Dodecanese Islands
Dodecanese islands (Δωδεκάνησα) means literally twelve islands, is a group of 150 islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea, where 26 of them are inhabited. Its located between Cyclades islands and the Turkish coasts. These islands are somehow different from the famous Cyclades destinations, due to the long Venetian occupation, Dodecanese have a strong Medieval style and many interesting architectural monuments.
These are the largest and most populated islands in the complex, sorted by the biggest to smallest in area (km²) :
1) Rhodes (1401.184 km²)
2) Karpathos (300.4386 km²)
3) Kos (290.0787 km²)
4) Kalymnos (108.78 km²)
5) Astypalaia (95.8296 km²)
6) Leros (72.5197 km²)
7) Nisyros (64.7497 km²)
8) Tilos (62.1597 km²)
9) Symi (56.9797 km²)
10) Kasos (49.2098 km²)
11) Patmos (33.6698 km²)
12) Kastellorizo (12.9499 km²)

The rest of them are smaller but they have a unique charm on their own. Although some of them are uninhabited, we can mention some honorable islands worth to visit such as Halki, Alimnia, Leipsoi, Telendos, Agathonisi, Pserimos, Arkoi, Kinaros, Levitha, Farmakonisi, Armathia, Saria, Sirna, Nimos, Stroggili and many more islets.
Rhodes
Karpathos
Kos
Chalki
Patmos
Leros
Tilos
Symi
Karpathos
Kos
Rhodes
History of Dodecanese islands
Many historic events have taken place in Dodecanese complex. The fact that is in a great geographical position, many conquerors wanted to have the occupation of the islands through the ages.
Classical Period
At the classical period there were the Persian wars, where the islands were captured by the Persians for a brief period until Alexander The Great swept through and defeated them. Following the death of Alexander, the islands, and even Rhodes itself, were split up among the many generals who contended to succeed him. In the same period, the famous Colossus of Rhodes was built, a huge monument that describes well the wealth and prosperity of the place. Rhodes signed a treaty with Rome, and the islands became aligned to greater or lesser extent with the Roman Republic while mostly maintaining their autonomy.
In the first century, Saint Paul and Saint John visited Dodecanese islands and they succeeded in converting them to Christianity. Saint John stayed at Patmos island as he was exiled there and he wrote the Revelations.
Middle Ages
At the middle ages, when Roman empire split into west and east divisions, the islands became part of the Eastern part, which later evolved into the Byzantine Empire. They would remain there for nearly a thousand years, though these were punctuated by numerous invasions.
Copious evidence of the Byzantine period remains on the islands today, most notably in hundreds of churches from the period which can be seen in various states of preservation.
Byzantine Era
Finally, in the 14th century, the Byzantine era came to an end when the islands were taken by forces of the Knights Hospitaller (Knights of St. John): Rhodes was conquered in 1309 and the rest of the islands fell gradually over the next few decades. The Knights made Rhodes their stronghold, transforming its capital into a grand medieval city dominated by an impressive fortress, scattered fortresses and citadels through the rest of the islands as well.
However, the citadel at Rhodes fell to the large army of Suleiman the Magnificent and the other islands were overrun within the year. The Ottoman’s rule lasted hundred of years when it finally ended at 1822, as the declaration of independence followed and Dodecanese islands joined briefly the Greek provinces.
Modern Era
Early 1900s, Italy wanted to apply pressure to the Ottoman government in order to get closer to its metropolitan territories and they declared war to Ottoman Empire during the first world war. After some agreements between Greece and Italy, all Dodecanese islands joined Greece except Rhodes island. Mussolini was hoping to make Rhodes a modern transportation hub that would serve as a focal point for the spread of Italian culture. Additionally, during World War II, Italy joined the Axis Powers and the islands briefly became a battleground between the Germans and Allied forces. However, the islands never had any catastrophe in their buildings or the general infrastructure during the last wars in the area.
Nowadays, we can admire the remains of all civilizations who were established in Dodecanese or passed through them, making the islands a very good destination with rich history and many places to “travel back to time”.
Karpathos
Karpathos (Κάρπαθος in Greek) is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands with a history dating back to the [...]
Halki
Halki (Chalki or Χάλκη in Greek), is a tiny island 6 km west of Rhodes, with only 28 km2 land area [...]
Symi
Symi (Simi or Σύμη in Greek), a rocky but still very inviting small island in Dodecanese, has the most [...]
Panormitis
Panormitis (Πανορμήτης in Greek) is an area in Symi island with its own harbor, as the connecting road to the [...]
Patmos
Patmos (Πάτμος in Greek) is the northernmost island of the Dodecanese, on the eastern frontier of the Aegean Sea [...]
Leros
Leros (Λέρος in Greek) is a beautiful island in the South Aegean that belongs to the prefecture of the [...]
Kos
Kos (Κως in Greek) is an island located very close to the coasts of Turkey and it is the [...]
Tilos
Tilos (Τήλος in Greek) is a small and quiet island in the Dodecanese. An island with rough, mountainous and [...]
Kallithea Springs
Kallithea Springs (Καλλιθέα in Greek) is located at the bay of Kallithea, just 9 km from the city of Rhodes. [...]
Filerimos
Filerimos Hill (Φιλέρημος in Greek), just 15 km outside the capital Rhodes, is a hill 267 m. high, overlooking the [...]
Seven Springs
Seven Springs (Επτά Πηγές in Greek) is a great place to escape from the heat of the summer and enjoy [...]
Prasonisi
Prasonisi (Πρασονήσι in Greek) is the translation of the word "green island". It is located on the southern tip of [...]
Lindos
Lindos (Λίνδος in Greek) is a medieval village on the island of Rhodes. It has around 1000 inhabitants, greatly outnumbered by [...]
Palace of the Grand Master
The Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes (Παλάτι του Μεγάλου Μαγίστρου in Greek), also known as [...]
Valley of Butterflies
The Valley of Butterflies (Πεταλούδες in Greek) is a small paradise that lies 26 km away from the city of [...]
Kamiros
Kamiros (Κάμειρος in Greek) is an ancient city on the northwest coast of Rhodes island, near the village of Kalavarda. [...]
Monolithos Castle
The Castle of Monolithos (Το Κάστρο της Μονολίθου in Greek) is perhaps the most impressive castle of Rhodes and it [...]