Ialysos

 

If the City of Rhodes is the only urban area in the whole of the Aegean, then consider Ialysos as its neighboring suburban town. But for a suburban town, Ialysos is not boring and common in the least.

 

Named after the grandson of the Sun god Helios, the town of Ialysos is second only to Rhodes City in population size. In fact, since the early 1980’s, the village of Ialysos had a population of around 2,500 only but this eventually grew and now, the estimated population size of about 12,000. In terms of physical size however, the municipality of Ialysos is considered as the one with the smallest land area in Rhodes.

 

Ialysos was actually one of the three towns in Rhodes that created Rhodes City on 408 BC and after which, Ialysos took a more backseat role since Rhodes City greatly flourished into a metropolis while Ialysos continued to be a town from the Roman period until now in the twenty first century.

 

Many confuse the municipality of Ialysos with the town of Ialysos, some preferring to call the municipality Ialysos and the town by the name of Trianta. Officially, the town can be called Tianta or Ialysos and the municipality which includes the town and the areas surrounding it is the municipality of Ialysos. A settlement called Ixia has also sprung up between Rhodes City and Ialysos as both areas receive a large number of tourists and visitors every year.

 

Aside from many archaeological wonders and ancient Greek ruins, Ialysos is also home to numerous hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and conference centers. Tourism is obviously a principal industry in this town and tourists would find that the town is supplied with establishments and facilities that would make their stay both convenient and enjoyable. It also has beautiful beaches that are famed for their perfect wind-surfing and kite surfing conditions. In fact, Ialysos was made the host location for the 2005 Windsurfing World Championship event.