Hippocrates Square (Plateia Ippokratous) is the busy little square at the bottom of Sokratous Street in the medieval Old Town of Rhodes, a short walk inside the Sea Gate. On one side stands the Kastellania, a stone building of the Knights of St John that bears the date 1507, and in the middle a marble fountain where almost everyone stops for a photo. Day and night it is the crossroads of the Old Town's shopping streets.
Hippocrates Square at a glance
- Where: in the Old Town of Rhodes, where Sokratous Street and Aristotelous Street meet, a few minutes' walk from the Sea Gate and the harbour.
- Built: the Kastellania in the early 16th century, with a coat of arms of Grand Master Emery d'Amboise dated 1507; the fountain is usually dated to the Italian period (1912–1943).
- What it is today: the Old Town's main meeting point, ringed by cafés, restaurants and shops; the Kastellania houses the public library and historical archives.
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes to look around, longer if you sit down for a coffee.
From the knights' court to a café square
The Knights of St John ruled Rhodes from 1309 until the Ottoman conquest of 1522. In those two centuries the Old Town was divided into the Collachium, the walled quarter of the knights around the Grand Master's palace, and the Bourg, the town where Greeks, Latins and Jews lived and traded. Hippocrates Square lies in the Bourg. The Kastellania was built here after the great earthquake of 1481 and is generally thought to have housed the knights' commercial court, where disputes between merchants were settled.
Under Ottoman rule (1522–1912) the Kastellania was turned into a mosque, and Sokratous Street became the bazaar of the Old Town. The Italians, who took Rhodes in 1912, restored much of the medieval town; the Kastellania was later hit by bombing in the Second World War and repaired afterwards. Since 1947, when the Dodecanese passed to Greece, it has housed the public library and the historical archive of the Dodecanese. The square itself is named after Hippocrates, the ancient physician from the neighbouring island of Kos.
What to look for
- The coat of arms of Grand Master Emery d'Amboise on the Kastellania, with the date 1507.
- The steps of the Kastellania, a favourite place to sit and wait for friends.
- The marble fountain in the centre of the square, where groups gather and almost everyone takes a photo.
- The view up Sokratous Street, the old bazaar, towards the minaret of the Mosque of Suleiman at the top.
- Aristotelous Street heading east from the square into the old Jewish quarter.
Sokratous Street, the old bazaar
Sokratous Street runs uphill from the square and has been the Old Town's main shopping street since Ottoman times, when it was the bazaar. Today it is lined with shops selling jewellery, leather, natural sponges and souvenirs. At its top stands the Mosque of Suleiman, founded around 1522–1523 just after the Ottoman conquest and rebuilt to the same design in 1808. It has been closed for worship since 2014 pending restoration, but you can see the outside from the street.
Tips for your visit
- Early morning is the quietest time; in the evening the square is lit up and busy with diners.
- Use the square as your landmark: the Old Town's lanes are a maze, and both Sokratous and Aristotelous lead back here.
- Wear shoes with some grip: the Old Town's stone paving is uneven and worn smooth in places.
- Walk up Sokratous Street to the Mosque of Suleiman, then continue to the Palace of the Grand Master and down the Street of the Knights.
Nearby
- Street of the Knights: the cobbled medieval street lined with the inns of the knights' national groups, climbing to the Grand Master's palace.
- Palace of the Grand Master: the knights' fortress-palace at the top of the Old Town, largely rebuilt by the Italians in the 1930s.
- Square of the Jewish Martyrs: a few minutes east along Aristotelous Street, with a seahorse fountain and a memorial to the Jews of Rhodes deported in 1944.
- Sea Gate: the late medieval gate with two round towers that leads from the Old Town to the harbour, a couple of minutes' walk away.
See Rhodes with World City Trail
Our Rhodes scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 30 minutes of walking. It includes the Palace of the Grand Master and the Street of the Knights in the medieval Old Town. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish and Greek.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Rhodes.
Play the Rhodes scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Rhodes →
Play the outdoor escape game in Rhodes →
Facts checked in October 2026.