L is for LINDOS in ABC Wednesday

Lindos is a small town on the Greek island of Rhodes. It is also known as the White town of Rhodes and has a history that goes back well into ancient, historical times. Wikipedia says:

Lindos was founded by the Dorians led by the king Tlepolemus of Rhodes, who arrived in about the 10th century BC. It was one of six Dorian cities in the area known as the Dorian Hexapolis. The eastern location of Rhodes made it a natural meeting place between the Greeks and the Phoenicians, and by the 8th century Lindos was a major trading centre. Its importance declined after the foundation of the city of Rhodes in the late 5th century.

In classical times the acropolis of Lindos was dominated by the massive temple of Athena Lindia, which attained its final form in around 300 BC. In Hellenistic and Roman times the temple precinct grew as more buildings were added. In early mediaeval times these buildings fell into disuse, and in the 14th century they were partly overlaid by a massive fortress built on the acropolis by the Knights of St John to defend the island against the Ottomans.

That Lindos snuggles beneath its Acropolis can easily be seen below.

The streets of Lindos are extremely narrow, and you are not allowed to drive into the town or park there - indeed, it is not possible to drive further than the town square.

Tourists have to park in the large car park above the town. They can then walk down (it is not far), take the free shuttle bus or hire one of the many donkies.

The town has of course its fair amount of tourist based trade which fill up the narrow streets close to the square.

But you don't have to walk far to see something like this: a beautiful doorway. Lindos is famous for its doorways (called hokhláki).

Or you might find one of the many small churches.

So if you should ever find yourself on the island of Rhodes, you could do worse than rent a car and head for Lindos.

Today's post is part of the the third round of ABC Wednesday. The founder, Denise Nesbitt, has changed the rules to make the system more practical. There is now a no-comment blog where you can post a copy or short version of your post with a link-back to your original post for the full version and comments. Scanning through this no-comment blog will give you more Learning about words beginning with L! She has also set up a new site where you can log on via Mr. Linky if you want to do that.