INFORMATION ABOUT BODRUM

The city is centered around the old Castle of St. Peter which was called Zephyrion in ancient times.
Today the Castle is the Museum of Underwater Archaeology which is acknowledged as the

First and the Best of its kind with a beautiful botanical garden.

BODRUM TODAY

In Bodrum there are many luxurious hotels and resorts as well as cozy pensions. Furnished villas are available weekly or monthly. Turkish Airlines (THY) has regular flights from/to all capitals and major cities of the world and a fine network of domestic flights. Having three Marinas (Bodrum, Yalıkavak & Turgutreis) which are the best marinas of turquoise Turkish coasts for yachts. Many experienced travel agencies offer destination information, reservation and ticket sales, boat and car rentals. A full range of professionally supervised adventure and incentive activities such as Scuba Diving, Surfing, Trekking, Boating, Horse riding and Jeep safaris. Well organized tours offer opportunities to visit the Historical Sites and also provide fully equipped yachts for Blue Voyage. You can taste various popular cuisines here. You'll be offered the best of Italian,Thai, Chinese, Mexican, European, Turkish cuisines and sea-food from simple meals to gourmet feasts. Also fast food, Cafes and Patisseries are available all over the town. Cool evenings are the best time for shopping.
Night life in Bodrum is as lively and diverse as you would expect. Pop, Rock, Jazz, Folk and Live music meets you everywhere till morning.

THE HISTORY OF BODRUM

The ancient city of Halicarnassus 1200 B.C.

Town of Bodrum is built over Halicarnassus
which was one of the most important cities of the antique era.
Dor oriented tribes were settled in the southwest region of the Aegean
between Phrygia and Lykia, called "Karia"
and today's Bodrum Peninsula was within this area.

During the Trojan War, some Dorian colonists settled in Halicarnassus in 1200b.c and intermarried the local Karian population.
Herodotus suggests that Karians were once called Lelegs and lived under the dominion of the Creten king Minos to whom they provided some of their best warriors.
At that time, Halicarnassus was one of the three mainland cities of Dorian Hexapolis and adjoined one of the independent cities of Myndos on the west and Theangela on the east.

After the Persian conquest in 546b.c., Halicarnassus was ruled by a Karian dynasty centered at Mylasa. In 480b.c. Queen Artemisia I of Karian and Greek descent, personally led her forces on the side of Persians at the battle of Salamis. Halicarnassus became a member of Delian League as a result of the Persian defeat. She again came under Persian control after the king's peace of 386b.c. and became of real importance during the period of a Persian satrap Moussollos.

As noted by Strabo; when Karian king Hekatomnos died at 377 b.c.,
his oldest son Moussollos was crowned. He became the real Karian king as a result of his victories in major wars. He has moved the capital of Karia from Mylasa to Halicarnassus and constructed the 7kms long city walls to protect his new capital.

Admiring the Ionistic culture, he invited famous architects and sculptors to ornament the Karian sites. At that time, Halicarnassus was a well fortified city arranged in an ampitheater form around her natural harbor and was laid out on a grid with a major street leading north from the harbor to the heights of Acropolis. (On the summit of the Acropolis was a shrine of Ares with a colossal statue, on the right horn by The Fountain of Salmakis.) The palace of Moussollos was located on the peninsula to the east of the harbor called Zephyria near the site of an early classical Temple of Apollo. From Moussollo's Palace, it was possible to see the agora, harbor, wall circuit, while below it -hiding under the hills was a secret harbor from which the king could issue commands from the palace without anyone being aware of him. After Moussollos' death in 353b.c., his wife who was also his sister, Queen Artemisia II, was crowned and upon her husband's death she constructed the 49m high monumental tomb "Mausoleum" at the center of the city which is a magnificent piece of art in the Hellenistic world and one of the Seven Wonders of the antique era.

In 334 b.c. Alexander The Great invaded Halikarnassus and appointed Ada, an exiled member of the ruling Karian Dynasty, as the new queen. The city became a part of the Roman Empire in 133b.c., independent but not exceptionally prosperous. She suffered under Verres in 80b.c., and again under Brutus and Cassius in 40b.c. and then became a part of Byzantium and subsequently the Seljuk Empire later on. In 1405 she was captured by the Knights of St. John of Rhodes and a medieval castle was built on Zephyria in the name of St. Peter. During the Ottoman period (1522) the castle was used as a prison.

After secular Turkish Republic founded by M. Kemal Atatürk in 1923, Bodrum became a lovely holiday and entertainment center.
Now the castle hosts one of the most important Museum of
Underwater Archeology in the world....

Historical Places

Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archeology

Open between 10:00 - 16:00 except Tuesdays

Castle of St. Peter -which is situated between two small harbours-
was built by the Knights of St. John in 1406 largely of material brought from the Mausoleum and other ancient buildings.
During the Ottoman era, the castle was used as a prison.
Now it is the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, which is known as
the First and the Best of its kind in the world,
owing its existence to an underwater archaeologist;
Mr. Oguz Alpözen who is the director of the museum today.
During your visit to the castle; after being enchanted by the glimpses of the past cultures, you will be delighted in the botanical garden surrounded by the nature
while sipping your cup of tea.

Mausoleum of King Moussollos

One of the Seven Wonders
of the Antique Era

It was constructed by Artemisia upon her husband Moussollos' death.
The monumental tomb with a height of 49 meters is one of the biggest work of art in Hellenistic world.
Today you can see the amazing foundations and find enough documents, carved antique pieces and replicas of the original work.

The Fortification Walls

The city walls with a lenght 7 kms
were constructed by King Moussollos
to protect his new capital.
They were demolished by Alexander's soldiers. Only Myndos Gate was preserved. Today it is reborn as the Ottoman Tower with the Bodrum Ancient City Wall Restoration Project which is carried out by a team from universities and Bodrum Underwater Archeological Museum.

Antique Theater

The Art of Theater was born in the Aegean

In the antique era, the first examples of theater buildings have gained structure through festivals dedicated to Dionysos.

This nature cult, which is full of joy of life and enthusiasm, used to bring people together for spring festivals and temple ceramonies which became more extensive in time through music, poetry, spreeches, dances and plays.

In the course of time monumental stone buildings were erected for the new born art
- Theater.

Blue Voyage

Imagine yourself on a comfortable yacht, lying on the deck in the depth of the sea, sailing along the magnificent coasts. Swimming in warm crystal clear waters, diving, surfing, skiing, fishing or resting on the sandy beaches of touristic towns and historical ports are just a few of the highly recommended attractions on Blue Voyage.

On a week or two weeks cruise, travellers sail along the magical turquoise coasts into quite bays and harbors; both body and mind revel in this healthy and joyful environment.

There are many travel agencies which provide fully equipped yachts satisfactory for your standards for Blue Voyage.
This is the best way of
discovering your hidden inspiration.

Blue Voyage was started in Gökova Bay on Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı's regular outings with fishermen. He sailed various caves and bays in the Gulf of Gökova and fell in love with the deep blue. He become well known around the region and many people were excited of sailing around, inspired by him.
Today, the popular Blue Voyage extends from Çesme to Antalya. It starts off Bodrum and reaches Antalya sailing through Datça, Marmaris, Fethiye, Kalkan, Kaş, Kemer and the antique regions of Karia, Lycia and Pamphylia.

Wind Surfing

If you are a windsurfer or you would like to learn windsurfing and you are looking for a nice, warm and windy place; Fener, Bodrum, just 2 kilometers from the "Captain's Inn" is the right place.

Akyarlar, Fener, is located in the Aegean cost of Turkey and profit from these exceptional weather conditions; like 6 months of blue sky, warm sun, a climate without dampness and the good wind called Meltemi.

This is a huge thermal system born in the Black Sea and blowing down the Aegean. As soon as the temperature start to get warmer, the thermal difference between the sea water and the air gives us the constant wind blowing sometimes 25 days per month.

The Meltemi season is from May till October; 6 months of good conditions.

Fener beach is on the extreme south west corner of Bodrum peninsula. This creates the strongest Meltemi's around Bodrum and it also profits from the local thermic acceleration and venturi system between the Turkish coast and the nearby Greek island of Kos (max distance 6 miles).

There can be no wind at all around Bodrum and not even in nearby Turgutreis but as soon as you get closer to the spot and see the lighthouse you will be surprised by the wind that you wouldn't have expected.

The windsurfing conditions are ideal for beginners and intermediate in the mornings; usually force 3 to 4 and practicable for every level.

The wind gets stronger between 11 and 12 o'clock in the afternoon; force 5-6 and some days 7.

Nearby the shore the sea is mostly flat for the first few hundred metres (which leaves a good practice area for beginners) and gets into free ride conditions further out.

Just little changes of wind direction give remarkably different conditions. A few degrees change from west to north can give flat seas or a turn to a more west direction gives good waves. You can practice different conditions on the same area. Choose from small waves to a swell of 1 to 1,5m for jumps.

The water is warm: 20°C in May, 24 in August and 22 in October.

DIVING:

The history of civilisation is recorded in the ocean depths off Turkey. The seabed is littered with relics from the past, as evidenced by the bronze age shipwreck (circa 2500 BC) that is now on display at the Bodrum Castle. In order to preserve the ancient artefacts that remain on the seabed all divers today must be accompanied by a registered dive guide, and certain areas are off limits.

The waters around Bodrum have provided a source of food, transport and wealth for thousands of years. A generation ago sponge divers were common in Bodrum, and many locals can tell a tale or two about the risks that these hardy men took. Along the harbour front is a statue of a diver that pays tribute to Bodrum's diving history. Indeed it was a local sponge diver, Kemal Aras, who first helped the American Peter Throckmorton with his queries about the abundance of whole ancient amphora that he saw decorating Bodrum homes and gardens. From those enquiries an alliance was born between Turkey and the United States in the interests of marine archaeology, the fruits of which are displayed in the internationally acclaimed museum at the Bodrum Castle.

Today divers from all over the world enjoy exploring the waters around Bodrum. There are a variety of dives only 30 minutes away, in sheltered seas and with visibility averaging 20 metres. Water temperatures range from 17 - 22°C during the season which extends from mid April to late October. There are many dive companies offering internationally accredited courses and who act as dive guides. Prices are competitive and equipment is available for hire. Instructors speak English, French, German and of course Turkish. Bodrum has something for both beginner and advanced divers.

There are two main reefs off the coast with depths of between 6 and 32 metres. Black Island (Karada) is a large and undeveloped island opposite Bodrum that has 8 dive sites of note with names like 'Smugglers' and 'Bubble Cave'. This is the place to experience caverns, half-caves, funnels, walls, and even a meteorite hole, giving plenty to keep the advanced diver happy. The island's anchorages are sheltered and easily accessible by boat. Grouper, moray eel, rays, barracuda, bream, octopus, plus a colourful variety of small fish inhabit the area.

Plans are currently underway by the Ministries of Culture and Tourism and underwater associations to establish a Marine Park off Turgutreis, on the Bodrum peninsular. In these waters can be found 5 shipwrecks ranging from the 6th century AD to 1995. This area is currently out of bounds to divers.