ANCIENT SETTLEMENTS ON THE PENINSULA

There are 12 other ancient settlements on the peninsula, besides the ancient city of Halicarnassos.

These cities are Pedasa, Telmoisos (Gürece), Termera and the Castle of Aspat, Müsgebi (Ortakent), the old and new Myndos, Uranium, Madnasa, Sibda (Side), Yeni (New) Karyanda, Syangela, Theangela, Kindye (Sığırtmaç), Eski (Old) Karyanda, and Bargylia. A large proportion of these are vestiges of old Leleg civilization.

During the reign of the Halicarnassos’ King Mausolus II, the citizens of six of these cities were forced to migrate to Halicarnassos while those of Myndos and Syangela were moved to other places and the cities rebuilt in the Hellenistic style. Thus, instead of the having a scattered and weak population, Halicarnassos was made stronger and prosperous by accumulation of the population to the same location.

Except for the ancient city of Bargylia, most of what remains from these settlements is parts of walls and towers. The settlements are generally on hills and mountains. A visit to one or all is recommended to those interested in archaeology and for those who want to discover history and nature by walking. We should mention that the view is much more impressive than the ruins.

BARGYLIA

Bargylia; If you head towards the Gulf of Güllük and get to the edge of the peninsula and the Cove of Varvil you will find the ancient city of Bargylia. The sites where there are remains are four kilometers off the main road. You can get there by four-wheel drive, though it is much easier to get here by boat from Güllük. At the site of the ancient city, which had its glory days during the Hellenistic and Roman eras, you can see the columns, the walls of a Roman temple, an altar with relieves, a small part of a theatre, the ruined foundations of a stoa, fragments of a Roman era aqueduct, city walls and the town’s cemetery.

The Aspat Kalesi (Castle of Aspat) is on the top of the conical hill facing Aspat Cove in Akyarlar. The ancient settlement of Termera is two kilometers further along on Asarlık Hill, one kilometer from the village of Manidra. Foot can only reach it. You can however, get to Mandira by car following the road from the village of Gürece where Telmisos is located.

Karyanda; There are some ruins from the ancient city of Karyanda on Salih Island opposite Güvercinlik. It is claimed that Yeni Karyanda (New One) was located on the site of the current settlement of Gölköy. However, there are no remains to prove that these were the locations of these ancient cities.

Kndye: The ancient site is near the Milas-Bodrum road, past the turn for Güllük on the hillside between the villages of Kemikler and Sığırtmaç. Little remains of the ancient city of Kndye apart from rough stonewall.

Madnasa and Sibda; On one of the hills that face Türkbükü and Gölköy is Madnasa (Kökpınar Tepesi) and the other hill Sibda/Side (Karadağ). In both cities, there are the remains of walls and towers from the acropolis and some ceramic and pottery pieces. In order to get to Sibda you have to turn off the road to Yukarı Gölköy and go to the village of Belen by car. By walking from Belen for 40 minutes you get to the ruins of a church and a castle. Another 40 minutes walk gets you to Karadağ where the ruins of Sibda are to be found. While the ruins are not very spectacular, the view that gives you a panorama of the peninsula are.

Müsgebi in Ortakent was also a Leleg settlement. During the excavations conducted in the necropolis of this city, pottery from the 15th and 13th centuries BC from Mycea civilization was discovered.

Old Myndos was also a Leleg city. Its ruins are located on Bozdağ Hill, one kilometer inland from Kadikalesi. There is no road to the hill and walking up takes about an hour. On top you will see the ruins of the city walls and the remains of a square building. The view from the top, which encompasses the whole of modern Gümüşlük and a large part of the peninsula, is extremely impressive. The people of Old Myndos were relocated to New Myndos during the rule of Mausolus II.

New Myndos is has been where the village of Gümüşlük has been built. The city was not much added to after the reign of Mausolus II and was almost forgotten in the Roman period. This is another reason why little remains from the city, as is the case with some other ancient cities on the peninsula. The walls that surrounded the city can be also seen from the isle of Gümüşlük. If you follow the road from Turgut Reis to Gümüşlük and drive for one kilometer, at the side of the road you can see tombs hidden in the rocks.

Pedasa is four kilometers flying distance from Bodrum, on the top of a hill covered with trees. It can only be reached by foot, as there is no road. For those who are interested, this trip will give them a pleasant hike and great satisfaction. The ruins can be seen on the top of the hill, within a circle of 150 meters in diameter. The remains are generally of the walls and the inner castle. To the south and south east of this area you can see tombs in the style of the Lelegs.

Syangela; In the Gulf of Gökova region, on the hill above the Alazeytin district of the village of Çiftlik, there are the ruins of the ancient city of Syangela. You get to the ruins after a 20-minute walk through olive trees. All that remains from the ancient city are ruins of houses and other buildings. From the hilltop you can see the Gulf of Gökova and Orak Island.

Telmisos is on the Bodrum-Turgutreis road, three kilometers past Ortakent. The site is in the village of Gürece, which is two kilometers before the turn for Gümüşlük.  The hill where the remains are to be found is to the north of the main road. You can see remains of the Hellenistic period, mainly the towers of the city’s walls. The historian Herodotus said that there has been Temple of Apollo here, which was famous for its oracles. No traces of the temple, however, have survived.

The city of Termera is like the other Leleg cities, with very few traces or ruins that have survived to our time. The inner castle on the top of the hill is completely destroyed, though some part of the lower wall is standing.

The city of Theangela, where Mausolus II relocated the people of Syangela, is on a hill one kilometer from the village of Pınarbelen, along the Mumcular-Bodrum road. The path leading from the village to the hill is very steep and the walk takes some time. It is recommended to take a guide from the village. The ruins at the top, however, are worth the effort.  In cooler weather you might enjoy it more.

Three kilometers to the south west of Yalıkavak, there are the ruins of the Leleg settlement on the two hills above the village of Geriş that is believed to be Uranium. What remains from that civilization are ruins of a mausoleum on the top of the hill near the shore.  Again the walls and towers can be identified.