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Selected Islands : Kos | Karpathos | Rhodes Welcome to the Dodecanese Islands. The Dodecanese is a group of islands closer to the Turkish coast than to mainland Greece. The original 12 islands of the Dodecanese were Rhodes, Leros, Kos, Karpathos, Patmos, Tilos, Kalymnos, Symi, Astypalea, Halki, Kassos and Nisyros. Each island has its own individual and characteristic attractions. The island group suffered the same chain of invasion and rule, by succcesive civilisations, that the rest of the region endured. The Dodecanese also came under the rule of the Knights Hospitallers who constructed massive fortifications in the middle ages. Notwithstanding, the Turks gained control in the early 16th century and remained so until the Italians gained control in 1922. The islands were the scene of desperate fighting between British and German forces in the Second World War and suffered greatly before they were restored to Greece in 1947. |