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Bodrum is a port town tucked into a peninsula of the same name in the south-western Aegean region of Turkey. Its white-washed houses fan down a gentle slope to its superb enclosed harbor. Birth place of Herodotus (also known as ‘the father of written history’), Bodrum is the Turkish name for the ancient city of Halicarnassus, and the first town in Turkey to experience a tourist boom. As an international center of tourism and yachting, Bodrum is renowned as a vacation paradise with a mix of sandy coasts, secluded bays, evergreen forests and rocky cliffs.
Bodrum Highlights
- Among top travel resort destinations of the Mediterranean
- Lively nightlife
- Diverse shops and restaurants
Bodrum History
Until the 6th century BC, Bodrum (also known as Halicarnassus) is said to have either been a Dorian city or at least a member of the Dorian Confederation, including the Greek island of Kos, as well as cities on the island of Rhodes. Over the years, it is believed that Ionian Greeks immigrated to this region and at some point took over Halicarnassus. By 546 BC, the Persians had seized the Greek cities along the coast and absorbed them into the Persian Empire. The Persians made Halicarnassus the capital of their new province called Caria and placed the Princess Artemesia in command. In 334 BC, the city was conquered by Alexander the Great, and by 220 BC the Ptolemies of Egypt had gained control until the Romans took over in 190 BC. Eventually, Halicarnassus became a Christian city as part of the Byzantine Empire, but by 1392 the city was annexed to the Ottoman Empire. During this time the Knights of St. John were engaged in fights with the Turks, but by 1402 the Knights were granted right to settle and govern the city of Halicarnassus. By 1522 the city would again be surrendered to the Ottomans and renamed Bodrum. During WW1, the city of Bodrum was taken over by Italian forces, but in 1923 it was awarded to the new Turkish Republic.
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