Bodrum: Party Town Or Ancient Treasure?
Sometimes it’s a strange feeling, saying goodbye to an airbnb host who lives on the premises. For a few days your lives have crossed, your stories have entwined, and then you move on, knowing that those paths will never cross again. Our host at Datça, a tiny elderly guy named Bulent, shows real kindness by driving us across the peninsula to the ferry point, then caps it all by parting with warm heartfelt hugs on the quay. Bye mate, and thank you.
In order to reach Bodrum the ferry at an hour and 45 minutes is a much better choice than three hours by road, especially with the sea flat calm and the setting sun casting shafts of gold across the water as it is today. Bodrum promises to be an oddball – I mean, there aren’t too many holiday party towns which double up as a site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, yet Bodrum is both of these. We wouldn’t really consider coming to such a centre of hedonistic holidays in high season but it will be interesting to see what the town delivers in November.
What it actually delivers on day one is a complete washout so thorough that we spend almost all day trapped in the apartment watching the offshore islands disappear behind the gloom and raindrops the size of golf balls create mini waterspouts as they hit the waters of the bay. Even the muezzins’ calls sound muffled. The only time it doesn’t rain is when it really hammers down – until sundown when the deluge finally stops and the clearing skies make for some photogenic scenes…
This small town, clustered around yet another picturesque bay and fronted by its bold and assertive shoreline castle, is built on the site of the ancient Greek city of Halicarnassus, home itself to a structure magnificent enough to make the “ancient wonders” list. Long ago destroyed by successive earthquakes, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus must have been an incredible sight – but, given our limited time here (a weekend) and the persistence of the heavy rain, we haven’t yet visited the site. We will by necessity be returning via Bodrum later on this trip, so will hopefully see the site then.
The magnificent building was constructed as the burial place of Mausolus, ruler of Caria, Lycia and adjacent islands in the 4th century BC – known therefore as the “mausoleum” and thus giving the world that very word. It is from this very building that the word “mausoleum” was adopted worldwide for sites of above ground burial.
Many artefacts from ancient Halicarnassus are stored within the castle – well, those not plundered by British archeologists and squirrelled into the British Museum – which we do get to see on this first rain swept visit. The castle itself, built by the Knights of St John in 1402, occupies a dominant position on a small headland in front of the town and has survived earthquakes, wars and sieges to retain an air of power. Its four distinct towers – named the English, French, Italian and German towers – are adorned with the coats of arms of some of those committed to its construction and upkeep. It’s an impressive place.
Residents of the castle
The castle is also home to the Museum of Underwater Archeology, a rather glorious study of the discovery, excavation and presentation of shipwrecks and the contents therefrom. Much centres around the Glass Shipwreck, an absolutely fascinating account of a painstaking excavation of an 11th century trading ship which foundered nearby. From the glass artefacts in and around the wreck, archeologists spent 12 years trying to fit together as many of the shards of glass as they could – given that there were 20,000 separate glass items and over half a million shards, that’s some jigsaw puzzle. The fruits of their labours are amazing.
Almost as amazing are the many items from other wrecks – amphorae used to ship wine and olive oil centuries ago, jewellery and scales, implements and tooling. Wrecks exhibited here even go as far back as Hellenistic and Roman times, it’s a truly fascinating collection. Wandering around both the castle and its museum is quite an experience. There is, of course, more of Bodrum’s ancient history to uncover around the town, hopefully we will do it justice when we return in ten days or so.
And what about Bodrum the party town? There are several clues – like the large numbers of bars strung along its main pedestrian street, Cumhuriyet Caddesi, the accessory stores selling what they amusingly call “genuine fakes”, the large restaurants with 100+ covers, the slogans on T-shirts such as “They tell me I went to Bodrum but I don’t remember”. Then there’s the Irish pubs (the “Molly Malone” and the “Irish Corner”), a bar called “Anthony’s English Pub” plus, of course, the widespread use of the English language.
Yep, a party definitely goes on here through the summer months, and even now in November music from some of the bars drifts across the shallow waves till about 4am each morning. It’s gentle music now, not the rowdier affair which it probably is at other times. This, for us anyway, is a good time to visit, and we look forward to our return later on this trip – with a bit of luck without the rain.
The presence of the ancient sights alongside the holiday party scene is almost as incongruous as the call to prayer vying with the sound of lounge music and the clinking of glasses. Unlike other towns, the music isn’t paused during the call. It’s fair to say we think that Bodrum has more than one face.
We will be back to see more on our return. For now, there’s a morning ferry to catch, one for which we’ll need our passports.
18 Comments
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
Interesting post and beautiful photos but sorry to hear that you had some weather troubles. I visited Bodrum 20 years ago in April and found it rather rowdy although I was told that the partying was relatively low-key compared to July. I don’t think I could have tolerated it in high season as I was never much of a “party hardy” person!
Phil & Michaela
Our thoughts exactly, but at this time of year it’s good!
wetanddustyroads
Another spectacular sunset and another beautiful town – it’s enough to want me pack my bags and fly to Turkey. The stormy clouds above the castle are actually so beautiful and make for the perfect photos. I’ll have to show Berto your post again this afternoon, when he’s back from work … he’s going to find the Museum of Underwater Archaeology very interesting.
Phil & Michaela
As an avid diver, he would love that museum. There’s quite a bit of detail (some by video with English subtitles) about the techniques used by the underwater archeologists.
wetanddustyroads
And he loved your post! I think Turkey has just moved straight to the top of our overseas travel list 😄.
Alison
Looks a fascinating town. I do love an ancient castle and the history that goes with it. Certainly a labour of love putting those glass pieces together. The colours of the sky are just beautiful.
Phil & Michaela
Yes, sometimes a stormy sky has terrific character, doesn’t it. We’re looking forward to returning to Bodrum on the way back.
Toonsarah
A shame about the rain but I guess that’s the trade-off for being able to enjoy the town without the hordes of party people! And it did give you some stunning cloudscapes 😲The castle looks interesting – I love the old mosaics) and the reconstructed glassware is amazing!
Phil & Michaela
Those skies were quite spectacular thanks to the moody clouds. The underwater archeology museum is fascinating…and quite a different experience.
restlessjo
I didn’t get beyond the castle in Bodrum, because it was the jump off point for our gulet cruise to Fethiye. A shame, because I would have liked to see more. I’m relying on your return visit. The seascapes are truly beautiful in that part of the world, aren’t they?
Phil & Michaela
They certainly are, Jo….deep blue and crystal clear. We’re hoping to cram everything else into our return visit next week, so fingers crossed on the weather.
Monkey's Tale
So it is both!! We were in Bodrum at the end of the party season but stayed on the opposite end of the bay so it was actually quite pleasant. Like you, we didn’t stay for long, but we also didn’t return. 😊 Maggie
Phil & Michaela
It’s a place with massive history as well as its modern reputation. We’re looking forward to going back and seeing more.
Helen Devries
That museum would have me returning to see all of it in detail.
Phil & Michaela
It’s utterly fascinating, Helen. A genuinely different subject matter for a museum.
WanderingCanadians
Looks like a scenic ferry ride, especially with the setting sun as you’re approaching Bodrum. It’s too bad about the miserable weather, but it looks like you managed to still do some sightseeing. I can see why you’d want to return to explore it more fully.
Phil & Michaela
We’re looking forward to seeing the rest of it on the way back through.
Annie Berger
The way you described Bodrum sounds like a place we’d also enjoy visiting in the off season. The mosaics and costs of arms caught my eye.