Mediterrana

MARMARIS is an important port city and a tourist destination located in southwest Turkey, in the Muğla Province. It has the population of 31.000 inhabitants.

The climate is very mild in winter. The weather is ideal in spring and autumn. It is very hot in the summer months of July and August when temperatures can reach 42 °C. Marmaris gets more than 320 days of sunshine per year making it a popular holiday resort throughout the year.

Physkos as Marmaris was previously known was part of the Carian Empire in the 6th century B.C. when overrun by the Lydians. Another invasion by the Lydians in 334 B.C. led to the partition of the Roman Empire of Alexander the Great. According to the historian Herodotus, the Carians settled in what is now the province of Mugla after coming from Crete.

They also took over the town of Physkos with its large natural harbour, and used it as a military base for their campaigns against the Phoenicians in Rhodes and other Aegean islands. The Carian civilization entered a dark period after 300 B.C., coming under the rule of the Egyptians, Asstrians, Ionians and Dorians successively. The Dorians turned the Carian province into 9 colony cities, also including Halicarnassos and Knidos, which became an active trading centre for Anatolia and led to an increase in handicrafts and maritime trade. In 138 B.C. Attalos the 3rd, King of Bergama, whose predecessors had ruled Caria for 90 years, ceded Physkos to Rome and the city was ruled from Rhodes by Roman generals.

The city became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1425, and the castle was built in 1521 AD for use in a planned assault on Rhodes. The Ottoman Sultan at the time, Kanuni Sultan Suleyman, changed the name of the town to Mimaras, which then became Marmaris according to the historian Evlija Celebi.

Once a little fishing port, Marmaris has developed into one of Turkey’s busiest and most popular resorts. Its port welcomes luxury cruise liners, which disgorge passengers keen to sample the town’s extensive facilities and visit the archaeological sites nearby, just to name a few - the ancient city of Ephesus and Pamukkale another sightseeing place not to be missed.

It is also a major centre for sailing, being home to two major and several smaller marinas. Furthermore, it is a popular wintering location for hundreds of cruising boaters.

There are regular ferry services to the Greek island of Rhodes, and large cruise ships call at the port. The international aiport of Dalamar is located 120km from Marmaris.