One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world, Bodrum!

With its pure white buildings and its Saxon blue doors and windows' frames, as well as with its amazing seacoast and gorgeous bougainvillea flowers, Bodrum attracts millions of tourists every summer! This gorgeous town is located on the southern Aegean coast of Turkey. This old fishing town is one of today's most popular tourist attractions! Bodrum is located on the coast of the astoundingly clear blue waters of the Aegean Sea and also hosts the ancient city of Halicarnassus, which is said to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!

Bodrum is also one of the most important sailing destinations. Not just that, but also it's here where you can taste some of the most delicious Aegean dishes, enjoy the amazing beaches and  have the craziest times at nightclubs and their famous foam parties! So, if this is all very appealing to you, let's explore Bodrum together!

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

In addition to the other seven wonders of the ancient World spotted in Turkey (Efes, İzmir), the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is an ancient tomb, which was built between 353 and 350 BC! This gorgeous structure was designed by Satyros and Pythius of Priene, who were both basically the ancient Gods of architecture. The city of Halicarnassus was the capital of a small kingdom within the Achaemenid Empire, which was ruled by Hecatomnus of Milas in the 4th Century BC. After his death, his son Mausolus took over the kingdom. He and his wife Artemisia ruled Halicarnassus for 24 years and had several daughters and sons. One of their daughters, Ada, is said to have been the adoptive mother of Alexander the Great! Mausolus and Artemisia wanted to embellish the city of Halicarnassus, and in order to do so,  they built gorgeous temples, amazing statues and beautiful buildings, made of gleaming marble. After Mausolus's death, his wife Artemisia continued ruling the kingdom. He was buried there and his tomb became so famous, that Mausolus' name is now the eponym for all stately tombs- as in the word mausoleum!

This ancient Mausoleum was 45 meters high and covered with amazing sculptures. It was destroyed by massive earthquakes during the 12th to the 15th century, but today you can still admire some of its ruins. If you want to check out the sculptures, you should visit The British Museum. They all should be (as far as I know) in Room 21.

PS. You can also check out the Myndos Gate, an old city gate, which was built under the reign of King Mausolus. This gate witnessed the greatest battles during the siege of the city by Alexander the Great.

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Tepecik Mahallesi, 48440 Bodrum/Muğla, Turquie

Bodrum Castle

This gorgeous and pretty multicultural castle started to be built in the year 1402 and finished in the late 15th century, by the Knights of St John. By the term "multicultural" used above, I'm referring to the fact that this castle was constructed by English, French, German, and Italian architects, who gave the name to its four towers. Originally, the Bodrum Castle had a chapel, but after the city was taken over by the Ottoman Empire, it was converted to a mosque. This gorgeous castle is standing on the coast of Bodrum and mesmerises every visitor, every day. In the 1960s, the Bodrum Castle became the home for the award-winning Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology!

Bodrum Castle

Bodrum, Muğla Province, Turquie

Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology

Ok, time for shipwrecks and some juicy jewellery! As I said before, the Bodrum castle was turned into an underwater archaeology museum in the year 1962. This museum won so many awards just by being the biggest museum of its kind, devoted to underwater archaeology! Inside this museum, you can find the collection of amphoras, ancient glasses, bronzes, clay and iron items, and many shipwrecks dating back from the 16th century BC to the 6th century AD! Those ships were also sunken with treasures, which you can check out while There! Some of them were; the collection of Islamic glassware, 10 tons of Cypriot copper ingots, one ton of pure tin ingots, Mycenaean pottery from the Bronze Age, the seal of Queen Nefertiti and Egyptian jewelry! You can also check out the tomb of a Carian princess, who died between 360 and 325 BC. Better go and check it out, it's worth it!

Bodrum Museum Of Underwater Archaeology

Çarşı Mh., 48400 Bodrum/Muğla, Turquie

If you want to visit Bodrum, get inspired by itinari now!