Like many of the popular tourist destinations on Turkey’s beautiful Aegean Coast, Bodrum developed from a small fishing village into a top tourist destination within a matter of a few decades. However, the village was built on the site of an ancient city, so the town’s history is far more colourful and detailed than you might first expect, and is worth further investigation while you’re on holiday on Bodrum.

 

Bodrum started life as an ancient Greek city, called Halicarnassus of Caria. Originally this ancient Greek city was fairly small, confined to an island (called Zephyria) just off the coast. Over time the island became linked to the mainland and the city was extended. This island is now the site of the famous Bodrum Castle, so as you gaze at the castle try to imagine this being the site of a city thousands of years ago!

 

Halicarnassus was the site of a siege by Alexander the Great in the year 334BC. Only a few decades before this the Mausoleum of Mausolus was built in Halicarnassus. This tomb was so beautiful and large that it was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and when Alexander attacked the city the mausoleum actually remained untouched. Over a thousand years later the mausoleum was still standing even though the city of Halicarnassus lay in ruins, and it wasn’t until several earthquakes struck the area that the Mausoleum finally fell.

 

In the 1400s the Knights of St John of Malta (also known as the Knights Hospitaller) invaded the area that was Halicarnassus and built Bodrum Castle in 1402. Over the next one hundred or so years they fortified the castle more and more, taking advantage of the large stones from the fallen Mausoleum, and breaking up smaller bits for use around the castle walls. Today you can still see some of the polished marble that came from the tomb within the castle. Only a very small part of the Mausoluem’s base now remains in its original position, and you can still see this if you wish to within the town.

 

Bodrum Castle is now one of the best recognised landmarks of Bodrum, and one of the top attractions for holidaymakers in Bodrum. When it was constructed it was known as the Castle of St Peter, and occasionally this title is still used, though Bodrum Castle is the far more common name. Some restoration has taken place in more recent years, and since the 1960s the castle has also been the home of the renowned Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology. Here you’ll find a vast collection of items that have been excavated from underwater, from ancient ships that sunk, plus there are two reconstructed sunken ships to see.

 

Originally part of the ancient city of Halicarnassus, Bodrum is also home to an ancient amphitheatre that’s situated in the north of the town on the road out to Gumbet. The theatre was apparently not completed until Roman times, and although not as impressive as some of the many amphitheatres you can see along Turkey’s Aegean Coast, it’s the best preserved piece of Bodrum’s ancient past.