The Gates of the Old Town of Rhodes

A Brief Timeline of Turning Keys

• 1480 – After withstanding Mehmet II’s great siege, the Knights Hospitaller seal several vulnerable arches, turning Saint George Gate into a solid bastion.
• 1522 – Pierre d’Aubusson re-opens the city after a second siege; the Military Order enlarges and renames D’Amboise Gate in honour of his successor.
• 1881 – With new coastal roads diverting traffic, the Ottoman administration mothballs the sea-facing Marine Gate; locals steer carts through inland arches instead.
• 1924 – Italian governor Mario Lago pierces a brand-new Porta della Libertà (Liberty Gate) in the east wall to symbolise a “free” flow of commerce.
• Today – All eleven Gates of the Old Town stand open, guiding travellers into the World-Heritage maze.

The Eleven Living Gates of the Old Town

D’Amboise Gate (16th c.)

Grand Master Emery d’Amboise widened this northern entrance so armoured horses could thunder straight into the city after the 1522 siege. Twin round towers still wear his fleur-de-lis crest, and you can spot the original draw-bridge chains hanging in place. Stand beneath the vault at dawn to catch the first sun slanting through arrow slits and chiselled gun loops.

Gate of Saint Athanasios (15th c.)

Named for a vanished roadside chapel, this western gate once welcomed market gardeners trudging in at daybreak, which earned it the local nickname “Gate of the Poor.” Its rough‐hewn blocks carry faint Maltese crosses; run your fingers over the weather-softened edges to feel five centuries of wear.

Gate of Saint John (15th c.)

Pilgrims sailing into Kolona harbour entered the Hospitallers’ “New Town” through this east-side arch on feast days. A slender pointed vault frames a roundel carved with the eight-point cross, and the stone threshold is glossy from medieval pilgrims’ boots.

Acandia Gate (20th-century Italian rebuild on a medieval postern)

Italian governor Mario Lago blasted this gap wide enough for Fiats and military lorries, yet the opening still aligns with an older spy-hole used by Hospitaller messengers. Look up to see the now‐erased Fascist eagle; beneath it modern traffic hums where knights once rode single-file.

Gate of Saint Catherine (15th c.)

Legend says Hospitaller agents slipped from a concealed door here and swam to galleys moored in Mandraki harbour. Peer into the lofty tunnel to spot murder-holes overhead and the ghost-outline of a waterfront chapel wall on the south flank.

Gate of the Virgin (Ottoman, 16th c.)

Ottoman engineers rounded this arch to ease artillery wagons in and out; the gate’s Arabic dedication plaque now rests safely in the Archaeological Museum. The change in stone colour halfway up the jamb marks where later Venetian masons patched battle scars.

Marine Gate – also called Gate of St Paul (15th c.)

For centuries this mouth funnelled grain, timber and silk directly from Mandraki quays into the bazaar streets. Closed to wheeled traffic in 1881, it still flaunts a marble bas-relief of St Paul blessing inbound sailors—and a peppering of Ottoman cannon impacts at shoulder height.

Arnaldo Gate (14th-century origin, 20th-century remodel)

Probably christened after an early Genoese commander, the gate was squared off by Italian engineers and briefly carried tram rails in the 1930s. You can still trace the iron grooves in the cobbles and see how a modern lintel jars against Gothic ashlar.

Gate of the Arsenal (14th–15th c.)

This opening led straight into the Knights’ naval workshops where bronze cannon were cast and swung aboard galleys. Inside, opposing vaults create a sharp, almost metallic echo—clap once and you’ll hear it ricochet off the walls like a forged bell.

Gate of Saint Paul (often counted separately from Marine Gate, 15th c.)

Grand Master d’Aubusson set a sculpted apostle here to greet weary crews and to preside over plague inspections held beneath the arch. A now-blocked side door housed the health officers’ booth; its outline remains in lighter stone.

Liberty Gate (Πύλη Ελευθερίας, 1924)

Carved by the Italians as Porta della Libertà to symbolise a new era of free commerce, this eastern breach later became the first sight many Rhodes Jews saw when they returned from exile after WWII. Above the arch you’ll notice a chisel-scar where the Italian coat-of-arms was removed when Rhodes united with Greece in 1947.

Each gate still performs its ancient calling—welcoming travellers—while quietly recounting the triumphs, sieges and everyday routines that shaped the Medieval City.

Field Notes for Curious Wanderers

• Hidden Graffiti: Sailors scratched miniature late-medieval caravels into the south pier of Marine Gate; bring a pocket torch.
• Living Stone: Watch how the porous tufa blocks of D’Amboise Gate darken after rain—local children swear it “bleeds”.
• Sound Test: Clap once inside the tunnel of the Arsenal Gate; the echo ricochets because the ceiling stones are laid in opposing vaults.

Practical Entry Tips

• Stair-Free Access: Liberty Gate has the gentlest slope for wheelchairs and strollers.
• Best Sunset Frame: Stand outside Marine Gate, face west, and catch the last light through the arch with Mandraki’s deer columns in silhouette.
• After-Dark Strolls: The moat gardens close at dusk, but all gates of the Old Town stay open 24 h, carry a small torch, as interior lighting is minimal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are all eleven Gates of the Old Town original medieval work?
Most are. Liberty and Acandia were heavily re-cut by the Italians in the 1920s, but both follow medieval masonry lines.

Which gate do locals use most today?
Liberty Gate, thanks to its modern road and proximity to the municipal market.

Conclusion

Choose any arch and push on—each step under those stones folds centuries together. What began as checkpoints bristling with pikes now welcome joggers, priests, souvenir sellers and you. Pause to trace a crusader’s cross, feel the breeze that once carried cannon smoke and merchant spice, and let the gates of the Old Town of Rhodes remind you that every city door is also a page in an unfinished story.