Bodrum
(2000 pop. 35,000). In the early twentieth century, Bodrum was a remote fishing village on the Aegean Sea coast in Turkey, but today it is a sophisticated and free-spirited holiday resort. In ancienttimes, Bodrum was known as Halicarnassus, a city in the kingdom of Caria and the site of the tomb of the Persian satrap Mausolus. Built around 350 BCE, this monument, which inspired the word "mausoleum," became one of the wonders of the ancient world.
The Bodrum harbor on the Aegean Sea. (NIK WHEELER/CORBIS)Herodotus, the father of history, was born in Halicarnassus around 484 BCE. He traveled extensively around the known world, even visiting Egypt, before settling in mainland Greece and then Italy, where he died. As well as providing a view of the lands he visited, Herodotus's writings show his methods of gathering and evaluating historical information.
Dominating modern Bodrum is the Castle of Saint Peter, dating from the early fifteenth century CE. It was both a hospice and a sanctuary for the monastic order of the Knights of Saint John, a Christian order of warrior-monks who lived in Bodrum until 1522. Following Turkish independence in 1923, the castle became a prison for over two hundred exiled apolitical Turkish nationals. Today, the castle is a museum, featuring underwater treasures rescued by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology.
Bodrum's latter-day popularity stems from the enthusiastic writings of a legendary intellectual, the socalled Fisherman of Halicarnassus, who was exiled here in 1925. Modern Bodrum is known for sponges, citrus fruits, and boat building. It also draws celebrity vacationers and wealthy part-time residents, including Ahmet Ertegun, the founding partner of Atlantic Records.
Further Reading
Bean, George E. (1971) Turkey Beyond the Meander. London: John Murray.
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