Beaches of Marmaris on the Turkish Riviera
Although it is not certain when Marmaris was founded, in the 6th century BC the city was known as Physkos, and considered part of Caria. According to the historian Herodotus, there was a castle in Marmaris since 3000 BC. During the Hellenistic Age, Caria was invaded by Alexander the Great and the castle was besieged. The 600 inhabitants of the town realised that they had no chance against the invading army and burned their valuables in the castle before escaping to the hills with their women and children. The invaders, well aware of the strategic value of the castle, repaired the destroyed sections to house a few hundred soldiers before the main army returned home.
The next important event during the history of Marmaris was almost two thousand years later, in the mid-fifteenth century, when the Ottoman Empire began to rise after the efforts of Sultan Mehmet II, who succeeded in conquering and uniting under one banner the various tribes and kingdoms of Anatolia. Some of his greatest difficulties came from the Knights of St. John, who occupied the Dodecanese Islands. Based in Rhodes, the Knights had fought for many years; they were able to withstand the onslaughts of Mehmet II until a succeeding and more powerful Sultan came on the scene.
Marmaris castle was rebuilt from scratch in 1522 by the Ottoman sultan Suleyman the Magnificent when he had set out for his campaign on Rhodes, for which Marmaris served as a base. Since 1979, renovation work has been continuing at the castle, in order to restore it back to original condition. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, the castle was converted into a museum. There are seven galleries, of which the largest is being used as an exhibition hall and the courtyard is decorated with seasonal flowers. Built at the same time as the castle in the bazaar, there is also a small Ottoman caravanserai built by Suleyman s mother Ayse Hafsa Sultan.
Car hire services in Dalaman, Izmir, Turkey
Car hire Marmaris City Center
Airport transfer services
Dalaman Airport transfers to Marmaris City Center Izmir Airport transfers to Marmaris City Center
For more information about Marmaris City Center we recommend the following sources:
Wikipedia, Marmaris City Center
DMOZ, Links over Marmaris City Center
