According to Greek mythology, the island was a gift of the gods. Zeus presented the nymph, Rhodes, to his son Helios, the sun god, as his bride. That is why Rhodes is called the Island of the Sun. Historically, Rhodes was famous worldwide for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
In 1309, the Byzantine era came to an end when the island was occupied by forces of the Knights Hospitaller. Under the rule of the newly named «Knights of Rhodes», the city was rebuilt into a model of the European medieval ideal
