Marmaris
A harbour town facing Rhodes, with an Ottoman castle above its marina.
The Turkish name
Marmaris
At a glance
- Province
- Muğla
- Ancient name
- Physkos
- Landmark
- Marmaris castle, completed 1545
- Across the water
- Rhodes
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The story
Marmaris lies in a deep bay on the Mediterranean, with the Datça peninsula to the west and pine-covered hills around it. Rhodes is about 45 minutes away by sea, and the town has long been the mainland's gateway to the island and the Aegean islands beyond.
The oldest quarter, Kale, climbs a small hill above the water. Sultan Süleyman gathered his army here for the conquest of Rhodes in 1522 and ordered a castle and a caravanserai, finished in 1545. When the earthquakes of 1957 flattened most of the town, the castle and the old buildings around it were among the few left standing.
The ancient city of Physkos stood nearby, and Sedir island in the Gökova gulf holds the ruins of Kedrai and the beach known as Cleopatra's.
