The ancient city of Rhodes, the construction of which began in 408-407 BC, was designed using the grid system of city planning, devised by the greatest city planner of antiquity, Hippodamus of Miletus. It was considered one of the most beautiful and best-organized cities of ancient times, of which we know the exact placing of streets, squares and buildings.

At that time Rhodes developed into one of the most important maritime and commercial centers of the Eastern Mediterranean. Apart from its great achievements in commerce and shipping, Rhodes also enjoyed prominence in the arts, literature and philosophy. As a province of the Roman Empire which followed, Rhodes never lost its strategic importance in the region, culture or economical wise, however though, was not the great and powerful city it had been in the Hellenistic times.

By the 4th century AD, the Hellenistic town had shrunk in size, in which it remained throughout the Byzantine era. Under the continuous threat of Arab raids, which began in the 7th century, the town of Rhodes was fortified by the Byzantines, who divided it into two sections: the Acropolis (later the Grand Masters’ Palace), and the Polis (lower town).

In 1309 AD the Order of the Hospitaller Knights of St John of Jerusalem settled on the island, using it as their European headquarters, as well as one of the basic intermediary stations for pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. The Hospitallers fortified the island’s capital, incorporating the Byzantine fortifications, enclosing an area larger than the Byzantine town by two-fifths and smaller than the Hellenistic city by one-fourth. An interior wall running east to west divided the city into two parts.

The northern quarter, the Collachium, was the administrative center and contained among other buildings, the Palace of the Grand Master and the Hospital. The larger, southern quarter, called the Burgum, was the heart of the town, inhabited by a blend of races – Westerners, Jews and mainly, Christian Orthodox Greeks.

In 1522 AD Rhodes was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. During the Ottoman occupation, new buildings were constructed within the Old Town, mainly mosques and baths.

In 1912 Rhodes was occupied by Italian forces.

In 1929 the medieval walls and the cemeteries around the moat, were declared historic landmarks. The walls were cleared of the additions made by the Ottomans and were restored.

The Palace of the Grand Master was rebuilt and the Street of the Knights was reconstructed, aiming to achieve a European Medieval Purity.

In 1948, the Dodecanese Islands were reunited with the rest of Greece. In 1960, when the town was declared a monument of cultural heritage by the Greek Ministry of Culture, restorations of the medieval town began to be undertaken by the Ministry, through the Archaeological Department. Since 1985, the Municipality of Rhodes participates in the restoration work, in collaboration with the Archaeological Depatment and the Archaeological Receipts Fund.

In 1988 the Medieval City of Rhodes was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, in acknowledgment of the uniqueness of the trans-cultural architectural wealth it is known to represent. Moreover, the City of Rhodes has been a member of the Organization of the World Heritage Cities, since the Organization was founded in 1993, under the auspices of UNESCO.

In 2003, Rhodes hosted with great success the 7th World Congress of the OWHC (Organization of World Heritage Cities), with the participation of nearly 1000 representatives of Historic Cities – Mayors and experts – from all over the world.