Bodrum

Understand

"Yokuş başına geldiğinde Bodrum'u göreceksin. Sanma ki sen geldiğin gibi gideceksin." "When you reach the hill, you will see Bodrum. Don't think you'll leave as you came." - The "blue voyages" of The Fisherman of Halicarnassus put Bodrum on the tourist map Bodrum was founded as a Grecian city, but fell under Persian rule from the 4th century BC; they appointed a hereditary provincial or regional governor called a "satrap". Nowadays this word is a political jibe, implying a corrupt and cruel petty ruler: in the movies the satrap always gets killed in the last act by his favourite concubine, who helps the hero escape at the cost of her own life. But one satrap more able than most was Mausolos, who ruled the province of Caria from this walled city called Halikarnassos, and he came to rule several others. However, he was sufficiently insecure about his legacy to commission a vast ornate tomb for himself, still unfinished at his death in 353 BC, and this gave us the word "mausoleum". Halikarnassos then fell in turn to Alexander the Great, Seleucid rulers, the Romans and Byzantines. The Knights Hospitaller arrived in 1402 and rebuilt the castle, which had stood on an islet but was now fused to the mainland. Waste not, want not; they used stone from the mausoleum for the castle and called it Petronium ("St Peter's fortress") - hence Bodrum. They scarpered in 1522 when Suleiman the Magnificent approached, and the town became Ottoman. Nothing much else happened for 400 years, and Bodrum was just a sleeping fishing and sponge-diving village. It became the exile of Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı (1890-1973), the Cretan Turkish scholar, writer and environmental activist. This fellow had already served 14 years in jail for shooting dead his father, who didn't approve of his wife. After a further 3 year term for "seditious" writing, he settled here and his lyrical descriptions of traditional life began to reach a wider readership. His pen-name was Halikarnas Balıkçısı, the Fisherman of

Getting there

By plane 1 Milas–Bodrum Airport (BJV IATA), Havalimanı Sk (35 km northeast of Bodrum), ☏ +90 252 511 1000. The international (dış hatlar) terminal east side has many charter flights from Europe in summer, but is a very quiet place in winter. The domestic (iç hatlar) terminal west side has year-round daily flights from Istanbul, from IST by Turkish Airlines and from SAW mostly by Pegasus. The general aviation terminal, in case you brought your own private jet, is a wing of the international. The airport has the usual facilities, very overpriced, and car hire from the major companies. (updated Mar 2023) To town: package tourists are bused direct to their hotels. Bus 48-24 runs spasmodically from the airport to Bodrum intercity bus terminal (at Torba) and downtown. The Havas bus isn't running in 2023, as the taxi drivers are gleefully aware. You could also fly into İzmir or Dalaman airports, both 3 hours travel from Bodrum.

By bus Buses from Istanbul take 11 hours overnight via Gebze, Bursa, Balıkesir, Manisa and Izmir. From Izmir it's an hourly service, from Ankara is 10 hours and from Antalya it's 7. Operators on these routes are MetroTurizm, Pamukkale and Flixbus. Aras Seyahat makes a grand cross-country journey daily, from Kars via Erzurum, Erzincan, Sivas, Kayseri and Konya. 2 Yeni Otogar (lit: New Bus Station) opened in 2022, 5 km northeast of town, at the road junction for Torba. Already it's looking battered by its travelling public, and the cafe and toilets are overpriced. The dolmuş transfer into town should be included in your inter-city ticket; check when buying. 3 City bus station is downtown next to the bazaar, and feels like part of it.

By boat Tilos Travel sails from Kos twice a day year-round, taking 25 min. It's a small catamaran for foot passengers only; a day-trip either way is easily possible. The landing pier in Bodrum is in the marina by the castle. Sky Marine compete on the route from Kos April-Oct, similar times and fares. Bo

Getting around

Most town buses start from Yeni Otogar the inter-city bus terminal and run to downtown Bodrum, so this service is every couple of minutes. They then fan out across the peninsula:

Bus 2-28 to Gümbet beach strip, Bitez, Müskebi, Ortakent and Camel Beach, every 20 min daily 07:00-00:00. Bus 2-34 to Gürece, İslamhaneleri, Akçaalan and Turgutreis, every ten minutes daily 07:00-00:00. Bus 2-45 to Gürece, Gümüşlük and Gümüşkaya, hourly daily 07:00-22:00. Bus 2-6 to Gökçebel and Yalıkavak every 20 min daily 07:00-22:00. Bus 2-48 to Bitez, every 15 min daily 07:00-21:30. Bus 2-2 to the western suburb of Konacık, every 15 min daily 07:30-23:00. Bus 2-4 to Konacık, Gürece, Bağla and Akyarlar at the south tip of the peninsula, M-Sa hourly 08:00-19:00. Bus 2-20 runs from Torba village via Yeni Otogar to downtown Bodrum, M-Sa every 30 min 07:00-20:00. Others run to Çamarası, Dağbelen, Gündoğan, Mazıköy, Mumcular, and Yalıçiftlik; the full list is posted on the Muttas regional transport website. A swarm of dolmuşes also reaches those destinations and others.

See

1 Bodrum Castle / Museum of Underwater Archaeology, Kale Cd, ☏ +90 252 316 2516. Daily 09:00-22:30 (summer) 08:30-17:30 (winter). Well-preserved bastion built from 1402 by the Knights Hospitaller, who called it the Castle of St Peter. Its towers are called the English, French, German and Italian for the four nations constructing them, a clue as to why this took most of a century; the Pope guaranteed its builders a place in heaven but failed to set a deadline. It withstood attacks by the Ottomans but fell to them in 1523. They converted the chapel to a mosque but didn't have much use for the castle, which was variously a garrison, a prison, or unoccupied. Since 1962 it's housed the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, displaying remarkable finds from local shipwrecks. The standout is the Uluburun wreck from the 14th century BC, late Bronze Age, laden with copper ingots, a rare insight into trade and travel in that era. Adult €23 April 2024). (updated Nov 2023) Maritime Museum, Nazım Hikmet 4 (north side of castle), ☏ +90 252 316 3310. Tu-Su 09:00-17:30. The sailing and fishing traditions of Bodrum, such as gulets, sponge-fishing and sea-shells. Adult 20 TL. (updated Mar 2023)

Kızılhisarlı Mustafa Paşa Mosque just north of the castle was built in 1724. Merkez Adliye Mosque another block north was built in 1901. The marina, now full of leisure craft, was once the shipyard and general harbour. In the 18th century there was a spell of military work as the Ottoman navy was strengthened, but Bodrum's main product has long been the traditional gulet. These are two or three-masted but nowadays run on diesel, with only auxiliary sail power. Tepecik Mosque is at Neyzen Tevfik Cd 88, midway along the marina front. It was built in 1735. 2 Kumbahçe Mosque on Atatürk Cd has a richly tiled interior. 3 Mausoleum of Halikarnassos, Turgut Reis Cd 93, ☏ +90 252 316 1219. Daily 08:30-17:30. Mausolos was satrap (regional govern