The Bodrum Castle (St. Peter’s Castle) is situated on a small rocky peninsula between two sheltered bays in Bodrum, on Anatolia’s south-western coast. This peninsula, which was inhabited and known as Zephyrion in antiquity, was most likely utilised as a back base by the Byzantines in the early Middle Ages and then by the Turks. The Order of St. John of Jerusalem (also known as Knights of St. John, Knights Hospitallers, Knights of Rhodes) built the castle under the direction of The Grand Master Philibert de Naillac at the beginning of the 15th century A.D., and ruled it for almost 120 years until Suleiman I (Suleiman The Magnificent) conquered Rhodes in 1522.
Bodrum Castle, which was constructed 600 years ago by the Knights of Sen Jan, began restoration work in 2017. The walls of the castle, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses the world’s most important underwater archaeological museum, have been strengthened and the items have been preserved.
The restoration work at Bodrum Castle, which let guests inside some areas last year during the restoration phase, has now been completed, and all halls have been revealed. This year, 150,000 local and international visitors came to the ancient place, which welcomed them despite the pandemic.
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In an announcement, Huseyin Toprak, director of the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology, said:
“The halls opened for visits consist of an indoor area of 1,300 square meters. There are 12 different halls. In 6 of these halls, our underwater works are exhibited, 5 of our works that come out of the land are exhibited, and in 1 of them we give information. Our halls are seriously attracting visitors. Despite the pandemic this year, the total number of domestic and foreign visitors is close to 150,000. This figure is predominantly foreign tourists. We are happy to be able to welcome so many visitors during the pandemic period.”