Holidays in Bodrum

Bodrum - Overview

Bodrum was once Turkey's San Francisco, if the Grateful Dead were Turkish they would have met each other in a bar in Bodrum. Things have changed a little since the 'beatnik' days and now you'll find a slick machine, dedicated to the extraction of the tourist dollar. This doesn't mean you won't have a good time but you can expect to pay for the level of sophistication that the night life here offers. Throughout the season the pedestrian streets of the bazaar area throng with tourists and it can all be a little too much if you're after a little peace and quiet. The ancient name of the town, Halicarnassus, is the same as that of 'Europe's largest disco' which sums up what's going on here quite well.

Probably the prettiest resort in the southern Aegean, you'll find Bodrum nestling amongst pine clad hills dominated by the massive crusader castle of St. Peter built by the rather shady Knights Hospitalier who lost it soon afterwards to the all conquering Suleyman. Some nasty things went on in the dungeons (Bodrum in Turkish) and there you go.
The usual boat trips to secluded beaches and villages are available as are scuba, snorkeling, yachting, and boating, there's even the possibility of a trip to the Greek island of Kos, but the heart and soul of the place now revolves around the bars and clubs for which it is famous throughout Turkey.

Funnily enough, the visual aspect of Bodrum which most people, including Turks, find so appealing is, basically, it's similarity to postcard perfect Greek fishing villages. The white washed walls and Bougainvillea, the painted wooden windows and doors, you get the picture.

In the final analysis, the town itself is rapidly losing it's soul as a direct result of the attempt to Ibiza it up. It's a good place to have a good time if you're after bars and clubs. On the plus side it can be a good base to explore the peninsula, which has some nice beaches, and it's an excellent place from which to embark on a blue boat voyage

History

This is a place that has been knocked about a bit. Halicarnassus was founded by the Dorians early in the first millenium BC. The Hexapolis, a league of six cities, originally included Halicarnassus but it was expelled for general uncoolness or something similar. The Persians managed the place with the help of native Carian dynasts including the the formidable Artemisia the elder who, while commanding a ship at the battle of Salamis in 480 BC, impressed Xerxes with her naval prowess.
The Persians dropped out of the picture for a while after their defeat but in 386 BC they were back. Their second satrap in Halicarnassus, Hecatomnus, founded a dynasty that held the reins for 50 years and imported Greek craftsmen and thinkers. The Hecatomids included in their number one Mausolos who did so well for himself, building palaces and things like that, that when he died his grateful poulace erected a monument in his name, a mausoleum.
After a bit of a struggle the city fell to Alexander (what didn't?) in about 334 and things were fairly calm for a few years but then the whole region went to hell in a handbasket when Alexander died.
The Roman Empire calmed things down again and under the Byzantines things were fairly relaxed until the 11th Century when the Turks arrived for the first of several periods of occupation that would mirror the decline of the fortunes of Byzantium. Suleyman the magnificent captured the city from the hands of the Knights Hospitalier who constructed the Castle of St. Peter, partly using stone ramsacked from the Mausoleum.
In the 18th Century Catherine the Great's fleet attacked from the sea in an attempt to support a Greek rebellion. The French tried to land an expeditionary force during the first World War and Italians ocpied the town in 1919. Ataturks Republican forces expelled them and things have been increasingly Turkish ever since.

Holidays in Bodrum - Attraction Information

Castle of St Peter – Bodrum Holidays - Turkey

Built in the early 15th century you can’t miss this castle if you’re in Bodrum. It’s an impressive example of medieval architecture. The castle is in excellent condition, it now houses a fascinating museum with exhibits that include underwater archaeology.

Mausoleum of Halicarnassus – Bodrum Holidays - Turkey

An enormous white marble tomb was built to hold the remains of Mausolus, a king from the Persian Empire, and his Mrs. Greek architects designed the 135 foot tall tomb, and famous Grecian sculptors added an ornamental frieze outside. Word spread though the ancient world and the word ‘mausoleum’ came to represent any equally ostentatious tomb. It’s not standing now thanks to an earthquake in the 15 century, but it’s worth a trip to see the remains of this, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.