An expeditious, three‐step synthesis of rhein (2) was optimized starting from bis(N,N‐diethyl)‐5‐methoxybenzene‐1,3‐dicarboxamide. The key final step, involving deprotection/cyclization of ortho‐benzoylbenzoic acid 9 in acidic chloroaluminate molten salts, yielded the desired natural product with high selectivity and good overall yield by precluding the competitive Hayashi rearrangement.(© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)