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.
Bodrum
Region holidays
Turkey holidays
| 
