Bodrum Peninsula

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Holidays to Bodrum - historical and cultural information

Bohemian chic with culture, café life and nightlife

On your memorable holiday to Bodrum you will find an ancient port town, bursting with character and charm, one that has always attracted the arty crowd, bringing a certain bohemian chic to the area. Bodrum's most distinctive landmark is the magnificent 15th century Castle of St Peter, now home to an excellent museum of Underwater Archaeology, showcase for the treasures retrieved from shipwrecks throughout the Mediterranean. The heart of the town is set around the harbour, where shops, bars and restaurants jostle together in the winding, narrow lanes under the shadow of the castle. During the season, shops are often open until midnight, and can offer great deals on traditional and local handicrafts, clothing, leather, carpets and jewellery. Today, Bodrum is the yachting centre of Turkey, and with it's well-developed shopping scene, and invigorating nightlife, it provides a vibrant and interesting holiday destination.

History

During your Bodrum holiday you will discover a wealth of fascinating historical and cultural sites to visit. The history of Bodrum, known as Halicarnassos in ancient times, goes back to the 13th century BC when it was founded by Dorian settlers from Greece. Originally, belonging to the Dorian league of six cities, which included Myndos, Knidos, Iassos, Keramos and Kos, Halicarnassos quickly developed into an important commercial city thanks to it's accessible harbour and fertile surroundings. Many civilisations found their home here as the city, in turn, passed to the Lydians, the Persians, the Carians, the Romans, the Seljuk Turks and finally to the Ottomans prior to Turkish independence in 1923.

Heredotus, popularly known as "the father of written ancient history" was born in Bodrum in 484 BC. Herodotus is the first major prose writer in the history of Western literature whose work survived in full and much of what is known about the origins of Halicarnassus and Asia Minor in the 5th century BC is owed to him.

The Mausoleum is Bodrum's oldest antiquity and it was built by Artemisia II in honour of her husband King Mausolos - (the word 'mausoluem'derives from his name). Construction of the mausoleum lasted five years, reaching completion in 340 BC, and it ranked as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The entire structure stood at over 50 metres high. The first reliefs from the Mausoleum, including frescoes and other objects, reached the British Museum in London in 1846. Bodrum's first remembered literary character, Cevat Sakir, known as the 'Halicarnassus Fisherman' asked for the return of the Mausoleum parts to Bodrum in a letter addressed to the Queen of England, saying that such exquisite works of art were not finding their true place under the foggy and grey sky of London. The letter he received in response stated the following: "Thank you for reminding us of the matter, we have painted the ceiling where the Mausoleum is located in blue."

Bodrum Castle

There are many other sites in the region to light up your holiday to Bodrum. One of these is the Bodrum Castle which was built by the Knights of Rhodes in honour of St.Peter between 1415-1437. The stones and marbles of the Mausoleum, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 14th century, were used for the construction of the castle. The fortress became known as the Castle of St. Peter, the Liberator, it served as the sole place of refugee for all Christians on the West Coast of Asia during the time of the crusades. For over a century the castle served as a stronghold in the knights' community. The city came under Ottoman rule in 1522 AD when Suleyman the Magnificent captured Rhodes and forced the knights to move to Malta. Known as 'Petrion' after the Castle of St. Peter, this later became in Turkish 'Bodrum', the name by which the town is known today. Under Turkish care the castle has undergone several uses including being a military base, a prison and a public bath.

Today, the castle houses a museum in which the findings of underwater archaeology, Mycenean, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantium artifacts are displayed.

The Amphitheatre

Situated on the hillside over looking Bodrum this amphitheatre with an original capacity of around 13,000 was built during the Carian reign in the Hellenistic age (330 - 30 BC.). The theatre consists of three different sections: a place for the audience, a place for an orchestra and the stage. It became an open-air museum after the excavations in 1973.

The Myndos Gate

Only a few parts of the ancient city walls remain today. The Myndos Gate, located on the west side of Bodrum, is one of the two entrances of ancient Halicarnassus. The gate was so named as it faced towards ancient Myndos (present day Gümüslük). An important part of the ancient city walls, the Myndos Gate held up the soldiers of Alexander the Great before they forced their way into Halicarnassus in 333 BC. After capturing the city they destroyed all the buildings with the exception of the Mausoleum. Extensive excavation and restoration work is being undertaken on the ancient walls which span almost four and a half kilometres in length.

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