Erimokastro

On a rocky spur of the Kepoules, between Apollona and Platania and above the church of Agia Paraskevi, stand the scant ruins locals call Erimokastro. This is a Byzantine fortification, probably raised during the so-called Dark Centuries, when Arab raids from the 630s onwards drove Aegean populations to mountain refuges. Its enceinte, built in small-scale Byzantine masonry and incorporating a natural rock wall, encloses a sloping surface later reshaped into farmers' terraces. Little survives within beyond a few post-medieval building remnants; stone was robbed for the Italian-era road below. The position commands views towards numerous other forts and vigles across Rhodes, and even the islands of Chalki and Symi. Whether the Knights Hospitallers used it as a rural refuge is unproven, though the sweeping outlook suggests it served as a watchtower at various times. Access is by a badly eroded dirt track from the Apollona-Platania road, marked "Pigi".