The Grand Master’s Palace, the most imposing edifice in the Old Town, was the headquarters of the leader of the Order of the Knights of Saint John, and at the same time a strong fortress. It was built in the 14th century on the ruins of a Byzantine fort. It consists of two storeys with a large internal courtyard. It was destroyed in the period of Turkish rule and rebuilt in the 1930’s in the magnifi- cent style we see now. Today the Palace is a museum, and its many rooms contain important archaeological finds from ancient and medieval Rhodes.
The Palace of the Grand Master is undoubtedly the medieval town’s main tourist attraction. It is located northwest, on the town’s loftiest point. It was built by the Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem, in the place of a previous fortification of the 7th century.
It was the residence of the Grand Master and the place where conferences of the knightly order were held.
The sarcophagi of all the Grand Masters are preserved inside the court.
