Turkey City: Bodrum

The main point of attraction in the central part of the Aegean coast is world famous Bodrum. Spa Bodrum (Bodrum) – a business card of the entire south-west shore of Turkey and the world famous sea resort, famous for its picturesque low buildings, subtropical gardens, the longest beach of the region and noisy nightlife.

However, few people know that this popular recreation center was founded in the XI century to. NS. and was considered the second to be the city of Karia. First on a small island of Zephyrian (now the peninsula) in the ceramics bay, the regional outpost was founded, and in the VIII century BC. NS. Messages are moved to the mainland and base the city that later became the famous Galicarnas. Satrap Malsol in the IV century BC. NS. Carries here from Milas the capital of Karia and joins the city of six small settlements, hearing them with a wall of a total length of more than 6 km. After the death of Malsol, his wife Artemisia II builds him a luxurious tomb, which became one of the wonders of the world (it was from here that all familiar Word "mausoleum"). Alexander Macedonsky in 334 BC. NS. destroys the city to retaliation for the fierce resistance rendered by his defenders, which becomes the end of this settlement, the former homeland "Father history" Herodota. Knights-John from Rhodes in 1402-1437 erected on the island of Zefiri Powerful castle-fortress of St. Peter – the only Christian Citadel in Anatolia, using for this stones with a mausoleum. After the capture of Rhodes Suleiman magnificent in 1523, the knights left the region, but the impressive dungeons and the catacombs of the fortress seemed to be preserved in the title of the city ("Bodrum" in Turkish – "basement", "dungeon").

sights

Lock, The main architectural element of the city, neatly divides it into two sufficiently different halves. In the West there are modern quarters with many hotels and nightclubs surrounding the marina, while in the east there is an old part of the city with a huge number of traditional bars and restaurants. The north of the castle is the bazaar and a small area of old stone buildings with picturesque inner courtyards, which gives some idea about how Bodrum is before the start of the tourist boom.

Bodrum Fortress
Fortress Wall
High Tower View

Approximately 400 meters to the west of the city center on Turgutreis Caddesi are ruins Mausoleum (open from Thursday to Sunday from 8.30 to 12.00 and from 13.00 to 17.30, Login – 4 TRY). Developed by Pitos (architect of the temple of Athens in the prince), once he had at the base of 39 33 meters at 60 meters in height. The colonnade of the funeral chamber supported a stepped pyramidal roof, crowned with a chariot sculpture (now stored in the British Museum) with images of Mausol and his wife Artemisia, and all vertical surfaces were decorated with borders and statues made by the best sculptors of that time (now their fragments can be seen in the Saint Castle Peter, and part – all in the same British Museum). Unfortunately, even despite the scrupulous work of the Danish archaeologists, most of the elements of this amazing structures are lost forever (Ioannite knights, for example, have changed marble columns to obtain lime for the construction of their lock).

Mosque church
Live Peacock
Antique amphoras

But Ancient Theater (IV B. to N. NS.), located above the main highway limiting Bodrum from the north, has been restored almost completely and is now regularly used for concerts and festivals. And the so-called Gate Mindos, Lying to the west of intersection Turgutreis Caddesi and Cafer Pasa Caddesi are best preserved section of the ancient urban wall.

Mindos gate
Antique Theater
Galicarnas mausoleum

Sitting on Cape, dividing the inner and external city harbor, Castle of St. Peter is the main landmark of the city and the location of the excellent Bodrum underwater archeology museum (open from Thursday to Sunday from 8.30 to 12.00 and from 13.00 to 17.30, individual halls have their own work schedule, the entrance – 10 TRY), which allows not only to get acquainted with amazing finds found at the bottom of the sea, but also just wander through the old walls, yards, dunnaments and towers of the fortress.

Entertainment

In Bodrum, tourists can offer only two entertainment – but what! First, this is the sea. Secondly, discos and other joys of nightlife. The sea in Bodrum and its surroundings are great, Aegean. Take sunny baths and swim – one pleasure. However, if the company is big and money is enough, you must certainly need to rent a yacht and go out into the open sea. Swang in the waves, admire the shore, feel almost the ancient Greek navigator – this is in itself great. But the most delicious is to stay in some quiet bay and jump from the yacht to the sea.

In the port of Bodrum
Captain behind the steering wheel
In the Aegean Sea

Flagship Night Life Bodrum – Disco Halikarnas. What only we are not awarded with a laudatory epithets. In fact, all that is valuable in it – it is a scope of action and a majestic appearance. Visitors are waiting for scenic productions, as well as foam or water shows every night. However, the disco in itself does not represent: the music is boring, the sound quality is quite mediocre, and in cocktails instead of juices are used in Turkey from recording powders in Turkey. The input to the disco is 35 Turkish lira (about $ 30) and includes a complimentary drink.

Disco Halikarnas
Sea view and fortress
Water Show

In general – if you want to hang out in a pavicious place with a large crowd of the people, then welcome to Halikarnas. But if you are looking for clockwork music, naturalness and fun – then you are a straight road in any bar on the seashore or in the town of Gumbet (five minutes drive from the center of Bodrum), where nightlife is boil right on the streets.

Beach rest around the city

The coast adjacent to the city in most cases is much more interesting than tourists clearly-oriented Bodrum. Dry valleys and green pine forests, dilapidated Greek churches, windmills and old stone mansions, locks and extensive oasis on the shores of rivers – these are the main elements of the peninsula, called the same as the city. A little exotics bring omnipresent white dome "Gümbet" (water storage tanks) and camel caravans – not the background for tourist photos, but ordinary working animals region.

Also here you can find a lot of purent shores, often much more pleasant than the beaches of Bodrum himself eternally crowded tourists. The best of them includes owners "Blue flag" Environmental purity Biteys (Bitez) – The most convenient place in Turkey is a window for windsurfing and kitesurfing, ORATAENT (Ortakent) and Gyumyushlyuk (Gumusluk, Ancient Mindos), where a chain of fish restaurants stretched along the sandy shore.

Restaurant in Gyumyushlyuk
Sunset over Yalcavacom
Bay Gumbet
Silk treatment

Nearest resort village Gümbet (Gumbet) is the center of nightlife of this region. There are several coastal and urban hotels, shops work late, and until the morning walks in bars and on the streets.

Tourists also attract a two-kilometer peninsula Yakhshi Yala (Yahsi Yali, closed for wheeled), Kargy ("Camel Beach"), picturesque bays Bang (Bagla) and Karainjir (Karaincir), the most cool resort of the region – Village Aquary (Akyarlar), as well as once chief fishing port of the region – town Yalikavak (Yalikavak), in the center of which is a large mosque, painted in white, like all other buildings of this region. The city of Turgutreis is one of the largest settlements, especially interested in shopping lovers.

Rocky and windy shores of the western part of the peninsula are popular with yachtsmen and windsurfing fans, and the northern bays surrounded by a pine forest, very good for diving and snorkeling.

Tourists who are interested in traditional life of the Turks, guidebooks are offered to visit the village Chokmakdag. From Bodrum is distant. But here you can see with your own eyes the technology of highlighting silk threads and weaving carpets, visit authentic homes and get acquainted with folk creativity.