We walked about 3 km from inside the Old City of Rhodes to the Acropolis of Rhodes this morning. The Acropolis of Rhodes dates to the Classical Greek period, 5th -3rd century BC. It sits high on a hill overlooking the city of Rhodes, to the southern part of the island, and beyond to Turkey across the Aegean Sea. The views are beautiful!
The Acropolis site consists of the Temple of Apollo, with a large stadium and a small theater below. The Temple of Apollo is covered in scaffolding and other parts of the site are being excavated. We were amazed at the nympheum, a subterranean structure cut into the rock, with steps, passages, water cisterns, and interior niches for statuary. Nympheums were used for worship and recreational purposes. The marble Odeon, or theater, has been restored to its original size, to seat 800 people. The stadium is 210 meters long, with most of the spectator seating intact, the officials seats, and the sphendone (rounded end with turning post). We were most impressed with the stadium!
