Bodrum Castle
Bodrum Castle is the historical symbol of the Turkish port city of Bodrum, located in the province of Mugla in the southwestern Aegean region of Turkey.
Long is one of the city's most popular tourist destinations in Turkey, offering excellent conditions for all kinds of entertainment and cultural tourism.
The town and castle Bodrum stands on the south coast of the peninsula of Bodrum, on the coast of the Greek island, Kos. From there the famous resort of Kusadasi is about 180 km north and the largest city - Izmir, is about 270 km away.
Annually thousands of tourists arrive in Bodrum, to enjoy first class hotels, nightclubs, shops, restaurants, cafes, the crystal clean sea and beaches. Not of any less interest, however, is the enjoyable, castle Bodrum, which is an obligatory stop in the Turkish city, and the second largest city in the Roman Empire - the ancient city of Ephesus which is located quite close.
Bodrum Castle is a medieval fortress, which stems from the 15th century. However a fortification has been evidenced before this time dating back to 11th-12th century. Researchers since have debated that there was once a palace for the famous king of Caria. Bodrum Castle was built by the Knights of Hospitaller, as in the 15th century it was known as the Castle of St. Peter or Petronium.
It was the crusaders that chose the site of its strategic stronghold, so it has a good view of the port. Today the palace Bodrum International overlooks the marina, which is one pride of the Turkish resort.
The Hospitaller Knights arrived in town in 1402.They were of the Order of Saint John. In general, these knights were a community of exiles, which began their existence in 11th century as a basis Church in Jerusalem. However, they were rejected by Christianity.
When they arrived in the lands of present day Bodrum they decided to build their own fort there and they commanded that the builders use materials from the tomb of King Mausolos for making castle Bodrum.
The tomb was already there when Hospitaller decided to bequeath to the generations of his castle. The main function of the castle Bodrum in the Middle Ages was to serve refugees at the time of the crusades on the west coast of Asia.
Today the castle Bodrum has become an intriguing museum. Within the stone walls of the fortress is a museum of underwater archeology, which can provide interesting information and evidence of ancient sunken ships in the Aegean Sea. Several cultural festivals throughout the year are also held in the castle Bodrum.
