Bodrum Castle
Continuing our tour of Bodrum, we spent a morning exploring the beautiful Bodrum Castle (Castle of St. Peter). Located on a small rocky peninsula, between two sheltered bays in the city, it has a long and complex history. Built by the Knights Hospitaller in the 15th century, the full name of the castle is “The Castle of St. Peter the Liberator of the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Rhodes”. No one really knows who these men were and why they even built the castle in the first place, but for over six centuries it stood as a stronghold through various occupations of the city.
Built partially from the ruins of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the fortress consists of five towers that bear the names of the nations responsible for their construction; English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. From the tops of these towers are views that span the whole city and neighbouring bays. And, of course, Long Summer! Below the towers a collection of Mediterranean plants and trees give shade to marching tortoise and the peacocks that parade through the gardens.
Today Bodrum Castle is home to the award-winning Museum of Underwater Archaeology. It is the largest and most important museum of its kind in the world. Every room, tower, hall and chapel is filled with priceless artefacts. Underwater discoveries that stretch back centuries, and give important insight into the lives and civilisations that came before us. From copper, glass, and bronze ingots, to silver and gold jewellery. From weapons and tools, to food goods and amphorae. Maritime trading in the Near East has much to tell us about the states surrounding those seaways, and the conservation that the Museum of Underwater Archaeology performs a crucial role in this.
It is even home to the reconstructed Uluburun, which at 3,400 years old is the oldest shipwreck in the world! It is also the largest cargo ship known in antiquity. It was a Syrian ship that set off from Egypt bound for Greece, when it capsized in southwest Turkiye. It took nearly 22,500 dives over 10 years to recover it, and amongst its treasures are elephant & hippo tusks, ostrich eggs, turtle shells, a small folding boxwood writing-tablet with ivory hinges, and a gold scarab inscribed with the name of the Egyptian Queen, Nefertiti. To say that these pieces are spectacular to see is an understatement. The stories of these doomed ships have been hidden under the sparkling waters of the sea for centuries, and it was a privilege to witness their existence in such impressive surrounds. This is as close to time travel as one can get!
