|
Bodrum: Sights & Places of Interest |
||
|
|
||
|
Background |
Ancient Halicarnassos, Bodrum with its whitewashed square houses and subtropical gardens and birthplace of Herodotus, the father of History. He was born in 482 B.C. in the city then called Halicarnassus and reports that Halicarnassus was founded around 1000 B.C. by the Dorians. Today, it is a thriving summer retreat for Turkey's fun loving elite - so be prepared for some fun - and a slight change in sleeping habits! Bodrum does not sleep until dawn - I have even seen youngsters walking around the streets at 3am to get an ice cream (as if this were the normal hour to have a snack!) | |
|
Beti has put together some suggested itineraries for you. |
||
|
|
||
|
1 Day Tour |
Historical Walking Tour: In the morning head
toward the harbor and at the southern end of the marina where you will
find the Castle of St. John.
The castle includes both the historical exhibits of the castle itself and
it houses the Bodrum Museum of
Underwater Archeology. If you follow the castle exhibits around
from one end to the other, you should not miss anything. However, just in
case, make sure you see: The Amphora Exhibit, the Dungeon, Ancient Glass
Exhibit, The Oldest Ship (including the video), the Full Scale Ship, the
Carian Princess and the view from the top.
After lunch, head up to the
Mausoleum.
During August you may be lucky enough to find some fresh figs growing on
the trees there - a juicy sweet snack on a hot day! After viewing this
area take some time to roam the streets back to your hotel where we
suggest you lounge by your pool, beach or rest. Then off to the hamam -
Turkish Bath. This will prepare
you for your endless evening in Bodrum. After a leisurely dinner
at
Epsilon
Restaurant you
can shop till you drop in the streets of Bodrum where you can shop until 3 in the morning!
Really! |
|
|
2 Day Tour
|
Shopping and Market Day
Tour. TUESDAY, THURSDAY & FRIDAY ONLY. If You Have 2 Days, spend the first day as suggested above. On the morning of the second day go shopping at the "Pazar." If you have never been to a Street Market in Turkey - you must go. This is where most of the locals buy their clothing and food. The markets travel from town to town on different days. In Bodrum, all markets are held behind the Bus Depot. The word for the market is "Pazar" - in case you get lost - just ask. Tuesday is the Clothing market. You can buy everything from underwear to tea pots. Thursday & Friday is the food market. It's very colorful. Fresh fruits and vegetables, spices, fresh grape leaves (in season), flowers and all sorts of colorful characters, that will take you closer to the true heart of Turkey. After lunch go back to your hotel where we suggest you lounge by your pool, beach or rest. This will prepare you for your next evening in Bodrum. At 9pm head to Denizhan Restaurant, a local's favorite, kebap restaurant. After a leisurely dinner, roam the streets of Bodrum where you can do some people watching. At midnight or later, head to Halikarnas Disco by the harbor - Friday and Saturday nights is Foam Dancing. |
|
|
3 Day Tour
|
Mini Blue Voyage Tour. If You Have 3
Days, spend the first 2 days as outlined above. On the third day, take an
afternoon boat trip departing from the marina where you will visit some of
the clearest and bluest waters in the world. Your lunch will be served on
the boat. After the boat go back to your hotel where we suggest you lounge
by your pool, beach or take a nap. This will prepare you for yet another
evening in Bodrum. At 9pm head to Domenico Restaurant
Restaurant where you can dine and listen to live traditional Turkish Music. After a leisurely dinner, roam the streets of Bodrum where you can do some shopping or people watching. At midnight or later, head back to the many discos and clubs along the harbor. |
|
|
4 Day Tour
|
Day Tour to Ephesus, Pamukkale or...
If You Have 4 Days, spend the first 3 days as outlined above. In the
morning of the fourth day, visit one of the may interesting areas that are
just a short distance outside of Bodrum. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
For Sights along the Coast (Ephesus to Antalya)
Click Here Travelogue of the Aegean Coast Contributed by D. Gulec - Durango Colorado |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Castle of St. John |
Bodrum Castle was built in the 15th century by
the Knights of St. John over the remains of an earlier Byzantine and
Turkish castle. The English Tower is another section of Bodrum
Castle which should not be missed. Constructed in 1415, it was
restored in 1980 and now houses a striking example of modern museology.
Illuminated by candlelight as it would have been in the past, the room
contains a collection of swords, flags and armor. Built by the Knights of St John over a Selçuk fortress between 1437 and 1522 as a training center for Crusaders from Italy, France and Germany. The castle is divided into 3 segments where the knights from each army would live separately. The castle was subsequently neglected until the nineteenth century, when the chapel was converted to a mosque and a hamam installed, though the place was not properly refurbished until the 1960s, when it was turned into a museum. Inside, there are bits of ancient masonry incorporated into the walls, coats of arms, and a chapel housing a local Bronze Age and Mycenaean collection. Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 8am-noon & 1-5pm. Closed Monday. Admission: about $3.50 USD For more information go to www.bodrum-museum.com |
|
|
Museum of Underwater Archeology |
No museum captures the history
of when the Hittites, Phrygians, Greeks, Romans, Seljuks, Arabs and other
peoples traded far and wide across the Mediterranean - as does Bodrum's
Museum of Underwater Archeology. A wonderful display of amporas,
coins, glass and jewelry rooms, Classical and Hellenistic statuary and
Byzantine relics. Items from the oldest ship ever found (Found by
a sponge diver off the coast of Marmaris). The amphoras, lamps, carpentry
tools, scales and weights discovered at the wreck site are now exhibited
together with a full scale model of the ship’s hull. State-of-the
Art videos explaining the salvage techniques all make this museum one of
the most unique. The Carian princess hall (10am-noon & 2-4pm; an
extra $2) displays the skeleton and sarcophagus of a fourth-century BC
Carian noblewoman unearthed in 1989. The Carian Princess, appropriately
designed in the form of a ceremonial room of the Carian period, is Queen
Ada, who loved Alexander the Great like her own son. Queen Ada died at the
age of around 40 and was buried with her jewelry. Examination of the skull
by scientists at Manchester University in England has enabled a
reconstruction of the queen’s face to be made, and she awaits visitors
dressed in her best clothes. |
|
|
Mausoleum
|
The mausoleum was the tomb of Mausolos, from
where the name came, and it was the most enduring achievement of his wife
and sister Artemisia The Younger, who, after Mausolos death in 352 BC, had
it built in his honor. Mausolos tomb became one of the most famous
architectural showpieces of antiquity; it was named one of the Seven
Wonders of the World by the travel writers of the Hellenistic era. It
consisted of a solid rectangular base topped by 36 Ionic columns. These
were surmounted by a pyramid and crowned with a massive statue of Mausolos
and Artemisia riding a chariot, reaching a total height of 60 meters, the
base was adorned with a frieze executed by four of the leading sculptors
of ancient Greece, one per side; classical writers were most impressed by
these sculptures. The site of the Mausoleum was discovered in 1857 by the English orientalist Sir Charles Newton who was conducting an expedition on behalf of the British Museum (his other finds on this campaign included Didyma and Cnidus). The building was gone, but Newton found pieces of the Mausoleum frieze in the basement of the site as well as in villagers' backyards and in the walls of their houses. With the help of Sir Stratford Canning, the British ambassador at Istanbul, these were collected and transferred to the British Museum. For many years afterward the Mausoleum site remained a vegetable patch and cow-shed on private property. For at least the last 20 years a Danish team of archaeologists and conservators, led by Prof. Kristian Jeppesen of the Aarhus University in Denmark, has been excavating and preserving the little remains of the site, consisting on the funerary underground chamber and architectural remains, many of them were found in the vicinity and the castle. The Mausoleum Museum was
opened in 1988 thanks to the join auspices of the Turkish and Danish
governments, now under the management of the Bodrum Museum of Underwater
Archaeology. The exhibit includes a piece of the Mausoleum frieze that
was found embedded in the castle walls and so escaped the depredations
of Newton. |
|
|
Bodrum Hamami
|
The best little Hamam in Bodrum is opposite
the Bus Depot. It is very clean and both the Women's and Men's hamams are
nice. For those of you who have never been to a hamam, this is how it
works: Go to the changing room and undress completely. Put on the slippers
and wrap the "Pesdimal" cloth around your waste. Go into the hamam
(downstairs). In the middle of the room there is a large marble stone. Lie
on the stone for 15-20 minutes to allow your body temperature to rise. The
Kesaci (male for the men and female for the ladies) will then summon you
for your "Kese" and begin to scrub your body with a "Kesa", and ancient
invention made of woven goat hair. You will be amazed to see your dead
skin rolling off your body. (TIP: Do not wash your body or hair with soap
before this procedure as the soap will coat your skin and the kese will
not work as well).When this short procedure is complete, the Keseci
lathers you body with rich olive oil soap while he/she massages your from
head to toe. Then they usually say finished - but that does not mean you
are finished - it means he/she is finished. You will then move to the "Kourna"
(basin) where you can rinse yourself with warm fresh water. You won't
believe how smooth your skin feels! You can stay as long as you like.
Turkish women can socialize there for hours - and men can stay all day!
When you are finished, you put on your new "Pedismal" and go back into the
changing room (upstairs) and an attendant will wrap you in hamam towels.
Here you can drink a tea or apple tea(hot beverage is recommended). (TIP:
Bring your shampoo & toiletries to clean up afterwards.) |
|
 |
 | |
|
Bodrum FAQs, Insider Tips and Links |
||
|
If you have any questions, comments or if you have any full or half day trips you
would like to add, we would be very happy to share them with the
world! |
||
|
|
||
