Cheap Holidays to Turkey

Bodrum

Bodrum a town of white houses hung with flowers rising tier on tier against a green hill overlooking a dazzling blue bay quarded by the great medieval castle built by the Knights of Rhodes.

Bodrum has an incredibly rich past. Its position in or near so many of the great civilisations and events of ancient history also makes Halikarnassos - Ancient name of Bodrum - an important centre.

Bodrum is one of the most beautiful cosmopolitan and sophisticated holiday resort in Turkey. At any time of the day and night, there is always something going on here.

Winters are rainy, summers are hot, dry but the breeze called Meltem from the sea cools the air. The hottest months are July and August.

Bodrum holidays

Bodrum Castle

Bodrum Castle was built by the Knights of Rhodes in honour of St.Peter between 1415-1437. The stones and marbles of the Mausoleum, which is one of the seven wonders of ancient world and destroyed by an earthquake in 14th century, were used for the construction of the castle. There are five main towers, reflecting the architectural styles of the nations by whom they were constructed, called English Tower, French Tower, Spanish Tower, Italien Tower and German Tower. The Knights built the walls facing the sea thin, and fortified the walls facing the land, as they had expected attacks from the land.

Bodrum was taken by the Turks in 1523. After 1895, the castle was used as a prison. It was converted into a museum, in which, especially the findings of underwater archeology, Mycenean, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantium artifacts are displayed in different sections in chronological order since 1960.

In the Gothic chapel in the courtyard, findings from the Bronze Age are exhibited, dating back 3000 - 2000 years, discovered in this region of objects and weapons from the Mycenaen time found by excavation in the necropolis near Bodrum - Ortakent. In the section to the right of the chapel are exhibited in their original position the environs of the Gelidonya Wreck, which had loaded copper ignots, dating back to 1200 B.C. and which was discovered by underwater excavations off-shore the Cape Gelidonya, under direction of Prof.Dr. George Bass in 1960.

In the south of the chapel, adjoining the castle wall a Turkish Bath an old building where the bathing tradition is shown in details.

A narrow street to the left of the chapel leads to the Amphora Park. From here one comes to the Hall of the Glass wreck, where the Wreck of Serçe Harbour and environs are displayed, in the vis-a-vis Glass Hall and glass works between the XIVth century A.D. and the whole glass collection of the Wreck of Serçe Harbour are exhibited.

In the upper section of the Castle the towers are placed. In the Italien Tower, the ground floor is The Coins and jewellery Hall beginning from the 7th century B.C., until the Roman and Ottoman periods are displayed. In the middle floor of the tower is The Hall of Classical Period. Various ceramic and bronze objects and statues dating back to the 5th century are exhibited here. Baltali Tower is situated at the highest point of the castle, houses the Carian Princess Hall and one of the most interesting place of the Museum. In 1989 a sarcophagus was found entering Bodrum. From the jewellery of the skeleton found in sarcophage, it was identified as Princess Ada, who was also the adoptive mother of Alexander the Great. The University of Manchester plastered the scaleton of Princess to her state while living and she is now exhibited in a niche in the hall.

 Mausoleum

Mausoleum constructed as a funereal monument by Artemisia, queen of Caria after the death of her brother & husband Mausolos, the Satrap of Caria 352 B.C., the architect was Pytheos. The four facades were decorated with relief friezes executed by (the eastern facade) Scopas , (the northern facade) Byraix , (the southern facade) Timotheos , and (the western facade) Leochares. The monument is raised on a high podium. The 21 stepped roof is supported by 36 ionic columns. Statues of Mausolos and Artemisia, riding a chariot drawn by four horses from the crest of the monument are now to be found in the British Museum. The ground measurements of the monument are 60X80 m. and it was originally 46 m. in height. It remained intact until the 12 century A.D., was partially destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century, and demolished Knights of Rhodes. The friezes were removed to the British Museum in 1856.

Amphi Theatre

Situated in the hillside over looking Bodrum. This theatre whose capacity is around 13.000 was built during Carians' reign in Hellenistic age (330-30 B.C.) The theatre consists of three different sections: a place for audience, a place for an orchestre and the stage. It became an open-air museum after the excavations made in 1973.

 Myndos Gate

Located on the west side of Bodrum, this is one of the two entrances of ancient Halikarnassos. Only some parts of the city wall remained until today. An important part of the town wall was the Myndos Gate where the soldiers of Alexander the Great had a hard time to enter the town of Halikarnassos in 333 B.C. After he captured the city, except the Mausoleum whole city destroyed by the soldiers of Alexander the Great.

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