The town is rather touristy and noisy but its history is captivating. The Knights of St John were originally charged with defending the Holy Land after the First Crusade seized Jerusalem around 1099. They lost this to invading Islamic armies and retreated to Rhodes and Malta. However, the knights still wanted a base on Asia Minor and the site was chosen. It had previously been the a fortification as early as 1110 BCE and also a palace of King Mausolos (who went on to build one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - an extremely large burial monument to himself, known of course as a Mausoleum. All the stone from this building was recycled into the castle, so only the foundations of the Mausoleum remain today). The castle was designed by Heinrich Schlegelholt, a knight architect. Over the next century or so the castle was a refuge for Christians but also for some prominent Islamic figures who feared execution at the hands of their families. The vast armies of Sultan Suleiman attacked Rhodes in 1522. The Knights surrendered and handed over the Castle of St Peter as well. Thus the castle went into Islamic hands in which it has remained ever since. It has had many and various uses over time but nowadays it hosts the fascinating Museum of Underwater Archaeology. Like most historic things in Turkey it is only possible through the work of foreigners, in this case Americans. The castle is well worth a visit if you are in town. The ruins of the mausoleum are not all that interesting. A large Roman era amphitheatre is found above the town and is being renovated.
From Bodrum we flew downwind into the gulf to explore some remote and lovely anchorages. The wind stayed around 25 kts much of the time but subsided overnight. Diomedea returned via the popular anchorage of Adana Adasi and another bay near Bodrum before turning north once again. We had planned to stop at the ancient city of Melitos but the anchorage was chock-a-block and no ruins were visible. Our voyage continued up to Didyma and the excellent Didim Marina, at which we made a rendezvous with Southern Star and Stormvogel.
Didyma was the site of the temple and oracle of Apollo in the ancient Greek world and was second only to Delphi in importance. The ruins remain today. The town itself is relatively drab and dull so there is little reason to visit it. For the crews of the three yachts it was a time to pool resources and take a trip to fabulous Ephesus, north of Kusadasi and some hours driving from Didyma.
Ephesus was inhabited in the Neolithic period around 6000BCE but the ancient Greeks established the city as an Ionian colony around 1000BCE. Needless to say it went on to have a long and chequered history, being conquered and retaken by all and sundry. In Roman times it was the capital of Asia Minor with a population of about 250,000. For a very long time it was a seaport but the Little Meander river and its harbour gradually silted up and the access to the Aegean was lost. Today the city is 5km inland! The city was eventually taken by Islamic forces in 1304 and then abandoned in the 15th century. Ephesus has huge significance for Christianity as Paul the Apostle lived and wrote here as did John. Mary, mother of JC ended her days in Ephesus. A very large Church of St Mary can be seen as ruins today. Early councils to ratify Christian doctrine were held in Ephesus. As a tourist one is overwhelmed by the size and grandeur of what was a very big city by the standards of the day. Most impressive is the Library of Celsus built in 125 CE but equally the amphitheatre with seating for 25,000 people is incredible. Most of the work to expose and restore the site has been done by Austrians and continues today. A visit to this ancient capital is not to be missed.
Finally the time to say farewell to Turkey came. We spent some time overhauling all the seals on one of hydraulic steering rams and doing many other jobs. Then it was food and fuel, clearing out of the country with the help of the very nice local agent Attila (the Turk) and we were in the wind.