Saturday, April 24, 2010

FROM HALICARNASSUS TO BODRUM

BODRUM - JULY 2009

Halicarnassus, modern Bodrum, was an ancient Greek city on the southwest coast of Anatolia in the Gulf of Kos. It was also the site of an important siege in 334 BC that led to the victory of Alexander the Great over the Persian Empire. Known for hosting one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - the Tomb of Mausolus -, Halicarnassus was also home to Herodotus, the Greek historian (484-420 BC).


"BAY - With the castle of St. Peter, built by the Knights of Rhodes between 1402 and 1437"


"VIEWS - With the Ancient Theatre, the Castle and the windmills..."


"ARTEMISIA II OF CARIA & ATATURK - Artemisia was the sister and wife of Mausolus, a satrap in the Persian Empire, who built the city of Halicarnassus. Ataturk is still always present"


"TOMB OF MAUSOLUS - Built between 353 and 350 BC on order of Artemisia II for her dead husband Mausolus, the structure stood approximately 45 meters in height. The present day ruins look like this..."


"TOMB OF MAUSOLUS - It was considered by Antipater of Sidon as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The word mausoleum derives from this tomb of Mausolus, and has since been used as synonymous of any grand tomb"


"CITY VIEWS"


"CASTLE OF ST. PETER OR PETRONIUM - The construction of the castle started in 1402, using squared green volcanic stone and marble columns and reliefs from the nearby Mausoleum of Mausolus to fortify the castle. The first walls were completed in 1437"


"MUSEUM OF UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY - In 1962 the castle was turned into a museum for the underwater discoveries of ancient shipwrecks in the Aegean Sea"


"AMPHORAE"


"MUSEUM"


"TOWERS & MOSQUE - According to Wikipedia, each tongue (the geographic-cultural sub groupings of the members of the Knights of Rhodes/Maltese Knights from the 14th to the 18th century) had its own tower, each in his own style and the French tower being the tallest. The chapel (probably finished by 1406), was reconstructed in Gothic style by Spanish Knights in 1519-1520 and turned into a mosque after the fall of the castle of Rhodes (headquarter of the Knights) in December 1522"


"ENGLISH TOWER - The three-storied English tower was finished in 1413. With two doors, one opening to the north, to the inner part of the castle and the other leading to the western rampart, one could only access this tower via a drawbridge. The western façade shows a carved relief of a lion. Because of this relief, the tower was also called "the Lion Tower". Above this lion, one can see the coat of arms of king Henry IV of England"


"BODRUM & BEACH"


"BODRUM VIEWS - From the castle"

54 comments:

Trotter said...

Hi Folks! This weekend we have the «Days of the Music” here in Lisbon dedicated to Descartes and his book on the Passions of Souls... So, with tickets for fourteen concerts (starting with Händel and ending with Beethoven’s Ninth), I don’t think I’ll find some time to blog here... ;). Anyhow, not to leave you empty hands, I made a post that will bring you from old Halicarnassus to modern Bodrum... Enjoy and have a great weekend!!

SusuPetal said...

Interesting ruins and beautiful trees!

Have a nice music weekend, Gil!

diane b said...

Sounds like a wonderful concert. Enjoy. The post is full of wonderful scenic shots and interesting history. Wow 14th century buildings ...that's old, before Australia was discovered.

Stella Bella said...

very beautiful! :D

Looks like a great place for a lovely holiday!

joo said...

Beautiful photos and beautiful places! I'm just listening Drew Minter singing Handel's arias for Senesino - lucky you to have such a great music weekend ahead!!!! Handel, Descartes and Lisbon! What a fantastic combination:)
Enjoy!

Mariposa said...

amazing pics!!

Lakshmi said...

always been fascinated by greek mythology ..lovely pics as always

[G@ttoGiallo] said...

Nicely documented.

Venksh said...

Hello Gil,
Iam back after long busy week had to do some pending work..
Bodrum seems to very nice place.. superb picx by the way..
Thanks for ur comments..

alicesg said...

Wow The ancient city looked amazing. It is really a wonder that they could built these buildings without modern technology and machines. Very interesting.

P.N. Subramanian said...

The mausoleum of Mausolus should have been a grand edifice. Could have been destroyed by a quake. You look great under the lion head.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Brilliant pictures!

Those artifacts look awesome!

And, I am, as always, in awe about those shots of blue!

Thanks very much for sharing!

Daniel Chérouvrier said...

"Tu blogues donc tu es" aurait pu dire notre Descartes bien aimé.

juka14 said...

Bodrum looks really beautiful, a perfect place for sightseeing and relaxing.

Unknown said...

Some absolutely stunning pictures of Bodrum Gil. Here's hoping you are having a good week.

Unknown said...

So much to discover in Bodrum. Lovely pics. have a great time at the concerts - what a musical fest!

Anonymous said...

I would love to visit this place. Really! *sigh*

Paz

hpy said...

The place looks awfully nice.

Ron said...

Very nice pictures. This place looks beautiful. I enjoy seeing the sunshine.

S-V-H said...

I hope you're enjoying all the concerts these days. I finally found my way to back visiting your blog. I liked and enjoyed the pictures very much.

Have a wonderful time, Manuel!

Unseen Rajasthan said...

Beautiful and lovely shots !! I simply enjoyed this post !! So much beautiful shots !!Also please visit my New Blog About Paranormal Studies of India.Click on the Link to view it Unseen Rajasthan Paranormal

Rajesh said...

Beautiful shots. I wonder how it would have looked if all those ancient ruins would have looked then. It would have been glorious place then.

Shekhawati Paintings

leo said...

Gil, ruins and artifacts pics are awesome. I've enjoyed it. Plus your previous white dress code party post. Looks so much fun!! Envy.

Unseen India Tours said...

Beautiful,lovely and fantastic shots !! Simply amazing and great !!

Tinsie said...

Bodrum looks interesting. I like the white houses, they remind me of Mykonos :-)

indicaspecies said...

Hi Gil,
I must say these photographs are brilliant, thanks for sharing. And do have a good time with the Days of the Music.
- celine

Lara said...

just passing by to say hi - I am having such a busy busy time, with work & study... but it's lovely to delight my eyes with such wonderful photos...

Anonymous said...

Amazing architecture and thanks for the lesson on mausoleums. :) Your weekend sounds wonderful....enjoy the concert (s)!

Gattina said...

Very nice pictures, I remember this place very well !

eye in the sky said...

such eye candy!!!!

Regina said...

Amazing ruins. Love the Mediterranean setting.
I feel like at home here.
Thanks again Trotter for sharing.
Enjoy your weekend.

A Lady's Life said...

Great Shots!
from my blog:Here one must leave behind all hesitation;
here every cowardice must meet its death. (Dante)Enjoy your Days of the Music.:) Now I have another book to read:Passions of Souls :)

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Fascinating place with so much history Gil. The castle views are beautiful!

Pietro Brosio said...

Hello Gil! Absolutely amazing pictures, all very interesting, I like them a lot!
Have a great weekend and enjoy the concerts! :-)

yyam said...

Wow! It must be interesting to see the ruins and visit the museum! :) Love the scenic shots! :)

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! :)

magiceye said...

this is lovely!

lv2scpbk said...

It was great looking at the views and the old pottery.

Urmi said...

City view, castle, museum and all other places looks so beautiful that I feel like visiting. Each and every shot is absolutely superb. Wonderful place and perfect for holidays.

Marja said...

very interesting and beautiful shots WOuld love to go back there one day. WOnderful country

Rhonda Hartis Smith said...

What a beautiful place, wish I was there right now :-)

Chuckeroon said...

So...you're going to listen to the great Anglo-German muscian Handel - a favoutite of mine.

Now then, Trotter: what are we to make of the 45 meter high tomb that has fallen down in such a interesting way? What are we to make of the model of how it was? Amazing!!

Emery Roth said...

Another excellent trip to a place I've heard and read about but never seen, and I appreciated learning the origin on mausoleum. Hmmm, I shoulda guessed.

Cergie said...

Eh Gil, au cas où tu n'aurais pas vu : il y a une belle jeune femme qui te fait un grand sourire au musée
Grandiose panorama au dessus mais on dirait presque une maquette avec des arbres boules en mousse.
:)
"Satrape" j'aime ce mot comme j'aime Sicambre (courbe toi fier Sicambre
Cambre toi vieux si courbe"
> contrepétrie)
Certains vases ne dépareraient pas dans ma collection. Ils ont des formes très modernes et épurées. Je ne parle pas des amphores...

Passe sur Cergipontin tu y verras des jacinthes sauvages Gil ! En as tu déjà vues ?

PeterParis said...

Sorry for having been absent and late with comments lately, but even a retired person can have a (too) busy program! :-)

Now, I have at last come here! As always, nice, complete, interesting, attractive...! Also enjoyed to see Turkey with a little French touch!

Mandy said...

We stayed in Bodrum when we went to Turkey in July 2008. We loved it!

Trotter said...

Hi Everybody! May has arrived, spring is here and nobody hears anything more about Haiti, the Chilean earthquakes or the Icelandic ash cloud... Except that this one threatens to make a remake... Things run too fast now and media’s attention doesn’t last more than a few days on a subject... Anyhow, even though, I’m still stuck and that hasn’t moved... ;). So, your presence here is a priceless company in these times... Thanks for your comments and support!! Even if you didn’t notice there was a Lion Heart King at the English Tower... lol!!

For the melomaniacs, Some information: out of the tweleve concerts I attended at the weekend of the «Days of the Music”, I saw a wonderful Berlioz’s “Symphonie Phantastique” by the Portuguese «Orquestra Sinfonica Metropolitana», conducted by Nir Kabaretti, a fabulous Händel by the «Retrospect Ensemble» (a group formed in 2009, which is London's exciting new period instrument orchestra and choir), an awesome Monteverdi by «I Fagiolini» and an extraordinary Chopin’s Concert nr. 2 for Piano and Orchestra, with Jorge Moyano at the piano!!

Susu,
The tomb of Mausolus is a bit disappointing as most of the marble and other stones were taken away to build the castle, churches and mosques afterwards... But the castle is an outstanding reconstruction of the old times...

Diane,
Oh dear, those ruins of the Tomb of Mausolus are from 350 BC. That is surely much before people in Europe ever thought there was something which would become Australia... ;))

Stella,
Bodrum is definitely a nice spot for a holiday, and it has a lot of choices of different levels available!

Joo,
Have never seen Drew Minter live, but on the «Days of the Music» dedicated to the baroque in 2006, we heard the Ensemble Matheus conducted by Spinosi with Philippe Jaroussky; unbelievable!!! Ah, and the Sinfonia Varsovia played Bach, Haendel and Telemann... ;))
About the combination, you’re the only one missing... ;)

Mariposa,
Thanks! More than the pictures, which are just unremarkable, the sites are truly amazing...

Lakshmi,
Greece always had everything, in the past and in the present; including the most incredible financial crisis of our days... But it touches us all... ;-(
Anyhow, Ephesus is absolutely stunning; but the ruins we see nowadays are from Roman times, when the city was the second largest, immediately after the capital of the empire: Rome...

G@tto,
Great that you liked; don’t think you are keen on archaeological sites... more on walls... ;))

Kven,
Great to see you back! I would love to have one busy week; it would mean the others aren’t that stressing... ;)). Bodrum is definitely a holiday destination, mostly for Germans and Brits, but it accommodates everybody nelse and it even has a Club Med... ;))

Alice SG,
We’ll find one day how they did manage to master a terrific technology to achieve such incredible masterpieces... The new theories on the construction of the Egyptian pyramids are nowadays growing like mushrooms... ;))

P.N.Subramanian,
Thanks! You were one of the few (if not the only one,) who noticed a Lion Heart King under the lion itself... ;)). The Mausoleum was one of the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World, so it must have been truly impressive... ;)

Rakesh,
The amphorae are absolutely stunning and the glasses found in the sunken ships that we may find at the Museum of Underwater Archaeology are the precious gems of the visit to the castle that gave the name to the city...

Daniel,
Voilà le mot d’ordre du vingt et unième siècle: «blogo, ergo sum…» ;)) «Aggiornamento» du Discours du dix septième siècle…

Juka,
Relaxing, it may be, provided that you don’t spend every night of your stay at the Halikarnas Disco Club by the sea... ;))

M.Kate,
Thanks for your kind words: though not entirely deserved... ;)). There are absolutely stunning places around Bodrum; the pictures are just ordinary, not exactly extra... ;))

Trotter said...

Part Two:

Keats,
So much and I didn’t show the Halikarnas disco from inside... ;)).
How’s everything down there? Hope things are running smoothly for the whole family...

Paz,
I can only provide you with a short virtual visit to Bodrum, its monuments, its ruins and its surroundings, but people should «never look a gift horse in the mouth»... ;))

Hélène,
Awfully nice? Makes sense... ;))

Ron,
There will be some more pictures of Bodrum for you to check how nice it is... Actually, this post is mostly dedicated to the old parts, though the views are the best!!

Sue,
Those concerts ended on the 25th of April... ;)). It was a great journey and a terrific musical weekend!! Loved to make the break, but then the following weekends are suffering... I should know to do something else other than working... ;))

Bharat,
As I’ve been telling, I’m not so sure that the shots are beautiful, fantastic and lovely; but, some of the spots are actually beautiful, fantastic and lovely... ;). It’s just a question of perspective... ;)). Paranormal? I think I would rather stay at the old Unseen Rajasthan, where there is so much to see that I haven’t seen yet. Surely one day... ;))

Rajesh,
Just imagine a forty meter high tomb seen from the sea as you approach an old town, where houses would probably be no taller than a single floor... It would surely be quite impressive...
Those paintings on your blog are absolutely awesome!!

Leo,
I’m glad that you enjoyed the pictures, the relics and the ruins...
The Quatorze juillet party with everybody in white was a true French treat for the Club Med guest in Turkey... ;)

Tinsie,
Those white houses (and the windmills we’ll also see in a coming post on the top of the surrounding hills) are wonderful and truly remind Mykonos... or even closer, Kos, just in front of Bodrum, one hour by ferry... I’ve been on both towns, but never made the connection between them... ;))
Hope things aren’t getting too tough for you and your family in Greece!!

Celine,
So long without reading you here; great to see you back!!
If I was a photographer and had a great camera, the pictures would be great... as it is, I’m just happy to show the beauty of the places, rather than the pictures themselves... ;))

Lara,
It’s always a great pleasure to read you here, even though you’re too busy to come more often... Hope things are running well for you with your work and studies... Hopefully there will be some rest one of these days... ;))

Lynn,
Must confess that I had to go to Bodrum to discover the origin of that «mausoleum» word... It must have been a gorgeous monument in those early days and I can imagine sailors arriving at the port and see in that immense structure just on the basis of the hill...

Gattina,
Ah, but you are an expert with regard to Turkey... One day, you should give me some advice on where to go and what to see in Cappadocia - the sole Turkish region still on my wish list... ;)

Eye,
Yeah, but no Photoshop here... Straight from the camera to the uploading... ;). And no eye candy caddies for golf in Bodrum... ;))

Regina,
There is a lot of Mediterranean feeling in Manila, in particular in Intramuros, though I’ve seen it only for some hours after a typhoon left town almost entirely flooded... Have to get back there again one of these days... ;))

Lady,
Thanks! Thos were the lines people could read at the entrance to Dante’s Inferno... ;). The passions of the Soul might be a bit more rational, coming from Descartes... ;)

Pat,
That’s what happens when you travel around the Mediterranean Sea: you run the risk of dropping by some stones that are just some thousands of years old... ;)). Something that is a bit hard to find in the New World... ;))

Pietro,
I’m glad that you liked these; coming from a guy with definitely a very good taste, it sounds a wonderful compliment!! I had some wonderful concerts, as I mentioned in the beginning of these answers, including one I didn’t mention: the Ensemble La Fenice...

Trotter said...

Part Three and final, for the time being...

Yvonne,
OK, I can agree that there are many other things much more interesting to do than visiting ruins and museums. ;)) But sometimes we get wonderful surprises at those sites... ;))

Magic,
Pure Magic!! ;)

Barb,
The glasses are fascinating! Some are similar to a wonderful collection we have here in Lisbon at the Gulbenkian Museum... And the amphorae are absolutely stunning: what a fabulous collection...

Babli,
Glad that you came along; I haven’t noticed before, but I’ll pay more attention to my side next time... ;)). It’s definitely a great spot for a holiday, but one needs to be careful: sometimes it can be rather hot... ;)

Marja,
I’m still dreaming of that tour of yours in the traditional Mediterranean boat... ;). And still there is Cappadocia for me to visit...

Rhonda,
Always want to be someplace else when not travelling... ;). For instance, now I wouldn’t mind to be in New York... ;))

Stuart,
That was a great concert, with some people you may know, as they are based just around the corner: the Retrospect Ensemble... But you probably heard about them first as the King’s Consort... ;))
Not sure if it came down or was brought down... ;))

Ted,
The story of the tomb of Mausolus is incredible; his wife (and sister... I wonder how did the incest taboo work on that society...) brought the best Greek artists of the time to make it...

Lucie,
C’est vrai: je l’ai remarquée pour la première fois le 25 avril 1970… ;))
Ça devrait être vraiment impressionnant; bâti par la femme pour le mari… le contraire du Taj Mahal: bâti par le mari pour la femme… ;)
Les amphores sont magnifiques, mais les verres sont des chefs-d’œuvre…

Peter,
I’m afraid there are some retired people who have programmes much busier than when at work… ;))
That quatorze juillet was amazing... ;)

Emm,
I assume you had a great time there...

Nikon said...

Wow, how did I miss this one! Beautiful!!

Trotter said...

Paul,
I know you have been too busy... ;)

Bindhu said...

Awesome shots and thanks for sharing the info :)

Trotter said...

Bindhu,
Welcome to this blog!! Thanks for commenting here!!

Light and Voices said...

I love to see the seashore shots!
Joyce

Trotter said...

Joyce,
You'll have a view from the sea in one of the next posts...