Rhodes: Acropolis of Lindos
The town of Lindos is absolutely surreal and a total “wow”. The beautiful whitewashed town surrounds a central mount with an ancient acropolis on top of it. It’s like a layered cake of history here – Doric, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, medieval Christian, Ottoman – everybody had a touch here! The early Doric people built a temple here, about 8th century BC when Lindos was a major trading center between Greeks and Phoenicians. Greeks fortified it more and built a massive temple of Athina Lindae around 300BC. Then came Romans and built a temple of Emperor Diocletician in 300AD and then the Byzantine empire left a touch. In medieval times, crusading Knights of Saint John erected a megafortress at the base and around the acropolis to defend against the Ottoman. Ottomans eventually took over and fortified it some more and expanded the town at the foothills that looks and feels like a medina Algiers or Morocco. The panoramic views of the town and acropolis from afar are totally breathtaking (how’s this not on UNESCO list??). And then exploring the acropolis, you go through all the historic levels as you climb up to the top where the ancient columns and pillars stand high with views of the ocean around.
