Bodrum is not just beaches and clubs, there are plenty of things to do in Bodrum that are bursting historical intrigue. Today we will talk about Bodrum castle. And the Underwater Archaeology Museum which is located inside the Bodrum Castle.
Bodrum Castle is surrounded by the sea on 3 sides, it was built between 1406-1523, in the form of a square with 5 towers in the castle: Italian Tower, German Tower, English Tower, and Serpent Tower, the tallest of which is the French tower with a height of 47.50 meters. In addition, there are 14 cisterns inside the castle…
The walls on the façade, where the castle is connected to the land, are built in two layers. However, the eastern walls facing the sea were not reinforced because the knights were sure that the navies would defend well to face any attack from the sea. Since they were assertive about sea wars, they did not make the sea walls as strong as the land walls. Again, for the same reason, they built 7 gates before reaching the inside of the castle. One of the doors is characterized by the 16th-century Greek script saying that ”Those who spy will be punished.”
When Rhodes was conquered by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1522, the knights were forced to leave the castle and a mosque was added to the castle. During the First World War, the mosque minaret was destroyed by French artillery fire. The restoration of the castle started in 1960 and the minaret was rebuilt in 1997. The castle is now used as the Bodrum Underwater Archeology Museum and the artifacts recovered from the wrecks in the region are exhibited there. At the same time, one of the castle moats, which was filled with seawater in time, is now used as a festival area where theater plays are performed.