Marmaris Castle

Marmaris Castle is an old medieval citadel situated in Muğla Province of Turkey.

 

Location: Muğla Province Map

Constructed: 1522 by the Ottoman sultan Süleyman the Magnificent

Tel. (0252) 412 14 59

Open: 8am- noon & 1pm- 5:30pm Tue- Sun

 

Marmaris Castle is a historical castle located in the Marmaris district of Muğla. The castle was rebuilt by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman I during the Rhodes campaign.

 

History

The famous historian Herodotus wrote that the first city walls in Marmaris were built in 3,000 BC. The castle, built in the 2nd millennium BC, was first repaired during the Ionian period (1044 BC) and later after the Macedonian King Alexander conquered Marmaris.

The only written source written by the Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi about the construction of the Castle is his work Seyahatname. Çelebi, who visited Muğla and its surroundings in the 17th century, wrote that Suleiman I ordered the construction of the castle before his expedition to Rhodes and that the castle served as a military base during the campaign.

During World War I, the walls of the castle were damaged by cannon fire from French warships. People from Marmaris were inhabited in the castle until 1979.

 

Archeology Museum

Marmaris Castle is one of the few castles in Turkey that also has a museum. The castle, which was restored between 1980 and 1990, was opened as a museum in 1991 by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey. Marmaris Archeology Museum, which has been open to public visits since then, is located inside the castle.

There are a total of 18 rooms, a fountain and an ark in the museum. The museum has 7 indoor spaces, 2 archeology halls and 1 ethnography hall. Other parts of the museum are divided into exhibition halls and warehouses.

Various amphora artifacts from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods are exhibited in the archaeological section of the museum. In addition, pottery and glassware, coins and ornaments unearthed as a result of archaeological excavations in various ruins in the region such as Knidos, Burgazada and Hisarönü are other artifacts in the museum. Various items, tools and equipment from the Ottoman period are exhibited in the ethnography section of the museum.

In the museum inventory; It has been announced that there are a total of 14 thousand 984 registered works in various categories such as archaeological remains, coins and ethnographic works. The museum, which was visited by 19,708 tourists in the first 5 months of 2018, is among the 22 museums that generate the highest income in Turkey, according to 2017 statistics.

 

Location

Marmaris Castle is located in the Marmaris district of Muğla. The castle is located in the transition zone between the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean. Due to its location, it has a dominant position over the city.