The "Tomb of the Ptolemies"
A Doric-columned front cut into the rock face.
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**Unproven, and a common local claim** โ treat it as such. What is certain is that the valley was **in use from the Hellenistic period**: it holds rock-cut tombs from the last centuries BC and a Roman aqueduct, and was probably an organised planted space connected to the ancient city. But "the oldest public park in the world" is a phrase that **cannot be demonstrated** and academic sources do not adopt it. The real value of a visit is not the title but the shade, the quiet and the rock tombs.
Worth it if the heat is wearing you down or you want an hour away from the crowd โ both good reasons in Rhodes. It is about **two kilometres** (25 minutes on foot) along the Lindos road, and the walk is not lovely in itself, the road being modern and busy; **a bus or taxi is easier**, especially at midday. What you find is a shaded, quiet, free valley with rock tombs and peacocks. โ But don't expect a manicured park: it is **relatively neglected** and some facilities don't work. Go if you have spare time, not at the expense of the old town or Lindos.
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**The oldest public park in the world**, as it is locally claimed: a green valley south of Rhodes town, threaded by streams and shaded by pine, oleander and cypress, believed to have been an organised public space since the **Hellenistic period** โ more than two thousand years. The valley holds **rock-cut tombs** from the last centuries BC, the best known being the so-called **Tomb of the Ptolemies**: an architectural front carved into a rock face with Doric columns, in fact the mausoleum of a wealthy Rhodian rather than a Ptolemy, the name being popular rather than scholarly. Remains of a Roman **aqueduct** that carried water to the city also cross the valley. Today the park is a place of recreation for the people of Rhodes: little wooden bridges, pools, peacocks and wild fowl, and tables under the trees โ and it is **free and shaded**, which alone makes it a refuge in the island's heat. โ But be realistic: the park is **relatively neglected** at times, some of its facilities are out of use, and it is not manicured like a European park.
A Doric-columned front cut into the rock face.
Streams, pine and oleander in a cool valley.
Birds wandering freely among the trees.
Rodini Park, 85100 Rhodes