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Bodrum Castle
The Castle of St. Peter or Petronium
The Castle of St. Peter
The Bodrum Castle is located on a small rocky peninsula set between two sheltered bays in Bodrum, on the south- west coast of Anatolia. This peninsula inhabited and known in the ancient world as Zephyrion and was probably used as a rear base by the Byzantines in the early Middle Ages and then by the Turks. The Castle was built by the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (also called Knights of St.John, Knights Hospitallers, Knights of Rhodes) under the mastership of The Grand Master Philibert de Naillac, at the beginning of 15th century A.D., and ruled by them almost 120 years until the conquest of Rhodes by Suleiman I (Suleiman The Magnificent) in 1522. In Ottoman Period, the Bodrum Castle is used as a small garrison base and in 1895 it was transformed into a prison. During the 1st World War, the castle was bombed on the 26th of May 1915 by a French battleship. This caused great damage to the castle, the prisoners were moved inland and the castle was evacuated. Then the Italians invaded Bodrum and they posted their soldiers at the castle and used it as their headquarters. Following the success of the Turkish War of Independence under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal on the 5th of July 1921, the Italian military forces were dispersed. Between the years 1939-1945 during the 2nd World War, the Castle was yet again used as a military base but was evacuated at the end of the war. Today, the Bodrum Castle is home to the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, which is unique in Turkey, and one of the most significant Underwater Archaeology Museums in the world.
Museum of Underwater Archaeology
​The Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum, situated within Bodrum Castle, is the only museum in Turkey and one of the few museums in the world dedicated to the field of underwater archaeology. The museum has been open since 1964 and houses a rich collection of underwater artefacts dating from the 16th century BC to the 16th century AD. The majority of these artefacts were discovered during underwater excavations carried out off the coast of Turkey since 1960. In addition to the underwater finds, the museum also exhibits land finds that shed light on the history of the Bodrum Peninsula. The Late Bronze Age Shipwrecks Hall, Serçelimanı Glass Shipwreck Hall, TektaÅŸ Shipwreck Hall, Bozukkale Archaic Shipwreck Hall and Yassıada Shipwrecks Hall in the museum present a comprehensive collection of the unique finds recovered from shipwrecks, along with detailed information on shipbuilding techniques and maritime trade in the periods to which they belong. The Uluburun Shipwreck, dating back to the Late Bronze Age (14th century BC), is regarded as the most significant discovery of the 20th century in underwater archaeology, representing the earliest period of long-distance international maritime trade and exhibiting a rich variety of finds. At the Serçelimanı Glass Shipwreck Exhibition, the largest glass group from Syria, the most important Islamic glass production centre of the Middle Ages, and scrap glass collected for recycling a thousand years ago can be seen. The Amphora Exhibition section of the museum, which has one of the largest amphora collections in the world, exhibits the major amphorae used in various regions of the Mediterranean world from the 16th century BC to the 12th century AD. The History of Underwater Archaeology Exhibition presents the birth of underwater archaeology in Turkey for the first time in the world, showcasing the contributions of sponge hunters from Bodrum and the pioneering efforts of those who laid the foundations of underwater archaeology. The Early Bronze Age Necropolises Hall, Müsgebi Necropolis Hall, Halicarnassos East Necropolis Hall, Princess of Caria Hall and Pedasa Hall are the halls where land finds that shed light on the history of the Bodrum Peninsula are exhibited. The Müsgebi Necropolis is home to the most extensive collection of Mycenaean artefacts in Turkish museums.
