HAUNTED RHODES: Revisiting the ghosts of the fabled Greek island's legendary past
Despite the clichés and mass tourism, Rhodes is still an island of many moods
RHODES — As I stepped outside the storied confines of the Grande Albergo delle Rose in Rhodes, the storm clouds thickened and the rain fell hard. I had a lot to see and nowhere to go. I was alone, but I had an umbrella.
Gingerly I walked up to the fence in front of the old Murat Reis Mosque —how old? “Erected around 1623 by Ebubekir Pasha on the site of a previous church dedicated to Saint Anthony” says the Internet. I was struck — not by lightning, though I would later see plenty of it on my Aegean night flight back to Athens — but by the sight of a seemingly abandoned Ottoman cemetery, every bit as eerie as the Kings Chapel graveyard in the heart of old Boston. Only, no acolytes of Christ here: the Ottoman Turks ruled Rhodes for nearly four centuries starting in 1522 — which is not to say it was the exclusive province of Muslims. The oldest Jewish synagogue in Greece, after all, is on the island too — and that it was built in 1577 should tell you something about the secret history of religious tolerance in the Levant. But that’s another story.
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Any graveyard is going to be eerier on a rainy day, and Rhodes’ “old Turkish cemetery” is no exception. First of all, contrary to what the Internet says, no, it’s not “permanently open” and no, it cannot be “visited at any time.” — in fact, it seemed pretty sealed off to this observer. But that’s even better. What’s off limits is always more alluring, isn’t it?
Here, there, everywhere are swirls of slender, tilting tombstones, most crowned with what look like small stylized stone turbans. I peered through an opening in one of the gates and noticed that emblazoned on one of those turbans was what appeared to be an opium poppy, turned upside down…
Poignant. Haunting, even.
Whether you’re a believer in the supernatural or simply drawn to the eerie beauty of forgotten places, Rhodes offers a surprising number of locations steeped in mystery:
2. The Medieval City — Shadows of the Knights
The Old Town of Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval cities. But behind its beauty lurk centuries of violence, plague, and siege. Residents tell of ghostly knights who walk the Street of the Knights under moonlight, armor clinking softly against the stones. Others claim to have seen figures in robes drifting near the Palace of the Grand Master, especially during quiet hours after midnight.
Historians often dismiss these tales, but it’s easy to feel a chill when the tourist crowds vanish and only the echo of your own footsteps remains.
3. The Ghost Village of Eleousa (Campochiaro)
Deep in the forested heart of the island lies Eleousa, once known as Campochiaro, built by the Italians in the 1930s. Its tidy squares and Art Deco buildings were meant to house workers for a nearby forestry project. After World War II, the village briefly became a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients.
When the sanatorium closed, the village was abandoned. Today, crumbling facades and empty fountains echo with the wind. Locals tell stories of cold spots and faint whispers near the old hospital. Many believe the spirits of patients who never left still wander its corridors.
4. The Abandoned Italian Hospital, Rhodes Town
Near the medieval heart of Rhodes stands the shell of the old Italian hospital, a remnant of the occupation period. Once a proud medical facility, it has stood empty for decades. Windows gape like open mouths, and the tiled corridors are littered with dust and rusting equipment.
Urban explorers and locals whisper of strange sounds at night — footsteps on upper floors, the creak of doors that should not move, and sometimes the faint smell of antiseptic drifting through the air. Nurses’ spirits, some say, still make their rounds.
5. Mussolini’s Villa at Eleousa
Near the ghost village stands a villa reputedly built for Mussolini, though he never set foot there. Designed as a mountain retreat for high-ranking Italian officials, the mansion was later abandoned and fell into ruin.
Graffiti now covers the walls, vines creep through cracked windows, and the echo of your voice carries unnaturally far. Visitors often report a “presence” in the upper rooms or the sound of doors slamming on windless days. Some say it’s the restless soul of a former occupant — others, just the breath of the forest reclaiming its own.
6. The Church of Agios Nikolaos Fountoukli
Near Eleousa lies the small 15th-century church of Agios Nikolaos Fountoukli, famous for its vivid frescoes and secluded setting among pine trees. Though not officially haunted, its isolation gives it an eerie serenity.
Travelers at dusk have spoken of candlelight flickering within — though no candles were ever found — and of voices singing softly in languages long dead.
Whether those are echoes of monks or merely tricks of the wind, no one knows…