In his book on Rhodes, Reflections on a Marine Venus, Lawrence Durrellwrote "In Rhodes the days drop as softly as fruit from trees. Some belong to the dazzling ages of Cleobulus and the tyrants, some to the gloomy Tiberius, some to the Crusaders". Today, every corner of the town, every stone on the island hides a small part of its 2400-year history.

The meeting point of three continents Rhodes has known many civilizations. In the Hellenistic period it was considered one of the most beautiful and best-organized cities in the known world, having been built using the grid system of city planning devised by Hippodamus. At this time Rhodes developed into one of the most important maritime and commercial centres in the Eastern M Mediterranean. Apart from its great achievements in commerce and shipping, Rhodes also enjoyed prominence in the arts, letters and philosophy. Its School of Rhetoric was attended by students from all over the Mediterranean and in later years by distinguished Romans, among them Cicero, Julius Caesar, Pompey, Tiberius and Cassius. The Rhodians also excelled in sculpture, painting and pottery making.

As a province in the Roman and Byzantine Empires which followed, Rhodes never lost its strategic importance for the culture and economy of the region, but was not the great and powerful city it had been in Hellenistic times.
In the 14th and 15th centuries Rhodes was the seat of the Knights of St. John. The Knights renovated and enlarged the city, constructing impressive buildings. By the end of the 15th century, Rhodes had regained its status as one of the loveliest and mightiest cities in the Eastern Mediterranean and its harbour was one of Western Europe's gateways to the East.

Rhodes became a part of the Ottoman Empire in 1522. The Ottomans added their own architecture to the town, particularly the mosques which remain until today. In 1912 Rhodes and the rest of the Dodecanese Islands came under Italian rule, at which time most of the buildings of the Knights were restored.

Rhodes was finally reunified with Greece in 1948, from which time the foundations were laid for the economic development of modern Rhodes, especially in tourism.

Many are the monuments in Rhodes, which are evidence of its rich and varied past- the traces of the many different civilizations that left their imprint on the island throughout history. The most important of them is the Medieval Town. Different cultures and civilizations have lived there in harmony throughout the ages. The everyday co-existence of different nationalities in Rhodes is a living tribute to human solidarity. The Medieval buildings, the cobblestone streets, the mosques, the Jewish synagogue, the churches, the Muslim library, the fountains, the picturesque squares, market streets, the traditional shops, the public meeting places of the inhabitants blend yesterday with today, while providing for tomorrow.

According to Greek mythology, the island was a gift of the gods. Zeus presented the nymph, Rhodes, to his son Helios, the sun god, as his bride. That is why Rhodes is called the Island of the Sun. One could say that the god of Hospitality chose Rhodes as his eternal abode, which perhaps explains why Rhodian hospitality is legendary, making visitors feel safe and welcome everywhere on the island.

Nothing is ever dull on Rhodes, nothing ever repeats itself. A rich mosaic of different landscapes, Rhodes generously offers its beauty to every visitor. The traditions and customs of the island are still alive in the villages, whereas in the city a wealth of artistic events and festivals take place throughout the year. The Rhodes Museum of Modern Art, houses a collection considered to be the most representative of Contemporary Greek Art and is surpassed in size only by the National Gallery in Athens.

The cosmopolitan atmosphere of the city is born anew every evening where clubs with Greek or international music abound. One can also savour the local delicacies in the many tavernas and restaurants of the town, some of which are recommended in international restaurant guides.

All of this, in addition to modern facilities, ensures visitors a comfortable and carefree stay on Rhodes. The well appointed hotels, several fully equipped conference centres, the newest of which has a maximum seating capacity of 3000 persons, a well developed road network, an international airport with links to many European cities, an extensive sea transportation network, all contribute to making Rhodes a modern urban centre in the Mediterranean and one of the most important tourist and conference destinations in Greece.

It is a meeting place of scholars, artists and personalities from all over the world welcoming two million visitors every year. Rhodes has hosted many important events such as the European Union Summit meeting in 1988. Once again Rhodes is to find itself in the heart of international developments, as it has the honour to host the 7th Symposium of the OWHC in September 2003.

Combining myth, cultural heritage routed in antiquity, natural beauty and contemporary infrastructure, the City of Rhodes enters the third Millennium in confidence extending, under its warm sun, a heartfelt welcome to you the participants of the 7th Symposium. Rhodes is history, myths, a gift of the gods, the work of man, a mosaic of images from yesterday, today and tomorrow- full of colours that shine in the sun. For, to travel to Rhodes is to travel into the light of history and culture.