Bodrum is an exquisitely beautiful resort in the southwest corner of Turkey, which has become the haunt of the rich and famous. Its waterfront is domitaned by the magnificent The Castle of St. Peter , which houses a unique Museum of Underwater Archeology. There are regular ferries from Bodrum to the island of Kos in Greece.
Years ago, one of Turkey’s most famous pop-rock groups, MFÖ released a song entitled, “Bodrum, Bodrum”; “How do I describe it, where do I begin, Bodrum, Bodruuuum,” was how it started. Since then, it has become the unofficial anthem of this popular summer resort.
Most Turks have a Bodrum memory; the town is like an autonomous region inside Turkey, with its own private set of rules, one of which is that the evening doesn’t start until misnight!
A wonder of the ancient world
Bodrum’s original name was Halicarnassus. According to the celebrated historian Herodotus, who was a native of this town, the city was first founded by the Dorians. In 650 BC, the Megarans took it over, expanded it, and renamed it Halicarnassus. In the 4th century BC, the city became the capital of Caria, and went on to become prosperous and successful. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was built by Queen Artemisia in honor of her husband Mausolus, who died in 353 BC. Today, only scant ruins of the great tomb remain.
An ancient theater beside the road to Turgutreis has been beautifully restored and is worth a quick look. Work on it started during the reign of Mausolos, although it was extended by the Romans.
Later, Bodrum was conquered by the Romans and Byzantines. In 1415, it was captured by the Knights Hospitaller of Rhodes, and in 1522, during the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, it became a part of the Ottoman Empire.
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The Bodrum Peninsula is located in the Aegean region of Turkey. The Aegean Coast is an extra-ordinary place with its immense unspoilt coastline & warm climate which offers all year round sunshine. Dotted with idyllic fishing harbours, popular holiday villages and the remains of ancient civilizations attesting to the inheritance of more than 5,000 years of history, culture and mythology.
Bodrum is steeped in history and is famous not only as a Turkish Holiday centre. It houses one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was constructed to house the remains of King Mausolos. Not much remains of the Mausoleum today, whose stones were used to construct Bodrum Castle in the early fifteenth century.
There are numerous companies offering Bodrum Mini Gulet Cruises. The prices for the cruises being relatively cheap compared to the more modern style super cruise lines like Royal Caribbean International or Carnival Cruise Lines. I would love to see a picture of Freedom of the Seas next to one of these wonderful hand made boats. I suppose the closest we will get to that is one of the Voyager class ship cruising the Mediterranean or Aegean Seas.