebuilt in 342 BC. It gained quickly a pan-Hellenic reputation. The site was actively used by Greek and Roman worshippers for almost 600 years. Then, under Constantine the Great, who made Christianity legal and moved the empire's capital to Constantinople, Lindos lost its significance.

Temple of Athena on the Acropolis of Lindos yesterday

View north through the Stoa, a covered Walkway used for Relaxing and Trading

The Bay of Saint Paul, Lindos' smaller southern Harbor. Apostle Paul disembarked here in 51 AD during his third mission to Asia Minor.

The religious site of Lindos lay dormant for almost 1'000 years. By 1309 the Knights of Saint John arrived, having lost their last stronghold in Palestine (Akko) in 1291. They noticed the military value of the Acropolis and turned it into a medieval fortress. Being a few Knights only, they used the ancient temples as quarry - like in Bodrum where they dismantled the Mausoleum to build the Fortress of Saint Peter which hosts today Bodrum's interesting Naval Museum. The Knights stayed until 1522 when they - without a fight - surrendered the Acropolis to the Ottomans.

The Fortress Walls built with Materials from the Ancient Religious Site

For the next 400 years, the Acropolis lay dormant again. The small Turkish garrison saw no need to upgrade it. No gun towers were added. It remained a medieval fort. In the early 20th century Danish archeologists excavated the place and brought many precious artefacts to Copenhagen - am sure they bribed the Sultan in Istanbul handsomely. During the Italian occupation, the Acropolis was partially restored. You now have a good idea what it once was - although it looks almost too modern. The site was further restored by Greece (with a hefty subsidy by the European Union). With EUR 20.- p.p. the ticket price "harmonised" with European levels...

Our first Day closed with dinner in the Big Harbor of Lindos