Places of Interest of Bodrum:

Bodrum Castle, Turkey

Construction of the castle commenced in 1402 and was built by the Knights Hospitaller as the castle of St.Peter or Petronium. To fortify the castle, workers utilised green volcanic stone, marble columns and reliefs from the Mausoleum of Mausolus located not far from the castle site.  It is said that a papal decree in 1409, guaranteed each worker a seat in heaven in return for their individual efforts in the construction.

In 1437 the initial walls were finished and the chapel is believed to have been, amongst the first inner parts to have been completed. Situated beneath the castle, 14 cisterns were ingeniously constructed to collect the rainwater.

The Turkish Government turned the castle into a museum in 1962 dedicated to the underwater discovers from the surrounding waters.

Today the castle garden hosts a vast collection of specimens covering most of the Mediterranean flora.  Mythology is also represented with significant plants such as Myrtle which is dedicated to Aphrodite.