Haraki Village can be found on the east coast of Rhodes approximately 12 kilometers north of Lindos. It is a traditional fishing village with less than 200 residents set around a tiny picturesque cove. Tourists can surely get their fill of the area with the numerous restaurants, tavernas, and bars looking out across the bay. The shingle beach is the perfect haven if you want a more peaceful spot away from the crowds.
Upon entering Haraki Village, you can follow around the path to the start of the seafront by Argo Restaurant so that you can have a view of the bay’s full extent. As you go along the seafront, you can take a quick excursion through the very first alleyway to drop by at the tiny chapel called Church of the Holy Apostles. This traditional Greek chapel sits at the back of the restaurant most visitors tend to overlook it.
As you continue along the seafront, you will find several restaurants and tavernas that offer everything from full meals to refreshing drinks. The Feraclos Castle sits in the distance as it stands guard over the entire village.
Feraclos or Pheraclos Castle is a rather raw ruin without safety barriers to sheer drops and no signs warning you of dangers of the crumbling walls and rough ground. Be sure that you tread carefully here and don’t take unwanted risks.
The structure’s true extent is further revealed as you emerge up into the castle. This looks quite sizable from outside but once you get inside, you can see right away that it was more than mere fort and instead, it was an entire fortified village that can sustain a lot of people.
You can find remnants of numerous structures and buildings across the place with walls encompassing it. Back in its glorious days during the early 14th century when the castle was still occupied by the Knights of St. John, it served as the sanctuary for most of the local villages in case of attacks by sea-born invaders. There was also a routine in place for these occurrences and the people of Rhodes all had a designated castle to go to.
However, the castle’s history predates the times of the Knights of St. John because they simply used the earlier structure to construct the castle. One speculation says that the castle probably was an ancient Acropolis that could have rivaled the Acropolis of Lindos.
There are a lot of things that you can expect to find here and you can get the chance to just admire the natural beauty of the place and see the ruins of a castle rich in interesting and exciting history that date back to the earliest days not only of Haraki Village but also of Rhodes Island as a whole.
The next time you find yourself in Rhodes Island, make sure you explore Haraki Village, visit Pheraclos castle, and get a scenic view of the beach. You can expect that there is something unique for everyone here, especially for those who want a different experience than the usual.
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