Fortifications of Rhodes

This is where you can watch medieval walls being reworked for the age of gunpowder. The Knights Hospitaller fought off an Ottoman attack in 1480, then rebuilt: they widened the moat, thickened the walls to give a broad platform for artillery, raised them for a better field of fire, and greatly strengthened the gates. The upgrade bought time but not victory. In 1522 Suleiman the Magnificent besieged the city for about six months, and in December the knights accepted terms that let them leave. The circuit is now regarded as one of the best preserved and most complete sets of late medieval defenses in Europe, and walking the dry moat below the walls is the best way to see it.