Bodrum Turkey

Bodrum Video

Bodrum — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:58:00 GMT

Bodrum Video

Bodrum Ancient Halicarnassus

Bodrum — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:49:00 GMT

Bodrum Halikarnassos Turkey

Bodrum — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:47:00 GMT

Nice Bodrum Video

Bodrum — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 16:47:00 GMT

Nice Bodrum Video

Bodrum Video From Thompson

Bodrum — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 13:46:00 GMT

Bodrum Video From Thompson

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VISA

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:30:00 GMT

VISA

Nationals of the following countries can come to Turkey with a valid passport, but without a visa; Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Turkish Republic of Cyprus, Djibouti, European Community countries (except UK, Ireland, Italy), Fiji, Finland, Iceland, Iran, Jamaica, Japan, Qatar, Kenya, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Romania, St.Lucia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunusia, United Arab Emirates, USA, Vatican City, Malaysia, Chile, S.Africa.

Nationals of all other countries require a visa, which can be obtained from every Turkish Embassy or consulate.

Nationals of UK, Austria, Italy, Poland, Ireland, Hungary can obtain entry visas in airport, at border gates

Market Days

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:30:00 GMT

Market Days

In market days farmers and sellers come from the villages around to offer their products for sale in Bodrum. You can find fresh products for cheap in the vegetable market and in clothing, bargains fabrics and household goods you can find in the good market on Friday only. Both markets are located behind the bus station . Other local markets include: Turgutreis – on Saturday.

Mumcular – on Sunday, Milas – on Tuesday.

Time Zone differences with Turkey

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:29:00 GMT

Time zone differences with Turkey

Australia	+8	Japan	+7
Germany	-1	Netherlands	-1
France	-1	USA	-7
England	-2	Italy	-1

Local Time: GMT +2 Hour

Government offices are open from 09:00 to 17:00, from Monday to Friday

Electricity: 220 volt AC

Public Telephones

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:28:00 GMT

Public Telephones

Around and in Bodrum you can find many public automatic telephones, for make national and international calls. You can easly use public telephones, they operate using telephone loca lor international cards, which can be bought at the Post Office, Marina or at shops close to telephones. To call other cities from Bodrum area, but in Turkey; dial (0) first, dial area code and number. To call other country, out from Turkey; dial (00), then dial international country code, area code and number. You can find international country codes and turkish area codes and in the telephone booths. In the smaller villages around the peninsula where it’s possible that you will not find automatic public telephone, you can make national and international calls from the local post offices.

Working Times

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:28:00 GMT

Working Times (shopping times)

Shops are open from 09.00 to 17.00, from Monday to Saturday. During the summer time, generally shops are open until late evening and are open all week, also Sunday.

Traffic Regulations

Signs on the road are those used internationally Traffic on Turkish roads keeps to the right.

At all times on all roads, is required attention. Speed limits: 90 km/h on highways 40 km/h in town. Bodrum streets on summer time, can be quite congested and can be difficult to move with your. So it may be more save to leave your car in one of local car parks or at your hotel parks and either walk or take a taxi.

Post Office

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:27:00 GMT

Post Office

The main post office is open 7 days in a week, 24 hours in a day, including holidays.

Services Include: Public telephones for local and international calls; International and Express mail; Local Teleghraph; Telephone token and telephone card sales.

The cargo post office is located under the post office and it’s open from 09.00 to 17.00.

Services include: Local and international cargo services, and Parcel pick up.

Bodrum Bodrum

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:26:00 GMT

ABOUT BODRUM

For so many person wakeup call is start of the daily activities. For many others it is a call to sleep, as they wend their way home at the close of Bodrum's active nightlife. This contrast most probably shows Bodrum's uniqueness and differentation as a holiday resort, serving on the one hand watersports, perfect dining, shopping and nightlife, on other hand understanding its cultural and historical heritage. Day or night, everything is different at all in Bodrum.

Bodrum has a special place in so many people's hearts. A popular home for Turkish artists and intellectuals. Bodrum's first known writer is the "Halicarnassus Fisherman". After existing the Turkish Republic in 1923 Cevat Sakir Kabaagacli exiled to Bodrum for his political expressions. His books and stories about life of Bodrum attracted romantics to this town and mostly responsible for creating the Bohemian atmosphere of Bodrum of today. Actually mostly known inside Turkey, Cevat Sakir Kabaagacli ranks with King Mausolus for being Bodrum's most famous residents.

With the muezzin's call to prayer as a metaphor for daytime and night time pursuits,

You are never far from the sea anywhere in Bodrum and all it’s around, because of this you can see all heaven coastline when you’ll do a Bodrum night. In August the average daily air temperature is 33 C and sea temprature is 25 C, perfect for every kind of water sports.

Actually, Bodrum beaches aren’t the best beaches of Turkey, because of being shingly and narrow. But, there are wooden jetties for sunbathing, free for everyone's enjoyment in every village or resort, in front of hotels and seaside restaurants. There is so much comfortable place for swimming and sunbathing. Another good thing is that you never rent a bed. While some hotels do reserve their sun beds for their own guests, the rule on local beaches is who come first served first.

It is so difficult to find pure and clearer water than this shore on the Turkish coast. It’s no matter where you go, visibility is always charming. Absence of heavy seas or strong tides and currents make the Bodrum area a paradise for swimmer's and snorkeler's. For those interested in spending more time underwater than one breath there are several scuba diving centers with instruction and equipments, for the beginner or expert.

Recently here is declared one of the world's best windsurfing areas by a popular windsurfing magazine, you can do surfing anywhere on the peninsula.

Windsurf schools and rental places, generally around Gümbet and Bitez. If you like speeding and excitement, water-skiing, jetskiing and para-skiing are also available on several beaches.

Bodrum is the major boat building and yachting center in Turkey.Because of that you can enjoy boating from almost anywhere in this town. On other hand you can find from canoes and pedaloes to luxury motorsailers, all types of craft. The cheapest aquatic trips are the several dayboat tours to villages around town. With local captains and crew these boats make a good day; stopping at the best swimming areas on the way and usually giving brake at a seaside restaurant for lunch. One most popular stop is "Karaada" or Black Island, where warm springs flow from a shoreline cave into a walled-in pool jutting into the sea. And also for those interested in serious sailing, weekly tours may be good with dozens of yachts, for motor sailing comfort, or modern sailing yachts.

There's plenty to do as well for who prefer to spend your holiday ashore.

Turkey has proud of more famous historical and archaeological areas than any other country in the world. Bodrum's Aegean part offers the possibility to see some of the best. City of Ephesus famous in all world or the unique Temple of Apollo at Didyma to strange and secluded Iasus, a two thousand-year trip into the past is only a few hours away from Bodrum. With organized tours, rent-a-car or public bus, so many spectacular sites are close enough to visit easily in a day. Bodrum's history is another big value. Here is birth place of Heredotus (the "Father of History"); home of Mausolus, entombed in one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; and Alexander The Great stayed very long years here, Bodrum is a unique combination of modern and over two thousand ancient years of history. Places that you have to see in Bodrum are; Mausoleum, on the hill above town amphitheater and Castle of St. Peter from early fifteenth century. There is also spectacular with its perfect gardens, thick stone works and different towers, museum of underwater archaeology is in the Castle.

Bodrum is for people who likes to shopping. Leather clothes and tools are in the latest fashions and at cheapest prices. Turkey is one of the world's largest carpet producers. Traditional hand made carpets are priced preferably less than other countries. Hand made jewelry, brass, copper, woodcrafts and gifts are plentiful and sales are generally continueing with a friendly glass of tea and with a serious discussions about prices. Turkey is also a large textile producer. Modern and sports can be had with very good savings. The local tailors are perfectly willing to custom make clothing to buyer’s size, be it "shalvar" (traditional Turkish trousers) or latest evening wear.

Bodrum bazaars presents to live experience of a real Turkish bazaar. Every Tuesday textile and clothes and thursday and friday farmers and tradesman from villages bring their products and wares to the this bazaar. This area worths a visit for smell the atmosphere, funny bargains can be found on everything from fresh fruit, cheeses and aromatic herbs and spices, to carpets, clothing and shoes.

Because of Bodrum has become more popular place in past few years, services have fastly improved, became a complete self contained community for residents and visitor. Doctors, dentists, laundries, car repair, shops and utilities now serve for almost every kind of needs of people.

There are rental or selling places for who plans to stay longer. The new four hundred and fifty-berth Karada Marina offers every service a yachtsman could need. Because of this reason many boat owners berths here permanently.

Bodrum is growing, with Turkish people and foreigners that attracted with its warm, relaxing atmosphere. Growing definitely brings change, but fortunately some things will always stay as same. Here weather will stay always sunny, residents will stay always hospital.

NIGHTS OF BODRUM

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:23:00 GMT

NIGHTS OF BODRUM

Bodrum nights heralded by the sound of rushing wings as flocks of crows return to the castle for evening roost and by the chugging of daily tour boats returning to evening harbor, starts just before sunset. The traditional holiday pastime of quietly sipping cocktails while watching the sun slowly sink into the sea is unfortunately impossible in Bodrum due to its location on the southern shore of the Bodrum peninsula but those staying on the western coast, in villages such as Turgutreis can live that pleasure very much. Those residing in Bodrum are maybe more lucky. That citizens can’t live view of sunset but can see shadows slowly ascending the white houses and surrounding hillsides as the castle takes on a glowing golden hue from the rays of the sun before turning an sky blue highlighted in gold as the sun sinks and the castle lights come on.

The Marina is one of good places for watching this perfect spectacle or you can watch in one of the many bars or cafes that do line in front of harbor. Amphitheater is the best place to watch. For a well worth a visit, the amphitheater acquires a special ambiance at dusk, Bodrum, harbor, castle and the Aegean sea beyond spread out below.

Going down from the amphitheater slowly you enter to quiet area, filled with the sounds of children playing. Parents sit in open gardens or on the steps of their houses, enjoying a cup of tea, a beer or a glass of Raki after their working time. At all streets in Bodrum, visitors eventually walks to the sea, this time to the crowded harbor, to cafes, bars and restaurants.

Before dinner customers takes cocktails, local exotic drinks, wines, beers and most importantly Raki named originally Lion Milk due to its milky color when mixed with water or ice and the lion-like affect it can have. Dinners here is slow, lingering and can take so many hours. Bodrum restaurants offer everything from traditional Turkish meals to todays Western meals. Dinner usually begins with raki, followed by "meze" (Turkish starters or hors d'oeuvres) and then continues through entree, to desert or fresh fruit in the summer season. After each course, naturally punctuated by liberal doses of Raki.

After dinner Bodrum is awake until crack of dawn. Most shop and boutique are open until midnight, perhaps the best time to shop as the cool of the evening is more comfortable, a few drinks makes everything look better and local shopkeepers just might be willing to offer that special bargain for one more sale before closing.

Perhaps Bodrum has more bars than anywhere else in Turkey, suitable to all kind of tastes. Intimate seaside cafes, with magnificent views of the illuminated castle mingle with busy, energetic streetside bars featuring the latest music. There are also some clubs that offer live traditional Turkish folk music or jazz music. Good speciality of some hotels and tavernas is Turkish Night, where local musicians play the "saz", a guitarlike instrument and the "zurna" a type of flute plays to belly dancers dancing between tables.

The most popular after evening attractions is, simply to see and be seen, to people of all description. After dinner people walks on streets without ant aim, stops for a cup of thick Turkish coffee, a glass of tea or some stronger drinks.

With Bodrum’s beautiful climate, enjoying time doesn’t finish with the setting sun. Beachfront restaurants are open all evening, and boat trips and even swimming are so much enjoyable at moon light. When you go away from the lights of Bodrum, the Turkish sky takes on brilliance unseen in the industrialled west. The best place to enjoy it is from a boat anchored outside the hot springs at Karaada Island. There, with your friends, with candles you can explore the caverns, waist deep in water and live adventures.

For people still has some energy Bodrum discos and nightclubs close when the sunrises and you can dance without stop until dawn. Most of this discos are open air and on the seaside. After this energetic night in Bodrum, so many Turks feel that a cup of soup can be so good before to sleep. Traditionally soup preferred for preventing tomorrow morning's hangover but there are so many open places to eat various kinds of foods.

Around this time the muezzins climbs to minarets to begin their prayers and another day starts. A day and a night that only Bodrum can offer to us…

PAMUKKALE AND APHRODISIAS

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:20:00 GMT

APHRODISIAS AND PAMUKKALE

Aphrodisias became one of sites where careful excavation has rendered a seemingly about same impression of how the city was looking like when it was alive. This success belongs to a Turkish archaeologist Kenan Erim, who began in 1961 his careful reconstruction and still searches for to find for supporting continueing of his efforts today. His love of work seems appropriate for a city devoted to The Goddess of Love Aphrodite.

While founded pottery at around proofs that there was earlier presence of Bronze Age inhabitants, we can see that until the 6th Century BC city did not take the name of Aphrodisias. The Temple of Aphrodite became a center for come together for pilgrims to take a part in orgies dedicated to the Goddess of Love. The money they spent in Aphrodisias combined with its taxless status as a free city made this city rich until Christianity ended pagan worship. Christians changed the city's name In the 5th Century AD to Stravopolis and transformed the Temple of Aphrodite to a basilica.

Some of the temple columns have been hold up again today, however visitors have to imagine the rest of this house of love. Other parts of the city seems in better condition. For instance the 30,000-seat stadium is one of the best example left from the Graeco-Roman life. Also other things discovered are the Hammams of Hadrian, hot-atmesphered Odeon and the Bishop's palace that has perfect blue marble column.

The most popular attraction here, most probably is a magnificent white mountain carrying over hot water. Hot springs loaded with calcium after thousands of years passed over the mountain, leaved behind enough seem to make this mountain appropriate call of Turkish name of Pamukkale, or 'Cotton Castle'. Every year thousands of people comes here, sits and relaxes in these pools and temperatures of pools changesaccording to their distances to the springs.

In ancient times Pamukkale was a famous spa called Hierapolis. Springs were as famousas they are now for their reputedly health-inducing properties.

Hierapolis was a sacred city, and ancient historians, tells that an numberous temples were built here. Until the Christians moved in and erected edifices to their own God it stayed a center of pagan worship. Around of this area damaged in an earthquake in 1334 AC. Researchs that had been done until now archeologs found just Temple of Apollo.

Before to go to this area you have to go and see ruins which left from Roman Empire. Between ruins Roman baths with entansive plumb systems, partly rebuilded Temple of Apollo, water depot, huge necropol and over 1200 graves builded according to ancient era graves.

EPHESUS

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:19:00 GMT

EPHESUS

Ephesus is the most popular ancient site in southwestern Turkey, at 220 kiometers from north of Bodrum, near the village of Selçuky, and a so large area of carefully uncovered ruins, show a unique recreation of ancient splendor. In ancient times this city had as many as 250,000 inhabitants, and its ruins will bring you at least a full day to admire.

Greek people build Ephesus in the 11th Century BC. In short time, it became a big center of culture, commerce and power, in which progressive ideas were borned; cause of this some historians call it the base of Western Civilization. The center of power, in the 6th Century B.C, past to Athens, but Ephesus still prospered. Several rulers from different empires, attracted from this place, conquered the city and added to its riches, including Alexander the Great in the 4th Century BC.

Lysimachus, Alexander's successor, understand the risk of silt from the River Cayster filling up the harbor so he moved the city inland.

In the 2nd Century B.C, the roman people conquered Ephesus declaring here their Asian capital. From kingdom of Augustus (34-31B.C.), Ephesus became the preminant commercial and banking center of Western Anatolia, occuping this position for next 200 years. Roman Empire’s decline began toghether, with increaseament of silt in the harbor, and Nero and Hadrian, tried both to decrease the effect of the silt by diverting the river. But something inevitable happened, however, and actually between the sea and the old port of Ephesus, there is a distance of more than five kilometers. People moved to the town, that today we know as Selçuk, where dwellings have replaced structures of past.

Ephesus, victim of earthquakes and natural events, stayed hidden until 1863, the year that the english engineer J.T. Wood began to search the Temple of Artemis: actually one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. His search was successful and in 1895,an Austrian special team began to do excavation.

That excavation is continuing stil in our days. A guide says to visitors that if work were to continue at its present rate, it wouldn’t be enough to spend other 200 years to uncover Ephesus complitly.

Tourists that want to visit Ephesus, should before stop at the museum of Selçuk, in which there all the removable discoveries found after the Second World War (and museum in Vienna and Izmir have previous findings). Included are two statues of the multiple breasted (37, to be exact) Goddess Artemis Ephesia, and a wonderful bronze statue of Eros riding a dolphin.

In the temple of Artemis, nothing found as a ruin other than a single column and foundation. By the way, until now nobody touch the city of Ephesus.

Here it’s so great, that visitors often have trouble to say from which feature they’ve been impressed the most. Was it the the elaborate façade of the Colsus Library, the graceful reconstruction of the Temple of Hadrian or the 25,000 seat theatre? Many tourists are impressed from the marble streets, with chariot grooves.

More then told above, in South of Ephesus there is the House of the Virgin Mary,that is another famous attraction. According to legend Jesus Christ brang His mother to the disciple John, for protect her and in 37 AD, he brang her to Ephesus. Anybody was knowing where this house was located, until 1891,when Catherine Emmerich described an her visions about the Vergin Mary. It sayed that this german woman, also if she has been never in Turkey before, she described the exactly site of the Mary’s house, telling that it was on a hillside near Ephesus. Cause of this reason, a search team went in that area, and as she told, they found ruins of a house there, which was the mirror of her description, an done year later, in 1892 the State of Vatican transformed this place in an official site of pilgrimage. After that day, so many religious people and tourists, have been visiting this church built, in 1951 on place of this house.

IASSUS

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:18:00 GMT

IASSUS

Iassus may be reached by driving through the village of Karakuyu, off the main road to Izmir. An alternative is to start off with a fresh fish lunch in the quiet port of Gulluk, where you can then hire an inexpensive boat for a half hour ride to the ruins of Iassus across the scenic Gulf of Gulluk.

Historians credit Peloponnesians from Argos with founding Iassus in the 9th Century BC. It was latter inhabited by Ionians, then became a member of the Delian Confederacy. The Spartans sacked Iassus and turned it over to the Persians. King Mausolus controlled the city during his reign, and it prospered from its salted fish industry.

We don't know just how large Iassus was, especially since the village of Kiyikislacik now sits atop part of it. But tax records indicate that for several centuries it had a good deal of wealth and importance. For unknown reasons it declined, and by the time of the Roman Empire it was a mere customs station.

Italian teams have excavated extensively at Iassus exposing much of its history. The most striking feature of this pleasantly wooded site is the thick, two km long wall around part of it, attributed to King Mausolus. A well-preserved mausoleum has been reconstructed to over thirty feet high and now houses findings from the site. Also uncovered: a theatre, a Byzantine castle and a Roman villa with mosaic floors and wall paintings. The ruined hilltop castle is attributed to the Knights of Rhodes.

After a tour of this interesting site the quite and quaint village of Kiyikislacik is the perfect setting for an afternoon's swim or secluded sunbathing, perhaps followed by dinner at one of the seafront restaurants.

HERACLEIA

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:18:00 GMT

HERACLEIA

Take the main road from Soke to Milas until you reach Lake Bafa. Turn left and continue for a few kilometers until you come to a modern village where you will see the remains of Heracleia. Potsherds have been found which indicate that this site has been inhabited since the 6th century BC.

Originally called simply Latmus, the city was conquered by Mausolus, King of Caria, in the 4th century BC. He built the massive city walks, up to 3 meters thick and incorporating many defense towers, which stretch from the shores of the lake to high on the slopes of Mount Latmus. At the same time he changed its name to the Greek-style Heracleia, and began to develop its importance as a center for agriculture and seabased trade as well as a fortress town defending the northern boundaries of his empire. Later, under Alexander's rule, the city's importance began to decrease until, with the silting up of the Gulf of Latmus, which effectively created the landlocked lake Bafa, Heracleia's heyday was over.

Greek mythology names Heracleia as the home of the handsome shepherd Endymion, on whom Zeus bestowed the gift of eternal sleep and youth. The moon goddess, Selena fell in love with him as he slept and is said to have borne his fifty daughters. It is still possible to see the Sanctuary of Endymion on the southern side of the city a horseshoe shaped chamber with an entrance hall and pillared forecourt.

Mausolus developed the city in the grid pattern so beloved by the Greeks, on whom he modeled his kingdom. Many of the narrow streets and stone stairs of the old city still remain, as well as evidence of terrace walls, houses and tombs carved from living rock. Many of these are now under water, owing to the raised level of the lake.

In the market place, which was originally surrounded by colonnades, can be seen the rows of shops, their doors and windows still clearly defined. On a towering outcrop of rock high above the market place is the temple of Athena, built at the end of the 3rd century BC, much of which is still standing to full height. Also to be seen are the Amphitheater and Nymphaeum, the roman Baths and the nearby Gymnasium.

Mount Latmus retained its reputation as a holly mountain at least until the Middle Ages. The remains of the simple dwellings used by monks and hermits can still be seen on the remote hillsides among the rocks, while a Byzantine castle dominates one end of the city wall on the site of Heracleia's lake fortress.

KAUNOS

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:17:00 GMT

KAUNOS

The ancient Carian City is located east of Bodrum near the fishing village of Dalyan. From here boats carry visitors through the intricate passages and giant reeds of the Dalyan River, a marshy channel that empties into the sea at a large sandy beach. Near Dalyan a series of elaborate rock tombs can be seen cut into the faces of distant cliffs. One of these is unfinished, revealing which parts of the tomb faces were carved first. Shards inside date these tombs to the 4th Century BC and some were reused by the Romans.

The ancient citizens of Caunus were known for their sickness and poor health. A harp player named Stratonicus, known for his sharp tongue, commented after a visit with the green-skinned residents that he now understood Homer's words that 'humans pass on like leaves'. When the Caunians demanded an apology Stratonicus replied, 'What! How could I dare to call a city unhealthy where even dead men walk the streets?'

Doctors at the time attributed the sickness to excessive fruit consumption, as the ancient medical community considered fresh fruit unhealthy. They had yet to comprehend the potential danger of mosquito bites, and it is now assumed that malaria caused the city's health problems.

Despite its unhealthy reputation, Caunus went through a long series of different cultures. The extensive ruins include a huge Roman Bath, Persian City walks, a Carian fortress, a Greek theatre and a Byzantine basilica. As a member of the Delian confederacy it paid a tax of ten talents, higher than that of Ephesus. The probable reason for Caunus' wealth was its highly profitable fishing industry. When fish swam up the channel to breed in fresh water they were easily trapped on their way back. The wooden structures stretching across the river today are used for the same purpose.

Also worth a visit are the hot sulfur springs, which boats often shop at on the way back from the ruins.

EUROMOS

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:17:00 GMT

EUROMOS

Standing majestically beside the main road between Milas and Lake Bafa is one of the best-preserved temples in Asia Minor. This is the Temple of Euromos.

The temple was built in the 2nd century AD, and sixteen of its original seventeen columns are still standing, complete with their architraves. It is believed that the temple was never completed, as evidenced by three columns on the south and southwest sides which have no fluting, but an archaeological survey in 1969 found an inscription from Hellenistic times which proved that the present temple was built on the site of an even earlier one. The city of Euromos stood a short walk from the temple, to the north. There you will find the remains of a round tower, dating from 300 BC, which was once part of the city wall and from which it is possible to trace the wall which it is possible to trace the wall which once enclosed a very large area. On the hillside above the plain are the remains of a badly deteriorated west-facing theatre, best preserved in its northern corner.

From the extent of the ruins it appears that Euromos was a city of considerable wealth. Contemporary writings show that the citizens lived in some disharmony, although in apparent union with their more powerful neighbors at Mylasa. This union did not last, for when Mylasa demanded recompense for some infringement by Euromos, the citizens turned to the Rhodian and Romans for atonement and hence regained their independence.

On the way back from the city walls, past the temple, are several underground tomb chambers, roofed with huge slabs of stone, and closer to the road is a large shapeless building which was probably the baths.

It is an area rich in archaeological remains, but the most magnificent and dominant of all is the towering Temple of Euromos.

PRIENE MILETUS and DIDYMA

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:16:00 GMT

PRIENE,MILETUS and DIDYMA

Less than a two-hour drive north of Bodrum, these three Ionian cities are close enough together to visit all in one day. Priene lies in a spectacular setting, perched on a cliff above the Meander River. Miletus still has an impressive theatre, and Didyma's Temple of Apollo still inspires awe.

Priene, although estimated to have had no more than 3,000 residents around 300 BC was nevertheless important as a site for Ionian congresses and festivals. The Meander River wound through the plain below, eventually depositing enough silt to close up the harbor. Because of this the Romans refrained from building here when they conquered the area, so what remains are unusually Hellenistic (Greek) ruins.

The streets of Priene were laid out in a deliberate grid, a precursor to modern city design. Priene's ruins are among the most attractive on Turkey's west coast. Conspicuous by their absence is the immense Roman structures so familiar at other sites. Priene's buildings are small and intimate, a feeling, which pervades the entire setting.

The ruins include the once exquisite Temple of Athena, destroyed by an earthquake in the middle ages. Only the foundation and five reconstructed columns remain of these textbook example of temple design. The Temple was in fact the model for a book on design by its architect Pytheos. His book was still a classic in Roman times. Attractive smaller buildings at the site include the council house, complete with altar used for sacrifices before each city council meeting, and the Sanctuary of Demeter, the Earth Mother, and her daughter, Core, where sacrifices were made to the gods of the underworld.

Once the greatest of the Ionian cities, Miletus also lost its harbor to silt. The site is now nearly eight kilometers from the sea, which still retreats at the rate of six meters a year. Its large harbor was a great commerce center of the Greek Empire, figuring predominantly in Roman times as well. Famous sons of Miletus include the sage Thales, whose dictum 'Know thyself was inscribed on the Temple at Delphi, Anaximenes, who discovered in air, ether, the supposed substance of the universe and Anaximander, who produced the first map of the world.

Today Miletus' most notable feature is its Graeco-Roman theatre. Originally built by Greeks to seat 5,300, its capacity was nearly tripled by the Romans. The fortification has enabled the theatre to remain nearly intact.

While most visitors see only the theatre before moving on, the rest of Miletus is well worth investigating. A climb up the hillside above the theatre provides a spectacular view of the fertile plain which once was sea. Visible from here are two pieces of white rock about 1150 meters apart. These were once marble lions guarding the entrance to the harbor.

The city's ruins include a harbor monument adorned with carvings of marine life on one side and a half-man, half-fish triton on the other. Also uncovered are the remarkably well-preserved Baths of Faustina, erected by the wife of Marcus Aurelius, which include a headless but otherwise exquisite reclining statue.

Ancient Didyma was not a city, but rather the home of the God Apollo. Only priests were allowed entry here to consult the oracle in the great Temple of Apollo. The site served as a divine sanctuary at least as early as the 10th Century B.C Priestesses of Delphic origin fasted here for three days, then inhaled sulfur fumes until they entered a supposed state of divine inspiration. Their ramblings were then translated by priests into prophecies.

The site continued to issue predictions via pries throughout several centuries. In 300 B.C construction began on the Temple of Apollo and continued for the next 500 years. Of the temple's original 120 columns 103 have been set up again. Some remain unadorned, evidence that the temple was never completed. Didyma and other oracles eventually fell victim to Christianity's scorn for pagan prophecies. The final assault at Didyma was the erection of a Christian chapel in the holiest part of the Temple of Apollo.

This temple impresses visitors today with its size and the painstaking reconstruction by French and German teams. A sacred road, used for religious processions, leading to the temple was once lined with statues, but Sir Charles Newton sent these to the British Museum in 1858. The temple has an elaborate bust of Medusa. The nearby remains of Greek and Roman houses and a stadium have also been uncovered.

BODRUM CASTLE

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:15:00 GMT

BODRUM CASTLE OF ST. PETER

The Castle of St. Peter is the most prominent feature of Bodrum.This is one of the best preserved monuments of the world, from medieval times, and it’s like a testament to the Bodrum area. Entering the town, by land or sea, you can see soon the Castle's sturdy presence.

To know Castle's origins, we have to go back to the Knights of St. John, a group of expatriates who drew their ranks from Europe. The "Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem" was borned in the Eleventh Century, when it was built just a hospital and a church set up for pilgrims in Jerusalem. The hospital was operating under the strict code that care be denied to no one, although those who didn’t belong to the Catholic faith were moved to a separate place.

At first the order began to operate with religious powers and functions, but the Crusades and other political events transformed it into military pursuits. The Christians beliefs of the order took on a fanatical nature, and the Knights felt themselves like soldiers of Christ and defenders of the Holy Places of Jerusalem. The Group enjoyed several battle successes during the Crusades, obtening many rich donations and Papal favors in the process.

The Knights were composed of seven different Languages or Tongues, called in this way, because of language differences. They were original from France, Italy, Spain, England, Germany and Provence and Auvergne (actually both regions of France). Every of these numerous Catholic groups operated under the command of a local knight in their own country.

The Order classified its members with different names as either Knights, Serving Brothers or Chaplains, but all under the leadership of the Grand Master (who was elected for life). The Knights were all from noble family and they entered in the Order without pay. At their deaths generally they left all their properties and possessions to the Order.

On the island of Rhodes, in 1309, the order of Knights formed their own community and government headquarters. This was a perfect base for operations because of its strategic position between the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.

The Order didn’t require the presence of every knight every time, and some spent their time in Europe along the pilgrim routes, at their estates (many of them were wealthy) or on duty at various hospitals. However, they were required to return as soon as possible, if there was neededthey to defend the island headquarters.

After building a castle on the island of Cos, the Knights needed a strong hold on the mainland of Asia Minor. So they acquired Symrna (where the city of Izmir now stands), in 1374, which a group of Christian powers had conquered before from the Seljuks and built a castle there. Tamerlane, the Mongol leader in 1402, gave order to destroy this edifice, and from that moment started a century long struggle between the Knights and the Ottoman Turks.

The Knights were searching for a new site, and they found to a small island set between two sheltered bays, (water once completely surrounded the Castle). Now known to have been erected during Doric Times (1110 BC), ruins showed evidence of an ancient castle as well as a small Turkish castle from the 11th CAD. Stood one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, just one kilometer on North, ruins showed evidence of an ancient castle the Tomb of King Mausolus (actually known as The Mausoleum) reduced to ruins by an earthquake.

Every new group use building materials left behind by previous people lived before of them, living in an area where successive groups of people have lived for thousands of years. Walking through the backstreets of Bodrum, who observes carefully, will see many old houses built with ancient blocks and column pieces embedded in their walls.

Big part of the Mausoleum was built with a green colored rock, and actually pieces of that adorn the Castle walls. Tourists can also see column bases in the sides of several towers. Sir Stratford Canning, British Ambassador to Istanbul, in 1846, took from the Castle 12 marble reliefs depicting the battle between the Greek and the Amazons (which the Knights took from the Mausoleum) and sent them to London.

The State of Vatican, gave special importance to the building of the Castle and send to work there Christians. The Papal Office, in 1409, issued a decree that decleared that all people who helped and partecipated in the construction would receive a guaranteed reservation in Heaven.

German Architect Heinrich Schlegelholt controled construction of the Castle, and he supplied that castle design was like last castels built in soon past. By this time, French had developed the art of cannon foundry, so gun embrasures were built along the top of the Castle's walls, especially those facing landward. The Crusaders had little fear of attack from the sea (the walls facing the mainland were also built much thicker than those facing the sea), ‘cause they had a powerful fleet of warships. Of the same advise were the Knights, and they decided a second and third line of defense were necessary, resulting in a more complicated moat system than that of most castles.

Castle construction continued throughout the 15th Century, with the first walls completed by 1437. One of the first completed structures was the Chapel, (which still stands in its original place inside the Castle). The Knights also built a watchtower overlooking the bay from a hill opposite the Castle side, the ruins of which stand, sporting a Turkish flag, above the present-day Turkish military resort.

Wide areas were excavated in the natural rock, in the inner Castle, to form cisterns for collecting rainwater (there are 14 in all, including the one under the chapel). When the Castle was under siege these cisterns, some of which are still in use, supplied the Knights with water.

The new Castle of St. Peter soon became the Knights' most important position outside Rhodes, and the Knights began referring to the town as Mesy, unaware of its ancient name. Toghether with the castle of Antimahia on the island of Cos, it oversaw the most heavily used shipping route of the day.

The fortress became known as the Castle of St. Peter The Liberator because, in dangerous time, it served as refuge for all Christians on the west coast of Asia Minor. The Knights kept a special breed of dog in the Castle, who were helping them to bring refugees to safety, much like the famous St. Bernard.

Life in the Castle was generally slow in between battles, so the Knights were passing their time, to adorn the walls with hundreds of coats of arms and carved reliefs. Coats of arms were first used by the Crusaders during their conquest of Jerusalem, and the heat of the Middle East made it impossible to fight with their normal heavy armor, so the Knights, like their Muslim Foes, emblazoned their surcoats and shields with various and colorful symbols.

The arms in general show lions, dragons, crosses and horizontal and vertical bands. Each knight had his own design, and others signified certain countries, religious figures, Castle commandants and grand masters of the Order. A total of 249 separate designs remain. But the various coats of arms spread throughout the Castle have lost the brilliant colors they once wore, making it more difficult to identify who or what they once stood for.

Most of these symbols have been identified thank to the help of other historical records. For example, religious motifs were also included, such as one on a high western wall depicting the Virgin Mary and the Apostle Peter holding the keys of Heaven to his ***. And above each of the seven gates in the Castle lie the arms of several known knights and grand masters, while the Royal Arms of France adorn the north wall of the inner moat.

The Ottoman Empire continued to grow, however, and in 1453 Mehmet II, Sultan of Turkey, conquered Constantinople and announced his aggressive intentions towards the Knights' holdings. The Knights resisted his attack, however, as well as another later,in 1480. So for over a century the Castle of St. Peter served as an integral stronghold in the Knights' community.

From 1521, Turkish leader Süleyman the Magnificent was ready to challenge the Order's headquarters in Rhodes. After an exchange of letters with Grand Master Fabrico del Carretto war was declared. In June 1522, 200.000 Turkish soldiers gathered in the Bay of Marmaris. The Knights withstood the siege for six months, but were forced to surrender in January 1523. The Castle of St. Peter soon followed.

Sultan Süleyman spared the Knights' lives and they sailed to the island of Crete. Charles V, Emperor of Austria, Spain and Sicily, in 1530, gave the Mediterranean island of Malta to the Knights. But Napoleon Bonaparte chased them away in 1798, and the order then dissolved. In 1831 it was revived in England, however, and actually still carries out its mission as a first aid organization, independent from any government, in more than 30 countries. In 1961The Pope approved new legislation for the order.

The Castle underwent many different uses under Turkish care. In the 17th Century local people erected numerous houses within the Castle. In 1824, in the Greek revolt, the turkish soldiers used it and the town developped around, like a military base. Two century later, in the 19th Century Turkish builders installed a public bath and converted the chapel to a mosque by adding a minaret, and in 1895, they fortified the Castle and it became a prison.

During First World War a French warship fired on the Castle, destroying many towers and toppling the minaret. After the war the italian soldiers, who occupied the Anatolian shore from Kusadasi to Antalya, put a garrison in the Castle. But they also repaired the Italian and French towers and tried to establish good relations with Turkey. And the Italians withdrew in 1921, when it became obvious that the war of independence led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk would be won by the Turks.

Until the Turkish government decided to use it as a storeroom for underwater findings from numerous recent shipwreck excavations, the Castle stood empty (for almost 40 years). The government soon decided these findings were worthy of a separate museum, and what better place for it than the Castle itself?

Oguz Alpözen first came to the museum in 1962 as an archaeology student, and in 1968 he became its first official staff underwater archaeologist. Since ten years later, 1978, he has served as Director of the castle and in an interview he explained that the Castle museum holds a lot more of interests than in apperance.

"We have many, many things to see here," Alpözen declared. "I think the first-time visitor tends to over look a lot of it."

In the inner garden, it’s visible one feature often overlooked is the careful selection of plant life flourishing. The collection represents nearly every tree and plant of the Mediterranean region, including many with mythological mining. For example, the Myrtle, was the holy tree of the Goddess Aphrodite, while the Plane tree's shadow was considered healthinducing by kings and nobility. Plant enthusiasts might also recognize the rare Mandrake, once used for its anaesthetic properties. A wide variety of flowers, cacti and other trees round out the living display.

"We also have many doves, the bird dedicated to Aphrodite, as well as fourth generation peacocks" Alpözen explained. He said that often people of ancient times were quite fond of peacocks, using them as personal symbols. But the main purpose of the museum is to show a wide range of fantastic underwater findings; many brought to modern day viewers from thousands of years ago. Major part of the museum's holdings come from the sea (the rest are land findings from the Bodrum area), and they are spread throughout the Castle in a tousend of atmospheric halls and galleries. For instance, the Chapel, actually houses the Bronze Age Hall, full of findings from around 2500 BC. The first floor of the Italian Tower houses the Coin and Jewelry Hall, a wide collection spanning many centuries. (Also, two art galleries display the works of modern Turkish artists, and the northern moat is used as a theatre during the Bodrum festival.). "Bodrum, Ancient Halicarnassus", is the title of the book in english (separate form a Turkish edition), published by Alpözen; it gives a complete description of the Castle's contents. You can find it in the bookstore under the main mosque in town.

One of the most recent openings in the Castle demonstrates how ancient history is a part of daily life in Bodrum.A tomb was discovered containing the remains of a Carian princess dating from between 360 and 325 BC. In digging foundations for a new house up by the main highway. Another spectacular find of straordinary importance, the skeletal remains were found draped in fold appliqued clothing and adorned in gold jewelry including crown, bracelets, rings and necklace. The good conditions of the remains has allowed a British team of specialists to reconstruct the skull and facial features of this ancient noblewoman. In honor of this important find the Bodrum Castle opened a private hall exclusively dedicated to the Carian princess and her artifacts.

Funded and operated by an American-based archaeological group underwater excavations are continuing in the Bodrum area. From every part of the world, Students also come to assist and learn the intricacies of underwater excavation and preservation.

Actually, the group is at work on several projects including restoration of an 11th Century shipwreck and another from the Ottoman Empire. Both of these will be on display two or three years later Alpözen said.

He declared that between months of May and October, the museum receives about 1,000 visitors for a day. This number should increase in response to other new attractions coming to the Castle, such as the opening of a dungeon used by the Knights, as well as a fully functional Turkish bath.

MYLASA AND LABRANDA

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:15:00 GMT

MYLASA AND LABRANDA

Actually Milas stands on the site of Mylasa. Most of the ancient city has been built over, but some rests are well visible still.

Mausolus was born here and made it his capital when he became King. Mylasa was a Carian city joined with the neighboring religious center, Labranda. Later he moved his capital to the site of his wondrous Mausoleum, Halicarnassus . In the 1st Century AD, the Romans built a copy of the Mausoleum at Mylasa. At present we have a clearer idea of what the original Mausoleum must have looked like, thank to this 'Roman Tomb', located on the western edge of town and in an excellent state of preservation. The Temple of Zeus with a wall of fine ashlar masonry and one single, elegant column, and the Roman gateway, the only remaining part of once-extensive city walls, is another notable in the 1st Century AD remnants from antiquity.

Two kilometers from south of Milas, lie relics from the Mentese Turks, a nomadic clan that ruled southwestern Anatolia before the Ottomans. Their stronghold here was the castle of Peçin Kale.Actually, not much of this fortress has survived but the area contains ruins of the residences of Turkish governors of old Milas and a small Koran school, about 1375. Back in Milas are three 14th Century mosques: the simple Orhan Bey Camii (1330) and the Ulu Camii (1378), and the interesting Firuz Bey Camii, built 1394, just after the Ottoman conquest. This mosque is a particular example of Ottoman architecture and has an elaborate pinkish marble facade.

Originally, twelwe kilometers of sacred road used for religious processions, was connecting Mylasa to Labranda. This place used as Mylasa's religious center, with Zeus the chosen deity of worship. In Labranda also there was a sacred pool of fish adorned with earrings and necklaces. People was thinking that these fish were capable of making yes or no prophecies by refusing or accepting food gave to them after question.

Labranda, as at present, leaving today's ruins, always has an intimate atmosphere, and never grew any larger than a village. Set high on a hill in a grove of pine trees above Milas, Labranda is well worth the bumpy ride required to get there.

The sturdy foundation of a large part of Temple of Zeus has been cleared, and the same has been did with a marble building, which may have harbored the sacred fish. Between these, there are also the big andron, or men's club, with galls almost two meters thick, and a fantastic monumental tomb, with three sarcophagi inside, on the hillside above the temple site. So numerous teams have undertaken the excavation of Labranda, uncovering much of interest.

History Of Bodrum

Bodrum — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:10:00 GMT

History Of Bodrum

Bodrum is a place where people have lived for thousands of years, has an unbelievably rich past. Halicarnassus (Bodrum's ancient name) an important site for historians for it’s position in or around so many of the big civilizations and events of ancient history. It’s close to impossible to find from one source of complete historical information on Bodrum, because of this reason following information is combined from several sources. The first settlement in this area was on the rocky small island where the Castle of St. Peter stands now (the castle was completely surrounded by water in that times) which left structural evidence behind. When the Knights of St. John came to build their own castle, they found the ruins of an older castle that now known as have been built by the Dorians at about 1100 BC.

Herodotus, who is known as the "Father of History", lived in the Fifth Century BC and was born in Halicarnassus, wrote that the Dorians came from Troezen on the east coast of the Peloponnese. They gave name to their new island Zephyria and the settlement Zephyrium.

Historians have so little knowlage about the foundation of mainland Halicarnassus. The first known information about it comes form the Seventh Century BC. Halicarnassus was one of six members of the Hexapolis-Dorian Confederation. City of Cnidos, the island of Cos, and three cities on Rhodes was also members of this Confederation.

For Dorians it wasn’t so easy to establish these cities. They waren’t the first people of this area. They had to defend themself from continuous attacks of natives of this place known as Carians. Homer mentioned the Carians in his Iliad as calling them "barbarous of speech," (near by this linguists says that the dialect of the region Bodrum is now one of most rude dialect in the West of Turkey). Early historians wrote that Carians teached to Greeks the use of crests on helmets and handles on shields, which were previously slung over the shoulder.

The Dorians and the Carians came about to manage this area when a Greek person opened a khan around the spring at Salmacis (submerged in the western end of Bodrum harbor now, in present day Bardakci). Both Dorians and Carians became patrons, and the Carians adopted to regular life more more than colonists. Trade relations builded, and two races started to live in peace.

It said that waters of the Salmacis fountain have relaxing properties. Another said about this excellent to drink water, had the effect of making men soft and effeminate, sometimes even impotent. After fhese claims it resulted the legend of Hermaphrodite.

For a story, teenaged son of the Goddess of Beauty Aphrodite, a day swimmed in a lake built by the fountain. Salmacis, the nymph of the lake, felt in love with him and begged to gods to allow them to live together in a single body. Gods accepted her wish, created half-man half-woman figure of Hermaphrodite.

Herodotus wrote that Ionians, a group of inland inhabitants are getting crowded in Halicarnassus. Other members of Hexapolis didnt’t like this situation and it prepared basement of for Halicarnassus taking off from coalition. Annually all six cities was competing in games for celebrate honor of Apollo at Tropium. One year A. Halicarnassian named Agasides won a bronze madal in games and didn’t follow the custom of dedicating it on the spot to Apollo. He instead hung it on the wall of his house. It was enough reason for the other Dorian cities that was waiting for a reason to give them an excuse to cut off releations with Halicarnassus.

By the Fifth Century BC Halicarnassus was appearing totally in a seem of an Ionian city. Both Herodotus and his uncle Panyasis, wrote in Ionian language, and from this period no document show any sign of the Doric language.

In 546 BC the Persians captured the Greek cities of the coast, and Halicarnassus felt like other cities. So many Persian family managed here, and the most famous of all, that of Artemisia I, began in 480 BC.

Herodotus gave a lot of space to this remarkable woman in his writings. Of her unnecessarily collecting in the fighting ranks of Xerxes navy when he was capturing Greece, he wrote, "..... her manly behaviours sent her to the war .....(her) notwithstanding that she was a woman, participation in the attack upon Greece, effected me indeed." Xerxes was said "My men have shown themselves women and my women, men." for her for her commanderation a battleship perfectly. Artemisia's son Psyndalis directed and managed Halicarnassus succesfully (as well as Cos and several other cities). Historians hadn’t done so much comment about term of Psyndalis, however they wrote about his son, Lydamis II, as a cruel and oppressive ruler. For cruels of Lydamis II, Herodotus left his homeland and went island of Samos, unable to tolerate the whims of this tyrant. In 1856 the archaeologist Sir Charles Newton found an inscription of a law written by Lydamis II that shows his total intolerance of opposing political views.

Nobody knows who erased Lydamis II or why the tyrant fell, but great changes are known to have occurred by the Fourth Century BC. A few time after harness of Persian control was thrown off, the "King's Peace" between Athens and Persia again put the cities of Asia under Persian control. Persia divided the region into little 'satrapes' and by 377 BC King Mausolus ruled as Governor of Caria and Halicarnassus.

Until Mausolus' rule Halicarnassus was a small city but Mausolus had grate projects for this area and he known natural advantages for fortification and commerce of this area. He carried his capital from Mylasa (site of present-day Milas) and built long lines of big walls around Halicarnassus. Parts of that walls are still in Bodrum. To incrase population he carried here residents of six other cities. Mausolus taxed his citizens heavily to pay for his projects. Even to take tax from who has hair longer than shoulder length. One of projects of Mosulus is the Antique Theater stands as the only surviving structure from Classical Age Bodrum. This theater is one of the oldest theaters in Anatolia, located on the southern slope of Goktepe Mountain at the middle of Bodrum. In the 1960's a Turkish team restored it and today the theater still using for festivals.

Visitors that comes to see the theatre can’t understand how times passes while watching boats leave and enter the harbor. Interesting features of the theater include a stone was using before plays for sacrificy to Dionyus, and some holes between some of the seats, probably used for sun shading. The theater that had 40 cm of space between seats, could seat 13.000 person. You can see several rock-cut tombs after a short climb to Goktepe Mountain. These tombs, dating from the Roman and Hellenistic period, are carrying several sarcophagi and death sybbols of that term (some which are on display in the Castle Museum).

One type of symbols finding in several graves are small 'tearcups'. That thimble-sized cups were using for collect tears from mourners, then left in the tomb with burial. More popular person had more cups. Mausolus died in 353 BC, succeeded by his wife-sister, Artemisia II.

She ruled country for just three years, but she managed to do two important work. The first was to continue construction of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Tomb of King Mausolus (from which we derived word 'mausoleum'). The second was a brilliant battle success rivaling with intelligence of Artemisia I.

Pliny and other ancient history writers agreed that the mausoleum was a real wonder to behold. When you look from long distance at sea, it was seeming as high as a 20-floor building. Today visitors that come to mausoleum can just imagine to recreate its splendor. Although it stood alive for at least 1500 years, finally an earthquake made it as a ruin. Then Knights of St. John arrived and used the remains to construct some parts of their castle.

And shape generally agreed upon appearance of the mausoleum has it as oblong shaped and comprised of four parts; first, a solid base, then above this a colonnade of 36 columns, then a pyramid with 24 steps on top of which builded an immense chariot occupied by statues of Mausolus and Artemisia and drawn by four horses. All four sides of walls were full of sculptured friezes by the best artists of that times and it was mostly the abundance and magnificence of these works which made the mausoleum such a spectacular sight. Some fragments of them were shipped to the British Museum in the Castle's Museum, however some little blocks and column bases stil remains (many of which can seen in the Castle's walls).

Artemisia’s second grate feat, was the conqueration of Rhodes. Rhodes’ people considered dealing with a woman Carian ruler an indignity (at the same time, an opportunity), so they sent a fleet out to send her away. Artemisia heard about this plan from before and she hid her own forces in a secret harbor nearby the main harbor. Artemisia sent her own men with Rhodian ships back to hodes when the Rhodians landed and went to seashore. While the Carians sailed with their ships to Rhodes, the Rhodian soldiers were surrounded and cut heads in the bazaarplace of city. The Rhodians, welcomed the Carian soldiers, thinking their men were returning victorious and soon their city fell into Carian hands. Successors of Artemisia followed her by a series of less than noteworthy works.

Alexander the Great began to plunder Anatolia so fastly and some time later he reached Halicarnassus in 334 BC. The Queen Orontabatis, Satrap of Caria, was ready for him. For the Persians this city was the last chance to make a stand against Alexander in the Aegean area, because of this Orontabatis prepared with a big Persian army, bolstered by Greek mercenaries. Historians Diodius and Arrian noted that both sides fought with all their effort and did what they can. By the way the Halicarnassians was putting up an obstinate defence resented by Alexander. His army finally destroyed the city's walls and he ordered it sacked and burned (but he did’nt touch to inhabitants) as punishment for such bothersome defence.

From one hand imported citizens of the six cities were sent back to their original homes, on other hand Orontabatis and her Persian partner, Memnon, kept in castles at Salmacis and Zephysia on the east and west ends of the main harbor. Other part of their navy was occupying Cos. Alexander restored power to this island princedom, when they fell.

Halicarnassus never regained its power after Alexander's conquest. For a while history of this city became less detailed, but as we know that it came under control of Ptolemy II of Egypt, who had warships built there in the third Century BC. Halicarnassus became a free city when Rome conquered it in 190 BC. This independence lasted at 129 BC when Rome added Caria in its reorganization of Asia.

By 400 AD, with the fall of Rome and the rise of Christianity, Halicarnassus had became into a Diocese connected to the Archbishopric of Aphrodisias. At that time the Byzantine Empire became with its capital, Constantinople, located where Istanbul now stands. This huge empire without passing so much time included in its lands North Africa, Italy and Spain. However at that times the days of importance were finished for the Bodrum. So there are so few things that Historians make little note of it again until the Turks took the region at 11th Century. The Byzantines captured it during the first Crusade in 1096, however Turks took this area back three years later.

The region known as Caria became the Province of Menteshe Towards the end of the 13th Century and was added to the Ottoman Empire by Sultan Beyazit in 1392. About that time Knights of St. John had their castle at Symira (todays Izmir). The Mongol leader Tamerlane destroyed this castle in 1402 and they demanded land from Turkish Sultan Mehmet Celebi as compensation. Halicarnassus was given to them and they built a new castle there, and controlled the town (which they called Mesy) for more than one Century.

In 1523 the 'greatest of all the Sultans', Suleyman the Magnificent, expelled the Knights from this land. The Ottoman Empire flourished during Suleyman's 40 year term nevertheless a long period of internal crisis and declines followed.

In 1770 Bodrum itself suffered a shelling by the Russian Navy and during the Greek revolt of 1824 it was used as a Turkish Naval Base. During the First World War the French battleship "Duplex" fired on Bodrum and tried to make a landing, but the inhabitants prevented this situation and didn’t let them to land. The Bodrum area lost to Italy from Ottoman Empire and in 1919 Italian forces occupied this town. By 1922 Italians drown out with imminent success of the Turkish war of independence and finally Bodrum became because of its beautiful surroundings seem, a place to relax and enjoy.

Yalikavak

Bodrum — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 13:04:00 GMT

YALIKAVAK

The overland journey from Bodrum to Yalikavak provides the visitor with some of the most spectacular view on the peninsula. Slowly climbing through fertile and spectacular valleys, the road then tops at the mountain range running down the peninsula center, at this point providing unbroken vistas of the north and south coasts before descending to the seaside village of Yalikavak.

For many years Yalikavak has been one of the most important fishing centers on the Turkish Aegean, home to fleets of fishermen and sponge divers. Today, the majority of the local men still work on the sea. Yalikavak remains the same combining the ambiance of a hard working fishing town and the recent influence of tourism, creating a mixture composed of tradition and modernity: so you can see here cafes, restaurant and bars; the harbor in Yalikavak, with its fishing wooden boats of local fishermen and the presence of yachts bringing passengers, has a unique atmosphere, industrious and relaxed, foreign and friendly.

Turkbuku

Bodrum — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 13:03:00 GMT

TÜRKBÜKÜ

On the way along the peninsula's north shore, located in a nice bay are the two quaint villages of Turkbuku and Golkoy.

Turbuku sheltered by two islands, is on the west side of the bay. This village is a natural haven foe fishermen, and you can see them still operating with their wooden boats, that they let on beachfront. Just outside the bay are popular places where you can find fresh fish.

At the bottom of the bay, the village of Golkoy occupies a nice green valley, and in front there is a wonderfull long sandy beach with small pensions and restaurants. Golkoy has many speciality, but perhaps most particular is the ability of people to be frendly, to enjoy and the quiet atmosphere that fishermen, farmers and tradesmen create, showing directly the difference with dayly modern life.