The House of Europe in Rhodes

Nine partners and associates participated in this meeting, who presented the activities fulfilled during “fall 2011- winter 2012” and have planned the activities to come, until the integration of the Program in Rhodes, the last week of June 2012.

From Greece, those who participated were: Panayotis Markandonatos, from the University of the Aegean, from the House of Europe in Rhodes Anna Charitou who has also presented the work prepared by the responsible staff of the Direction of the Medieval City, the architect Evi Kaka and the art critic Stathis Evanghelinidis.

The Centre of Sea Research – Hydro-biologic Station of Rhodes participated with the biologist Stefanos Kaloghirou who made a presentation on “The invasion of ‘foreign’ kinds of fish, along the eastern sea routes of the Mediterranean. Change and renewal”.

The meeting has known great publicity, in the small historic city of Tyros and the local authorities were strongly present during all the sessions opened to the public.

The participants have been invited to follow a performance of traditional dances as well as to taste the local cuisine and to enjoy religious hymns at the Municipal Cultural Centre “Mamlouk”. At that same centre, the 2nd International Exhibition titled Melkart (by the name of a Phoenician god, protector of trade) was organized, where traditional craftsmen from Tunisia (silver jewelers) and Malta (handmade laces) were present.

The meeting of Tyros closed with the 3rd International Conference, related to the civilization and history of the Phoenicians, titled: “Phoenician routes in the Mediterranean”.

During the Conference of Tyros there have been presentations by 5 University professors and archaeologists, from Lebanon, Italy and Greece on the following issues:

  • “The invasion of ‘foreign’ kinds of fish, along the eastern sea routes of the Mediterranean. Change and renewal”
  • “The Phoenician cemetery and crematory of Tyros”
  • “Tyros, the Old City, Study on the preservation and diagnosis of its problems”
  • “Phoenician pilgrimage-traveling. The sea and the rivers as Phoenician routes in Tyros and Arados”

During the months to come, there will be in Rhodes, as well as in all the cities-harbors participating in the program, a seminar in English, related to the cultural tourism and its everlasting growth, known recently as “slow tourism”. The seminar will be addressed to the guides of Rhodes. Αs educator there will be a specialist from Lebanon.

The next meeting of partners and associates will take place in Marsala, Sicily, the week after orthodox Easter and it will conclude in Rhodes the last week of June 2012, with one more Melkart Exhibition for traditional craftsmen from Rhodes and the 4th International Scientific Conference.

The participants of Tyros:

  • The University of Florence (The Faculty of Architecture- Department of Restoration and Preservation of Monuments
  • The Municipality of Rhodes and namely the Direction of the Medieval City of Rhodes
  • The Municipality of Tyros
  • The University Saint Josef and Majal of Beyrout
  • The Foundation Paralleli of Turin
  • The University of the Aegean (Tourism Department of Chios)