One of the most famous archaeological reserves of the island of Rhodes is the 275-meter mount Filerimos. In the time of the Dorians, it was the Acropolis of the city state of Ialyssos, one of the three polis founded on the island more than three thousand years ago. However, the first buildings were built here even earlier, under the Achaeans. The very Achaeans who took part in the Trojan War.
Filerimos, like any other place significant for the ancient Hellenes, is covered with legends and tales, studying which we learn that the first inhabitants of these places were not people at all, but mythical creatures of Telkhina, who built the first temple on the Acropolis of the city of Yalissos.
Filerimos on the island of Rhodes still preserves traces of ancient culture, primarily the temples of Athena and Zeus. Filerimos had many different names: the Acropolis of the city of Ialyssos, Ojaya, Ohiroma. The hill received its current name in honor of a monk from Jerusalem, who built a church on the hill and installed a miraculous icon in it, which, according to legend, he brought with him.
This place has seen many peoples, survived the most terrible times for Greece, but reached the peak of its development, becoming the Acropolis of the city-state of Ialyssos. Like any Acropolis, this one was the most fortified and revered place in the city. Sacrifices were made here to Zeus Palieus and Athena Yalissia. In case of attacks, residents took refuge behind its high walls. Today, only the foundations of the temples have been preserved, and the ancient fortifications are irretrievably lost.
Excavations on Mount Filerimos began relatively recently. The greatest contribution was made by Italian archaeologists at the beginning of the twentieth century. After that, descriptions of the temple of Athena and Zeus appeared, which was created in the middle of the IV century BC.
A wonderful island. You can swim in the calm Mediterranean Sea on a pebble or sandy beach, or ride the waves in the Aegean Sea. It is interesting to take a walk in the old town of Rhodes, see the fortresses and the acropolis in Lindos. Be sure to go to the confluence of the two seas.