ABOUT: VPG-DVD-181 - RODOS Rhodes is the largest island of the Dodekanissa, a group of Greek islands located in the south east of the Aegean just off the west coast of Turkey. Since antiquity its unique location has brought it both power and wealth. On the northernmost tip of the island is the fascinating metropolis of Chora Ródos whose harbour entrance was once adorned by the Seventh Wonder Of The World, the Colossus Of Rhodes. But the legendary lighthouse has long since gone and today excursion boats and yachts crowd the island's former trading harbour that has a rich and dramatic past. Byzantines, Arabs, The Knights Of The Order Of St. John, Ottomans and Italians, each one influenced the ever-changing history of the island that was first settled in 400 B.C. At the city's highest point is the huge palace of the Grand Master, the monumental junction of the Street Of The Knights and the command post of the Christian order. The Grand Master was the highest dignitary of the Order Of The Knights Of Malta, a lifetime office. The Street Of The Knights leads from the Grand Master Palace down the hill to the Hospital, a unique ensemble of Gothic medieval architecture set amid the Mediterranean. The main buildings of the various groups of knights were erected along the main street and it was here that the knights met and conferred according to their membership of various European regions. Rhodes is an island steeped in history as well as the calm lifestyle of the Mediterranean.