When coming for vacation to Rhodes Island you have plenty of choices when it comes to visiting the attraction and sightseeing. The wide variety of attractions that is offered by Rhodes Island is not matched by any other tourist destination in the world. An attraction in the old town that you must see during your Rhodes Holidays is the Rhodian Deer statues.

Rhodian Deer Statues:
Mandraki harbour is watched over by the two deer statues. These are the sculptures of the unique Rhodian deer which has now become a symbol of Rhodes Island. At the entrance of Mandraki harbour the statues of deer are found - there is a doe and a stag placed on elegant, long and slim columns. The statues look very appealing and never go unnoticed when you come to the pictorial harbour of Mandraki during Rhodes Holidays. To really know the importance and attraction of the two deer statues hold for your Rhodes holidays you must have knowledge about this unique specie of deer called Dama- Dama deer on island Rhodes.

Dama-Dama- The Rhodian Deer:
The Dama-Dama deer also known as the Rhodian Deer is unique deer species found only on Rhodes Island in Greece. The views by historic legends about Rhodian deer suggest that it was brought to the island many centuries ago during the time of Crusades. However, many sources and findings have revealed that they existed on the island since ancient times. In olden times, the Island of Rhodes was indeed called the land “with many deers” (Elafioussa)’ that means “with many deers” in the olden times. The Dama Dama deer is unique to Rhodes and existed in a large number on the island. The statues of the deer which have now become a symbol of Rhodes are located on the entrance of Mandraki Harbour.

Significance of the Dama Dama Deer:
The Dama Dama Deer of Rhodes is significant for many reasons. The deer was important as it was very helpful to reduce the population of poisonous snakes that threatened human lives on the island greatly.

There are many stories, myths and beliefs that how the Dama Dama deer caused the number of the snakes to diminish greatly. Nonetheless, all viewpoints propose in one way or the other that they were effectual in decreasing the snake population.

Cause of Extinction:
During the times of Knights of St John the deer were reintroduced on the island. This helped the deer to flourish and grow in number on the island in olden times. During the Ottoman era they were hunted to extinction but were reintroduced later in 1930s by the Italians. Presently there is only a small number of Rhodian deer found on the island and that too in natural protected parks. The Dama Dama deer is not just important for maintaining balance in ecosystem but also as it is a symbol of Rhode’s glory. The beautiful creature is found just in Rhodes and offer great attraction for Rhodes Holidays. Therefore, in order to appreciate the importance of the Dama Dama deer and its role in Rhodes, you must see the Rhodian Deer Statues.

Most Rhodes Town Hotels provide an easy access to different sites and attractions during Rhodes Holidays. We recommend that you choose a Aparthotel Rhodes like Rhodes Town Hotels in order to see the other attraction here too.