Archeological Site Kamiros Rhodes
Located on the north-western side of the beautiful Rhodes island, right above a hill overlooking the sea, we find Kamiros which together with Ialyssos and Lindos, are part of the oldest cities of the island and were part of the Doric Esapoli a confederation of city that also included the island of Kos, Alicarnassos and Cnido the latter two in Turkey.
Founded around the seventh century by the Dorians for its strategic position, Kamiros was for a long time a charming commercial center and reached its peak between the sixth and fifth centuries BC. In 408 BC, however, the Rhodes town was founded and Kamiros began its decline but remained populated up to the times of the Emperor Justinian. The end of Kamiros was definitively in 226 a.C due to a violent earthquake that destroyed much of the city.
Surrounded by fig and olive orchards just above the slope of a very fertile area, the archaeological site of Kamiros has a diameter of about one and a half kilometers and was an important outpost for Rhodes. Discovered in 1859 and considered an example of a Hellenic urban planner, it is divided into three distinct areas.
The first at the lowest level includes the Agora and was the main gathering place for the population. On the right side, there is a Doric temple dedicated to the God Apollo (2nd century BC) with a portico with columns that act as a base. On the left "Fontana Square" a rectangular space that still preserves six beautiful columns from the Doric era restored in 1928 by the Italians who had an important role in the conservation of the historical heritage of Kamiros through the Italian Archaeological School of Athens which , with his interventions have led to the discovery of numerous historical finds that contributed to the greater knowledge of this important place. In the east part of the Agorà we find the Heroon Sanctuary dedicated to the divinities and Kamiros heroes composed of an area with the main altar and nine smaller ones. Behind the Sanctuary the remains of the Roman baths.
On the slopes of the hill in the second area, residential houses. Walking through the cobblestone streets, some peristyle (courtyard surrounded by columns on which the roof of the house was then placed), probably used as artisan shops. Just above the residential area where the inhabitants of Kamiros lived, a sixth century BC covered tank with a capacity of six hundred cubic meters of water that supplied water to the entire population. The walls covered in order to make it waterproof has two stairs that reach the end where there are two holes that were used to drain and clean the water.
In the last area, the one at the top of the hill, we find the Acropolis with the remains of a small temple surrounded by a portico with columns dating back to the Hellenistic period (5th century BC) dedicated to Athena Kameiria built on the even older temple of the previous era , and again the Stoà formed by two rows of Doric columns with rooms that housed shops. Next to the temple there is a catacomb from the early Christian period.
Reaching Kamiros is really easy and you can reach it from Rhodes Town which is about thirty-four kilometers away via the road that leads to the airport and via Theologos or even by bus if you are not equipped with a car.
If you are fond of archeology and if you feel a little like Indiana Jones within you, Kamiros is the ideal place where the glory of the city and the archaeological site make it one of the most famous places comparable to the excavations of Pompei and Ercolano in Italy.
Entrance is paid. The ticket costs about € 6 per person and during the summer the site is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 8.00 to 19.00. In the winter period visits are always allowed from Tuesday to Sunday from 8.30 to 14.30.
Go and visit this important open-air museum is an excellent alternative to a day on the beach and more 'will help you better understand the magnificence of Greece.