Lindos: A magnificent Acropolis on an imposing rock

Rodiaki NewsRoom

Lindos lies on the east coast of the island, 50 km south of the town of Rhodes.

One of the three ancient cities of the island, you are captivated by the magnificent view of the Bay of Lindos. The lively village is a unique monument of preservation, combination of clear blue skies, crystal-clear waters surrounded by the dazzling white color of the traditional village houses.

The astonishing beauty of the castle, the Acropolis of Athena Lindia on the top of the hill enjoying spectacular views, with St. Paul’s Bay and the paved streets of the village captivate visitors. A walk through its narrow paved streets reveals the beauty of the traditional island architecture. You can visit the Acropolis either on foot or using the "Lindos Taxi" donkeys to witness the vibrant history of the place.

A brief HISTORY of the ACROPOLIS

A rock, which rises to 116 m. forms the finishing touch to the landscape of Lindos, standing dry and imposing in its bareness and surrounded on all sides by the sea, so that Lindos 'may rejoice in the ocean' in the words of a Hellenistic epigram. Lindos does not seem to have been particularly important in the earlier periods, though sporadic finds of the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age have been discovered on the acropolis.

According to legend, the foundation of the sanctuary of Athena Lindia goes back to the Mycenaean period, and Mycenaean finds have been yielded by cemeteries in the broader area of Lindos. The Archaic period (7th-6th c BC) was a golden age for Lindos, which played a leading role in the Greek colonization movement, its most important foundation being Gela in Sicily. The 6th c BC was dominated by the figure of a moderate tyrant, Kleoboulos who ruled Lindos for many years, and was included amongst the 'seven sages' of the ancient world.

During his rule, the archaic temple of Athena was built on the site of an earlier structure, and the acropolis received its first monumental form. The Persian advance and later the merger of the three old cities into the new city of Rodos (408 BC) led to a diminution in the importance of Lindos as a political and economic power.

From the highest point of the acropolis can be seen the lower city, in which the most important monuments still visible are the theatre, the Tetrastoon and the Archokrateion at Kambana, a monumental tomb of an important Lindian family. The Byzantine church of the Panayia is also in the lower city. It was built in the 15th c. decorated with wall-paint paintings in the 17th and 18th c.

The traditional settlement of Lindos is in a very good state of preservation. A large number of archontika (mansions) survive, the most Important of them from the 17th c., indicating that Lindos was a flourishing naval power in the early period of Turkish rule, as indeed throughout its entire history.

View Lindos village with its cubic houses sprawling down the hillside under the Acropolis is one of the most photographed sights in Greece. The whitewashed labyrinth of little alleyways was deliberately designed to confuse pirates; today this layout makes wandering around the town a real adventure!

There are also picture-perfect medieval captains’ residences built around votsalotó (meaning pebbly) courtyards with emblems on their heavy wooden doorways. Arched entrances adorn the streets adding a cosmopolitan flair to the settlement. Try visiting some of them and admire the stunning interiors with their impressive ceilings and the courtyards paved with votsalotó (pebbles) it feels like you are in a folk museum!