Bodrum

Located in the southwest of the Anatolian Peninsula, it is on the southern shore of the peninsula of the same name. The area is known to have been inhabited by the Carians, a branch of the Etruscans/Luwis, circa 3000 B.C. The name of the city in the original is "Alukariassa". meaning "the castle city of the lighted-up/conscious Carians". This name of the city which was situated at the ancient Caria subsequently changed into "Halicarnassos". The foremost portrait of the city is the worldwide renowned historian Herodotus. The population of the city increased with the influx of the Pelasgians and Lelegians who immigrated into the southwestern Anatolia during the following periods. It developed its maritime trading with Phoenicia, the Aegean Islands, Cyprus and Egypt. In the 6th century B.C. the area fell under the Lydian sovereignty followed by the Persian domination. It led the uprisings of the Anatolian people against the Hellenes in various periods, and in 480 B.C., during the sea battle waged and won against the Hellenes, Queen Artemisia was appointed as the admiral in command of a fleet. The city which joined the Carian Confederacy subsequently became the capital of the confederacy during the era of Maussollos. Upon the death of Maussollos a mausoleum was ordered to be built in his honour by his wife. During the antique period the city won a major sea battle against the Rhodians and gloriously resisted against the Macedonians. The area which was seized by the Egyptians and the pirates was brought under the jurisdiction of the Roman Empire around the middle of the 1st century. The city which fell into a standstill in the Byzantine era, became a shelter for the Rhodian knights during the Middle Ages. In the 13th century it came under the rule of the Turkoman Mente§e Bey; then, it was reclaimed by the Rhodian knights, and finally, in 1522, was dominated by the Ottomans. Today the most prominent antique remains is the mausoleum belonging to the Carian King Maussollos. The mausoleum which is celebrated as one agora. Around the mausoleum, 55 m high, is a gallery encircled by 36 columns and, to top them, a pyramid-style roof of 24 steps. The triangular frontal of the roof included the statues of the King Maussollos and his wife Artemisia on a chariot drawn by 4 horses. Today in the east of the mausoleum the reliefs depicting various mythological legends are exhibited. Visible in front of the acropolis on the northern slope of the present settlement is a theatre overlooking the sea, consisting of 35 caveas. To the south of the theatre there are rock tombs and the remains of Temple of Apollon. In the harbour there is a fountain in the Salmakis Agora and. at the extremity of the peninsula, a castle built by the Rhodian knights in 1415, measuring 180x185 m, with knight's coats-of- arms numbering 249 as visible on it. Ancient artifacts uncovered in the area as well as the underwater archeological finds are on display in the only Museum of Underwater Archeology of Turkey within the castle. Bodrum is today a worldwide renowned tourism resort thanks to its accommodation facilities, Karaada thermal springs, natural beaches, yachting tours, water sports, underwater diving points, restaurants and entertainment centers.