With its 3,500-year history, cultural and art textureç inherited from ancient civilizations, natural beauties, authentic architecture, agricultural riches, gastronomy, climate, sea and magnificent coves, entertainment life lasting until the morning, accommodation facilities with various concepts satisfying the needs of the guests, the world-renowned Bodrum Peninsula is one among Turkey's idyllic destinations.

Having fascinated mankind from ancient times B.C., Bodrum carries traces of various cultures and civilizations from ancient times to present including Lelegians, Carians, Persian, Dorians, Hellenic, Romans, Byzantine and Ottomans.

Being called the "The Land of Eternal Blues" by the famous historian Homer, Halicarnassus was established at the intersection of Greek and Anatolian civilizations. Archaeological finds belonging to various civilizations indicate that the region and its surroundings have a history of seven thousand years. Being one of the most important port cities of the Caria Region in ancient times, Halicarnassus raised many important figures such as Herodotos, known as the father of history, and Artemisia I., the first female admiral of history.

The adventure of mankind in Bodrum is said to have a history stretching back over  3000 years. Historian Herodotos from Bodrum (484 BC) wrote that the city was founded by the Dorians in 1.000 BC,  where the castle is located today. His writing says that Back then, this place was an island.

The Carians came under the rule of the Lydians in the 6th century BC and then they came under the rule of the Persians. Persians divided Anatolia into various satrapies. The Caria Region was ruled by the Hekatomnus Dynasty. Mausolos moved the capital of the Carian Satrapy from Mylasa to Halicarnassus and had the city redeveloped. Halicarnassus lived its brightest period in these years. During his 24-year rule, Mausolos started to build the monumental tomb known as the Mausoleion, which is one of the seven wonders of the world. After his death, his sister-wife Artemisia II.  continued building of the monument.

In 334 BC, the Macedonian King Alexander the Great conquered the lands in Anatolia under Persian rule. Being burned and destroyed by Alexander, the city could not recover. After the death of Alexander, the region was ruled by his generals for a period of time , then came under the rule of the Ptolemaic dynasty and Rhodes; but Halicarnassus preserved its independence like other coastal cities. In 133 BC, when the Romans as the heir of the Pergamon Kingdom established the Asian State in Anatolia, Caria was included in this state. After the division of Rome into two (324 AC), it became a bishopric under the Aphrodisias Metropolis.

The city was captured by the Turks in the last quarter of the 11th century, and became part of  the Menteşe Beylik in the 13th century. By the conquest of Rhodes by Suleiman the Magnificent, Bodrum became part of the territory of the Ottoman Empire. It was occupied by the Italians at the end of the First World War (May 11, 1919), and the Italian occupation ended in the War of Independence (05.07.1921).

The Name Bodrum Derives From the Knights of St. Petronium

The name Bodrum comes from the founders of St. Peter Castle, the knights of St. Petronium. It comes from the Petrium knights. At that time, this name, pronounced as ‘Bodrum’ by the Turks living here, remained as Bodrum with the establishment of the Republic.

Having had a population of approximately 5000 in the first years of the Republic, Bodrum, was used to be known as a small port town making its living by fishing, sponge diving and agriculture before tourism.With the development of tourism since 1965, population growth and urban development started to make Bodrum a rapidly developing tourism center. Today, Bodrum is a tourism center in the most special and beautiful geography of the world,  distinguished by its cultural and historical richness and increasing its attraction with these features of itself.