BODRUM

BODRUM

The sun shines differently here. The nights are longer, the drinks more enjoyable. And then there is love in Bodrum ... You have to experience it to truly understand the attraction of Bodrum. Bodrum town is a famous resort place, both among Turkish and foreign travelers. The population jumps from 50,000 people to more than half a milllion during summer time. The heart of Bodrum beats loudest in the narrow streets clustered around the bay where shops, restaurants, bars and discos via for attention. Strolling along the most popular of the streets, Cumhuriyet Caddesi (the locals call it Barstreet), the visitor becomes immersed in a blend of native and cosmopolitan culture that is Bodrum today.

Here small boutiques offer latest hits, hand-made sandals are crafted; fezzes and harem slippers are sold side by side with baseball caps and T-shirts bearing universally recognized logos and humorous or bawdy captions. Cafes and restaurants serve a wide variety of cosmopolitan 'international' fare as well as tasty Turkish kebabs; Chinese, Mexican, Indian or Thai specialities and also the delights of traditional Ottoman cuisine; visitors 'go native' by replacing beer or wine by the deceptively light national Turkish drink: raki.

When night descends Bodrum lights up with laser shows to the rhythms of the same hits that are current in London, Berlin or New York, but if you listen you can still hear strumming of the Turkish oud and the folk melodies of Anatolia. Bodrum today is truly a Symphony, or better still, a Living Ode to Joy

According to the famous traveler-historian-philosopher Herodotus*, ancient Halicarnassus was founded in an area called Caria by Dorians who mixed with the native populations called Lelegians and Carians. With Cnidus, Cos on the island of the same name, Camirus, Lalysus and Lindus on Rhodes Island, Halicarnassus belonged to the Dorian confederacy. In the middle of the 6C BC, Halicarnassus came under Persian domination but was ruled through native tyrants (the first one was Lygdamos) centered in Mylasa. His daughter, Queen Artemisia I, backed Xerxes during his expedition against Greece but they were defeated in the Salamis Naval Battle (480 BC) and as a result, Halicarnassus came under the domination of the Athenians. In 386 BC, following a peace agreement, Caria came again under Persian control and was put under the administration of an old Carian dynasty, who lived in Mylasa. Hecatomanus, who ruled with the Persian title of satrap, had three sons, Mausolus, Idrieus and Pixodarus, and two daughters, Artemisia II and Ada. After his father's death in 377 BC, satrap Mausolus transfered the capital of Caria to Halicarnassus. When Mausolus became so powerful that he regained his title of king and achieved a virtual independence, the city enjoyed its greatest prosperity. In 353 BC, upon his death, his sister and wife queen Artemisia II who was famous for her naval victory over the Rhodians, erected a monument to her husband's memory, the Mausoleum, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Upon the death of Idrieus, his sister and wife Ada ruled until Pixodarus, a faithful ally of the Persians, sent her to exile in Alinda. In 334 BC when Alexander the Great seized the city helped by Ada, the latter was restored on the throne. Halicarnassus was successively incorporated to the Roman, Byzantine and Seljuk Empires, to the Turk Mentese emirate and to the Ottoman Empire under Beyazit I. In 1404 Halicarnassus, now called Bodrum by the Turks, was seized by the Knights of Rhodes who built the St Peter Castle. In 1523 Süleyman the Magnificent expelled the Knights from Bodrum and later from Rhodos

* Herodotus (about 490/485 - 425/420 BC), after taking part in an uprising against the ruling tyrant Lygdamis, was forced to leave his native city Halicarnassus (about 457 BC), for the island of Samos. From there, he undertook journeys to Egypt, Lybia, Phoenicia, Babylon, Asia Minor, Scythia and Colchis (Black Sea Region) , Sparta, Athens, the Athenian colony of Thourioi (Thurii in southern Italy) where he probably spent the rest of his life. Herodotus, known as the Father of History, wrote the "Histories", published between 430 and 424 BC and divided later into nine books named after the Muses. The book, which describes the expansion of the Persian Achaemenid Empire and the Persian Wars ending with the Greek victories, includes valuable ethnographical and ethnological information.

The Bodrum Peninsula

The small but bustling town of Bodrum is steeped in history and offers the visitor everything from shopping, restaurants and nightlife. But there is more to this beautiful Peninsula, suited to holidaymakers interested in a subdued and relaxing atmosphere. Enchanting villages & beautiful beaches, dot the peninsula. Strict rules prevent high storey buildings and no external building works are allowed between 1st May and 31st October.

Bitez

Bitez lies 7 km west of Bodrum, in the bay next to Gumbet. The winds here are particularly favourable for windsurfing and water sports. The beach is sandy, with plenty of sunloungers and umbrellas for sunbathing. The safe shallow waters make it ideal for family holidays. Away from the beach it is possible to wander through mandarin orange groves where oxen plough and life continues as before. The village itself is a 15-minute walk, or short drive, inland and remains totally unspoiled by tourism.
The only Turkish Delight (Lokum) to be made on the peninsula is made here.

Gündogan

Only a few minutes West of Yalikavak a place that can be really called peaceful. It is a little village, which is still more or less unspoiled. Here in the North of the peninsula a fresh breeze often comes that is very welcome in the heat of the summer and a reason why many surfers prefer this bay. Straw umbrella's and sun-loungers along a narrow sandy beach offer everything for the sun-worshipper.

Little restaurants on jetties out into the sea offer fresh fish and traditional Turkish cuisine. When you visit Gundogan you may want to take a boat trip to the nearby Big Rabbit Island, the site of a Byzantine monastic church with visible remains of frescoes estimated to date from the ninth century.

Gümüslük

Gümüs is the Turkish word for Silver. Thanks to strictly enforced building prohibitions, the sea front has kept its original appearance and photogenic fishing village charm. This is the ideal spot for peace and quiet. Your feet are touching historical ground here, it is the harbour of ancient Myndos. There is much to see just below the water where parts of the historic city subsided and lie just below the surface.

Gumbet

Gumbet is only two kilometres to Bodrum and the next bay to the West of Bodrum. Gumbet (named after Kumbet-the word comes from the many white-domed cisterns which were used to keep rain water in the area in the past and now decorating the streets) features one of the longest and most popular beaches on the peninsula. Gumbet's waters are shallow and sandy, which make it suitable for families with children. Gumbet Cove, which is located between the points(capes) of Inceburun and Adaburun is also suitable for aqua sports. It has ideal conditions for windsurfing, parasailing and water skiing. There are also aqua sports facilities on the waterside. The town developed rapidly as it was near to the town centre and has the closest and most popular beaches in the area. It has become crowded and everyday more bars, restaurants and entertainment places seem to be added, and it has become a rival to Bodrum. In the summer, minibuses run 24 hours. As it grew, and as numbers of hotels have increased, Gumbet has become an alternative entertainment centre to Bodrum. With the setting of the sun in Gumbet, the town comes alive with music from all the bars. The crowds in bars, cafes and restaurants increase and the young crowd go dancing in the streets.

The island, known as Rabbit Island by the locals, separates the two well-sheltered bays of Gümüslük. If you sit in a shore-side restaurant and watch for a while you will see rabbits on the island. It is possible to wade to the island through knee-deep water and sunbathe and dive from the many rock formations. Several restaurants have terraced roof, perfect for enjoying the tranquil scene or for watching the sunset. The restaurants supply food of surprisingly good quality in an un-crowded environment, and the ones by the harbour are typified by their rushwoven umbrellas.

Weather in Bodrum:

Bodrum has a very mild climate. Although the highest and lowest temperatures can be 40 and 2 degrees Celsius respectively, these don't last for long; a couple of days at the most. On the other hand humidity in the area is among the lowest in Turkey, a nice and healthy 30 to 40 percent.
Average temperatures (C/F)

April May June July August Sept October
Air Temp. 21/70 26/79 30/86 33/91 33/91 29/84 24/75
Sea Temp. 15/60 18/65 21/70 24/75 25/77 23/74 21/70

Municipality : +90-252-316 10 09
Provincial Directorate of Information : +90-252-316 10 91
Police : +90-252-316 80 80
Hospital : +90-252-313 14 20

Health & hospitals:

If one considers the pollution, city life, modern life stress and junk food as major obstacles to a healthy life, then the chance of a healthier life in Bodrum is almost guaranteed. No air or water pollution, low levels of humidity, healthy fresh fruit and vegetables around the year, and maybe most important; no stress!
Today there are three fully equipped hospitals in Bodrum:

Private Hospital of Bodrum
Universal Hospital
SSK Hospital (state owned)
All of these hospitals operate 24 hours a day, all year around. Wherever you are on the Bodrum peninsula you are approximately 20 minutes away from medical care.There are private medical doctors in almost all disciplines.

For cases requiring more specialised care, İzmir, the third largest city of Turkey, is three hours away where everything modern medicine offers can be found.

Social life:
Social life is very colorful in Bodrum to say the least. Although activities have slight variations between the summer and the winter seasons, there are always enough alternatives to fill your day; may it be visits to friends or going to see a movie.
Cultural activities
There are numerous art galleries and many major museums in and around Bodrum. Regular concerts and musical events are held in the Antique Theater and in the Center For Culture in Oasis Shopping Center.
Musical and theatrical events somewhat dominate the culture scene during the summer season while exhibitions are mostly on during the winter time.

There are two cinemas in Bodrum and programmes always include at least one foreign film in its original language.

Clubs & communities:
There are numerous clubs in Bodrum that you can join. Sailing clubs are especially active and they organize many races trhoughout the year. Most of them offer regular training courses as well. Apart from sailing, there are many other clubs formed around various interests.
There are societies for animal welfare, societies for environment and foreign communities with a range of aims. It is almost certain that you can find a community or a club where you can meet people sharing your interest.

Schools and courses.
Gümüşlük Academy-set up by some major writers and intellectuals- offers artistic workshops in almost all disciplines. These workshops started to attract many foreign intellectuals in recent years and most of them are open to the public.
Apart from Gümüşlük Academy, there are a lot of workshops and courses available all year ranging from ceramic making to wood painting. And if you are after more specialized topics (i.e. learning a language, diving, computers, etc.) you can always find a private teacher at very reasonable rates.

Air Ticket :
Turkish Airline : +90-252-3133172 (2 lines)

Ferris & Hydrofoils :
Bodrum Express Line : +90-252-316 10 87
Bodrum Ferryboat Association : +90-252-3160882

Get to Bodrum & get around:

As tourism became a major industry in Turkey, travel and transport facilities increased with an awesome speed; both in quantity and quality. This is especially true of the coach services which rate as one of the best in the world. Three alternative airports and regular coach services make travelling to and from Bodrum as easy as possible.
Your best bet
Charters are the most convenient and cheapest flights to Bodrum. Convenient because most of these use Bodrum Airport (35 km. from city center) or Dalaman Airport near Marmaris (200 km. from Bodrum). There are charter flights from almost all European countries to Bodrum starting as early as March and continuing until late October.
The alternatives include flying to Izmir (300 km.) and taking a coach to Bodrum or flying to Bodrum via Istanbul. Of course you can take a coach from Istanbul to Bodrum. Scheduled flights to Izmir and Istanbul are available all year, and coaches operate on a regular basis.

Other ways to travel to Bodrum
As Bodrum is now the tourism capital of Turkey, inland coach services to Bodrum from almost all other cities run all year round.
If you hapen to be in the Greek Islands, it is also possible to cross to Bodrum from Cos. Ferries run during the summer season (May to October) twice a day.

Getting around on the peninsula
The main means of transportation within the peninsula is scheduled minibus services. Somewhat more frequent during the summer season, these are available all year and run from Bodrum center to every village on the peninsula.
An alternative especially during the winter season is car or motorbike rentals. Rental motorbikes are available at reasonable rates all year, and car rentals are cheaper during off-season.