07/06/2016
MARMARIS - A TRUE PARADISE By Sinan Unsal
Marmaris is a pretty nice Agean port town, a popular tourist destination for many western European people and a nice summer resort in south west of Turkey, on the Agean coast, located in Muğla. The small village of Icmeler (neighbouring tourist resort) is only 7 kms (4.2 miles) from Marmaris along the beautiful coast line of the sunny Turkish Riviera...
The main source of income is made through domestic and international tourism in Marmaris,since mid 1990s Only a little is left of the sleepy fishing village that Marmaris was just a few decades ago, after a construction boom in the mid 1980s.
POPULATION IN MARMARIS
Marmaris still retains its charm due to its exceptional location between two intersecting sets of mountains by the sea. As of year 2010, the town's population was 30,957 peaking at around 300,000 to 400,000 people during the summer tourism season which starts in mid April through first week of November... Soon after the metropolitan city of Muğla has been upgraded to her actual governing situation, all other villeges were connected to Marmaris in 2014. And winter population count of Marmaris has gone up dramatically to 89.630 as of 2015...
THE BAR STREET IN MARMARIS
Marmaris offers so many outdoor facilities to all visiting families, their kids and young people, who look for outdoor sports. There’s so many nice restaurants to choose from along Uzunyalı Beach, so called Long Beach Aveneu, where most of the nice restaurants and bars are located right by the sea. And also The Bar Street in Marmaris, which is well known accross the country, and listed as '' THE BEST BAR STREET IN TURKEY '' , located pretty close to Marmaris Castle (which was built in 1522 AD) offers like a second to non night life entertainment with numerous different bars and night clubs that are open till 3:30 am and full of young people from many different countries ...
It is also a centre for water sports, like sailing, boating and scuba diving, having two major marinas right in the city, Netsel Marina and Yacht Marine and several smaller marinas, just outside Marmaris, like Martı Marina - Orhaniye. It is a popular winter mooring location for thousands of sailing boats and cruising boats from all over the world…
Dalaman Airport is 95 kms (59 miles) from the town center, which is like an hour transfer time if you're booked in a Super-Shuttle by one of the private transfer companies…
CLIMATE IN MARMARIS
Marmaris has an hot summer Mediterranean climate characterised by a very hot and humid summer and cool and rainy winter... Showers and rain are very unlikely between May and October… The weather temperature in shade varies from 28 C’ to 38 C’ in the summer months … The sea water temperatures are like 20 C’ to 30 C’ during summer months !... September is the hottest time for water temperatures, as the sea water temperature goes up to 29 C' as because, it gets heated up all summer long …
Summers are hot and humid, and temperatures are especially high during the heat waves in July and August… October is still warm and bright, though with spells of rain, and many tourists prefer to visit in the early autumn, especially in September, because the temperatures are not as hot as in July and August …
Winters are mild and wet in Marmaris... Winter is the rainy season, with major precipitation falling after November. The annual rainfall can reach to 1,232.7 milimetres (48.531 in); the rainfall is concentrated during scattered days in winter falling in heavy cloudbursts which cause flash floods sometimes in flood prone areas…
Although it is not certain when Marmaris was founded, in the 6th century BC the site was known as Physkos and considered part of ancient Caria Civilisation ...
HISTORY OF MARMARIS
According to the historian Herodotus, there had been a castle on the site since 3000 BC. In 334 BC, Caria was invaded by Alexander the Great and the castle of Physkos was besieged... The 600 inhabitants of the town realised that they had no chance against the invading army and burned their valuables in the castle before escaping to the hills with their women and children. The invaders, well aware of the strategic value of the castle, repaired the destroyed sections to house a few hundred soldiers before the main army returned home...
The town became known as Marmaris during the period of the Menteşe Beyliği (The government of Menteşe), the name derives from the Turkish word mermer (marble) and Greek màrmaron (marble) in reference to the rich deposits of marble in the region, and the prominent role of the town's port in marble trade for many years…
MARMARIS CASTLE - MARMARİS KALESİ (1522 AD)
The next important event regarding the history of Marmaris took place in the mid-fifteenth century, when the Ottoman Turkish Empire began to rise as a result of the efforts of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, who succeeded in conquering and uniting under one banner the various tribes and kingdoms of Anatolia and the Balkans, together with Constantinople… Some of his greatest difficulties came from the Knights of St. John, who occupied the Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean Sea, at the vicinity of Marmaris. Based in Rhodes, the Knights had fought the Ottoman Turks for many years… They were able to withstand the onslaughts of Mehmed II until a succeeding and more powerful sultan came to the scene...
Marmaris Castle was rebuilt from scratch in 1522 by the Ottoman Turkish Sultan Suleiman The Magnificent (who's also known as Muhteşem Süleyman) when he set out for his conquest of island Rhodes, during which Marmaris served as a base for the Ottoman Turkish Navy…
LORD NELSON & BRITISH NAVY IN MARMARIS
Lord NELSON and his entire fleet sheltered in the harbour of Marmaris in 1798, en route to Egypt to defeat Napoleon's armada during the Mediterranean campaign…
Since 1979, renovation work has been continuing at the castle, in order to restore it back to its original condition... Under the auspices of the Turkish Ministry of Culture, the castle was converted into a museum... There are seven galleries, of which the largest is being used as an exhibition hall and the courtyard is decorated with seasonal flowers. Built at the same time as the castle in the bazaar, there is also a small Ottoman Turkish Caravanserai built by Suleiman's mother Ayşe Hafsa Sultan…
Photography and Article by Sinan S. UNSAL
