Bodrum: Discovering History Written in the Stones

Bodrum is much more than sun, sea, and white buildings. It is an open-air museum,

where millions of years of Earth's history can be read by anyone who knows where to

look.

This itinerary was created so that anyone, without any prior knowledge of geology, can

discover the incredible natural history inscribed on the stones of the Aegean coast.

You will learn to identify rocks on the facades of historical monuments and understand

how the Knights Hospitaller reused local volcanic stone and gleaming marble from the

ancient Mausoleum of Halicarnassus to build the walls of the Castle of St. Peter. You

will understand why the peninsula's hills and bays have their dramatic shapes, born of

eruptions and the collapse of a massive ancient volcanic caldera, and discover the

origins of the stones used by the Lelegian civilisation to build the ancient city of

Pedasa in the surrounding hills.

Along the way, we will travel through the heart of the city, walking from the

archaeological site of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus down to the imposing Bodrum

Castle on the harbour, with strategic stops for geological observation, beautiful views,

and historical curiosities.