Rhodes, one of the Mediterranean's most beautiful islands, lies in the southernmost part of the Aegean Sea, very close to the shore of Asia Minor. The ancient Greeks were so taken with its charms that they associated its beneficent climate with a myth that has lived on down to our own times. According to this, Helios, the life-giving sun god, enchanted by the island's natural beauty, asked Zeus as a favour that he should be its protector and benefactor. Ever since then, Rhodes has been flooded with sunlight and the rays of its favourite god have showered their gifts upon it. It would seem, though, that Rhodes has been favoured by all the gods, since throughout its history it has known moments of greatness and glory and emerged as one of the most important regions in the whole of Greece. The cultures which have developed on its soil have each enriched it with their own achievements and have left their mark upon it as one has succeeded the other. These marks have remained indelible down to the present, giving the impression that every part of the island is none other than a different plane in the mechanism of time. Next to the white marble of the ancient temples and statues, the half-ruined walls of the settlements and sanctuaries where the gods of ancient Greece were worshipped, stand the little Byzantine churches with the gaze of the ecstatic fkioigures in their wall-paintings fixed on the heavenly God of the Christians. with tourist shops, restaurants, cafes, bars and discos, where music and dancing bring the night to life. In fact, Rhodes can grant any wish of the holidaymaker.

A little further on, the narrow street lead to medieval palaces and castles, from which you expect to see knights in armour charge forth. At the same time, from behind high walls the domed roofs of Turkish mosques and the crossed arches of the low houses in the Turkish quarters make their presence felt. Nevertheless, all these images from the past have not robbed Rhodes of the pleasures of modern life. On the contrary, they have made a crucial contribution to the island's development, making it one of the most cosmopolitan places in Europe. Thus the pace of its life has speeded up and it has become a tourist centre of the greatest importance. Its harbours are full of ships, yachts and fishing boats. Its beaches are covered with multicoloured sunshades and sun-tanned bodies. Its hotels echo to the sound of every language under the sun. Its streets are filledThe island's capital and Faliraki can provide a good time that will be long remembered. The Old Town will enchant the romantic. The modern city will supply every need of the shopper. The indented coastline with its beaches will provide a cooling swim in the hot afternoons, and the parks, squares, and woods are ideal for quiet walks. At the same time, the mountain villages will give visitors some idea of local tradition and allow them to breathe the scented air and the aromas of tasty country cooking. At the local festivals, which are frequent, the visitor can enter into the rhythms of Greek music and dance. And those who want to learn about the history of Rhodes will find traces of it scattered everywhere, from the settlement of Cameiros, the cemeteries of Ialysos and the imposing rock of Lindos to the deserted monasteries, the churches of Filerimos, the forgotten castle of Monolithos, the palaces and fortifications of the capital, and the Turkish baths and mosques which bring the West closer to the Fast. However, whatever are the visitor's wishes and expectations, no one can avoid feeling close by the shadow of the Colossus, the bronze giant of Rhodes, its protector the Sun, who will be there to halt the flow of time and link yesterday with today.