In the very centre of the rocky peninsula, on a cliff is an ancient fortress, which is surrounded by small houses with shops. According to Herodotus, the castle was built by the Ionians in 3000 BC. Inside the castle, a city sprang up, which eventually grew over the hills and reached the sea itself.
During the Hellenistic era, Alexander the Great attacked Caria and the castle became surrounded. The inhabitants of the city realised that they could not repel the attack of the mighty army and decided to set fire to the castle and escape from it. The invaders realised that the castle was strategically important, so they rebuilt some of its destroyed parts. The invaders left several hundred soldiers in the castle before returning home.
In 1522, Sultan Suleiman the First ordered the castle to be rebuilt. Once fortified, the castle, along with the harbour, became an additional military base for the Ottoman Empire's navy. During World War I, the castle was shelled by the French army and was badly damaged.
Already in 1979, it was decided to restore the original appearance of the castle and restoration work began. The castle was opened to the public on 18 May 1991. By the decision of the Turkish Ministry of Culture, the castle became a museum. The archeological part of the exposition was placed in the courtyard of the castle, and the ethnographic part is located inside the castle. There are seven galleries in the castle-museum. The largest gallery houses the exhibition hall. All the galleries and the courtyard are decorated with flowers.
The first gallery is dedicated to Turkey's seventh president, Kenan Evren. His honours and gifts can be seen here. The second gallery displays ancient artefacts that were found during archaeological excavations. The third gallery, designed in ethnographic style, is a traditional Turkish house. The fourth gallery is the working room of the castle commander. The castle houses several ancient cannons and stone cannonballs, as well as huge anchors that stand against the wall.
Often various artistic and cultural events are held within the castle walls. The bastions of the castle offer a splendid panorama of the harbour, the bay and the city itself.
Often the castle walls host various artistic and cultural events.
