The Mosque of Suleiman stands at the top of Sokratous Street, its rose-pink walls and slender minaret rising above the medieval lanes of Rhodes Old Town. It is the most prominent Ottoman monument on the island, raised to commemorate Suleiman the Magnificent’s conquest of Rhodes from the Knights of St John in the sixteenth century and rebuilt in later Ottoman times. With its low dome, carved marble doorway and warm-coloured facade, the mosque marks the heart of what was once the Turkish quarter of the walled town. It is one of the first buildings that fixes the layered history of the town in a visitor’s mind. This guide is prepared by My Greece Tours.
This article sits within our wider Rhodes travel guide and looks closely at the mosque, its Ottoman setting and the walled town around it. The sections below cover the monument itself, the Turkish quarter with its library and fountains, the layered history of the walled town, the descent down Sokratous into the market, and the practical side of visiting and combining the mosque with the rest of the Old Town.
What is the Mosque of Suleiman in Rhodes?
The Mosque of Suleiman is the large pink-domed Ottoman mosque at the top of Sokratous Street in Rhodes Old Town. It was built to mark Suleiman the Magnificent’s conquest of the island from the Knights and is the most prominent Ottoman monument on Rhodes.
The mosque is instantly recognisable for its rose-coloured walls, which glow warmly in the afternoon light, and for the single minaret that rises above the rooftops of the medieval quarter. A low dome caps the prayer hall, and a carved marble doorway frames the entrance with the decorative stonework typical of Ottoman religious architecture. The building was first raised soon after the Ottoman conquest of Rhodes in the sixteenth century and was rebuilt in a later Ottoman period, which is why its present form combines earlier foundations with newer masonry. Standing at the highest point of Sokratous Street, it acts as a visual anchor, so that from many of the surrounding lanes the minaret guides you back towards this corner of the town.
For visitors, the mosque is the clearest single reminder that Rhodes was ruled by the Ottomans for centuries after the Knights departed, and it gives the Old Town a character quite distinct from the Gothic architecture lower down. It is usually admired from the outside, where its scale and colour are best appreciated against the pale stone of the medieval streets. The mosque also orients you within the town, sitting at the junction between the Ottoman upper quarter and the busy commercial street below. Our guide to Rhodes Old Town covers the walled town as a whole, and the next section covers the surrounding Turkish quarter with its library and fountains.
What is the Turkish quarter around the mosque like?
The mosque sits at the heart of the old Turkish quarter, a district of Ottoman-era buildings, fountains and shaded lanes. Directly opposite stands the Hafiz Ahmed Aga library, a Muslim library founded in the Ottoman period, while old fountains and courtyards mark the surrounding streets.
The Hafiz Ahmed Aga library, facing the mosque, is one of the finest survivals of Ottoman scholarship in the town. Founded by a local Ottoman official, it once held manuscripts and religious texts and remains a quiet, dignified building that speaks to the intellectual life of the quarter. Around it, the streets carry the marks of daily Ottoman life: carved fountains set into walls, small squares once used for gathering, and houses with overhanging timber upper floors that shaded the lanes below. This upper part of the walled town feels calmer than the market street, and it rewards slow wandering, with the minaret of the mosque never far from view as a point of reference.
Walking these lanes gives a sense of how the town functioned under Ottoman rule, when the mosque, its library and the surrounding fountains formed a self-contained neighbourhood within the older medieval walls. The rose-coloured mass of the mosque presides over it all, and the contrast between its Ottoman forms and the Gothic buildings elsewhere in the town is one of the pleasures of exploring here. Many visitors reach this quarter after walking the grander medieval streets lower down. Our guide to the Street of the Knights covers the medieval spine of the town, and the next section covers the layered history that shaped the walled town.
How does the mosque fit the layered history of the Old Town?
Rhodes Old Town carries three great layers: an ancient Greek core, the medieval town of the Knights of St John, and the Ottoman centuries that followed. The Mosque of Suleiman represents that third layer, standing among the walls, gates and palace left by the Knights.
The walled town began as an ancient settlement, was rebuilt as a fortified stronghold by the Knights of St John during the medieval centuries, and then passed to the Ottomans after Suleiman’s siege. Each ruler left its mark: the ancient Greek street pattern still underlies parts of the town, the Knights raised the great walls, gates, hospital and the Palace of the Grand Master, and the Ottomans added mosques, minarets, fountains, baths and libraries. The Mosque of Suleiman is the boldest of those Ottoman additions, and its position at the top of Sokratous Street places it firmly among the medieval monuments, so that a short walk carries you across several centuries of history.
This layering is what makes the Old Town so absorbing, and the mosque plays a key role in telling the story. Seeing it in the context of the Knights’ architecture lower down explains how power passed from the Christian orders to the Ottoman Empire and how the town absorbed each new ruler without erasing the last. The great fortress-palace of the Knights makes an ideal counterpoint to the Ottoman mosque. Our guide to the Palace of the Grand Master covers the medieval seat of power, and the next section covers Sokratous Street and the market below the mosque.
What is Sokratous Street and the market below the mosque?
Sokratous Street is the main market street of Rhodes Old Town, running downhill from the Mosque of Suleiman at its head. It is the busy commercial spine of the walled town, lined with shops, tavernas and stalls descending through the medieval lanes.
From the doorway of the mosque, Sokratous Street falls away in a long, lively descent through the town. It has been a trading street for centuries, and today it is crowded with shops selling jewellery, leather, ceramics, spices and souvenirs, along with cafes and tavernas that spill onto the cobbles. Because the mosque crowns the top of the street, the minaret is visible from far down the slope, tying the market directly to the Ottoman quarter above. Walking up Sokratous towards the mosque is one of the classic approaches to the monument, with the pink facade appearing gradually above the shopfronts as you climb.
The street is also a natural place to combine sightseeing with shopping and a meal, since almost every visitor to the Old Town passes along it at some point. Starting at the mosque and walking downhill lets you take in the Ottoman upper quarter first and then the commercial heart of the town, ending near the harbour and the lower gates. Our guide to Rhodes shopping covers the market streets in more detail, and the next section covers visiting the mosque and combining it with the wider Old Town.
How do you visit the Mosque of Suleiman?
The Mosque of Suleiman is usually admired from the outside, since interior access can be restricted and the building has undergone restoration at times. It sits at the top of Sokratous Street and is easily reached on foot as part of a walk through Rhodes Old Town.
Because the mosque stands at a busy junction, it is simple to find and free to admire from the street, where its rose-coloured walls, dome, minaret and carved doorway are the main things to see. Interior access is often limited, and the building has at times been closed for conservation, so it is wise to treat the outside as the principal experience and to check locally for current arrangements rather than relying on fixed opening hours. If entry is possible, dress modestly, as you would at any place of worship, covering shoulders and knees and removing shoes if asked. The best light for photographs is in the afternoon, when the pink facade warms against the pale stone of the surrounding lanes.
The mosque works best as part of a longer walk rather than a single stop. Combine it with the market descent of Sokratous, the fountains and library of the Turkish quarter, and the medieval monuments lower down, so that one route carries you through the Ottoman, medieval and ancient layers of the town in a single afternoon. Comfortable shoes help on the worn cobbles, and early morning or late afternoon are the most pleasant times to explore. For ideas on structuring a day, see our overview of things to do in Rhodes. Plan your visit and tours through our Rhodes travel guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you go inside the Mosque of Suleiman in Rhodes?
The Mosque of Suleiman is most often experienced from the outside, and many visitors simply admire its rose-coloured walls, dome and minaret from the top of Sokratous Street. Interior access can be limited, and the building has undergone restoration at various times, so it is not always open to the public. Rather than relying on fixed opening hours, it is best to check locally when you are in the Old Town, as arrangements can change. If entry is possible, treat the mosque as a place of worship: dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees, keep your voice low, and remove your shoes if asked. Even from the exterior, the carved marble doorway, the warm colour of the walls and the slender minaret give a strong sense of the building’s Ottoman character, so a visit is rewarding whether or not the interior is open on the day.
Why was the Mosque of Suleiman built in Rhodes?
The mosque was raised to commemorate the Ottoman conquest of Rhodes, when Suleiman the Magnificent besieged the walled town and forced the Knights of St John to surrender the island in the sixteenth century. As the most prominent Ottoman monument on Rhodes, it symbolised the new order that followed centuries of rule by the Christian military order. Placing a grand mosque at the top of the main market street was a deliberate statement, marking the town as part of the Ottoman Empire and giving the Muslim community a central place of worship. The building was later rebuilt during the Ottoman period, which is why its present form combines earlier foundations with newer masonry. Around it grew the Turkish quarter, with the Hafiz Ahmed Aga library opposite and fountains and courtyards nearby, so that the mosque became the heart of a whole Ottoman neighbourhood within the older medieval walls.
What else is near the Mosque of Suleiman?
The mosque sits at the top of Sokratous Street, the main market street of the Old Town, so shops, cafes and tavernas begin right at its doorway and continue downhill. Directly opposite stands the Ottoman Hafiz Ahmed Aga library, and the surrounding Turkish quarter holds old fountains, courtyards and timber-fronted houses worth exploring on foot. Lower down and nearby are the great medieval monuments of the Knights of St John, including the Street of the Knights and the Palace of the Grand Master, which show the earlier layer of the town’s history. Because everything lies within the compact walled town, the mosque is easily combined with a walk through both the Ottoman and medieval quarters in a single visit. Starting at the mosque and descending Sokratous is a popular route, taking in the quiet upper lanes before reaching the busy market and the lower gates near the harbour.