MARMARİS
Once a sleepy
fishing village, Marmaris has ballooned into
one of the largest resorts on the Aegean
coast, if not Turkey. Little of its history
remains, as the town is now a modern
development with tourism at its heart and
soul. The population swells to a massive
200,000 in the summer, with most hotels,
restaurants, nightclubs and shops catering to
low-cost package holidays, although there are
facilities for all budgets.
Despite
the development which reaches around 10km
along the west of the bay, Marmaris is also
well-known for its expanse of green, present
the whole year round thanks to the
pine-covered hills which surround the town.
There are many beaches around the bay, and
there are ancient cities and seaside villages
close by for day trips. The yacht harbour is
the biggest and newest in Turkey, and
therefore the busiest charter port especially
for trips along the Turquoise Coast.
In
addition to the climate, beaches and
facilities of the town, the transportation
infrastructure is a definite plus for
attracting visitors. It has easy connections
to the nearby airport Dalaman, ferries to
Rhodes, and on the road to Datca and Fethiye.
The harbour has attracted private boats from
around the world, with yacht maintenance and
production in the workshops on the Yalanci
Strait. With the climate being comfortable
even in winter, and the nearby impressive
mountains and pine forests, Marmaris is likely
to remain a popular and practical holiday spot
for a long time.
History
It is thought
that the first settlement in Marmaris, whose
history dates back to 3400 BC, began with the
arrival of a tribe to the region, whose leader
was called Kar. The area was then called Karla
after him, and its location around the Aegean
and Mediterranean Seas always made it an
appealing region.
Suleyman
the Magnificent assembled a force of 200,000
in 1522, whilst launching the siege of the
Knights of St John’s base in Rhodes (Rodos).
Soon afterwards, he made the city more
powerful with the rebuilding of the tiny
castle overlooking the town. Lord Nelson and
his entire fleet sheltered in the harbour in
1798, en route to Egypt to defeat Napoleon’s
armada at the Battle of Aboukir.
Marmaris therefore became a place where
different civilisations reigned over time, and
there is architectural and historical evidence
of Egyptian, Asdur, Ion, Dor, Persian,
Macedonian, Syrian, Roman, Byzantium, Seljuk
and Ottoman presence.
Climate
Summers are extremely hot and dry, with
daytime temperatures reaching up to 35
degrees, and winters are warm and wet,
plunging to 5 degrees at night. The area is
quite typical
of a Mediterranean climate.
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