BODRUM & THE CASTLE OF ST. PETER

The half-day tour of Bodrum consists of the visit of the Castle of St. Peter

One of the world's best preserved monuments from medieval times, it stands as a solid testament to the Bodrum area as a place worth defending.

The Castle's origins go back to the Knights of St. John, a group of expatriates who drew their ranks from Europe. This "Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem" began in the Eleventh Century with a church and hospital set up for pilgrims in Jerusalem. The Crusader castle was built by the Knights of St. John between 1402 and 1409.

After being defeated in Symrna (The ancient name of Izmir), the Knights came to Halikarnassos and began the construction of the castle. Unknowingly, they used many stones from the great tomb of Mausolus. Today on the walls of the castle you can see lots of stones from Mausoleum, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.