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.
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.
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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.
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There
are bars and night clubs to appeal to all
tastes located in the city center, around
the quay (which is located between the
marina and the old town square), in the old
shopping area and in the ‘bar street’
area. Heading towards the Bar Street, the
lively party atmosphere will make you lose
track of time and take you into the early
hours of the morning. The longest street in
Marmaris, Güzelyali Street, is quite busy
and an entertaining place for summer night
walks. Restaurants, little stands on which
handicrafts are displayed, discos and bars
all along the street will attract your
attention. The path alongside the coast
between the city center and Içmeler is
abundant with restaurants, discos and bars
which come to life early in the evenings.
Wooden piers stretching into the sea serve
as a sundeck by day and turn into food and
entertainment areas by night. These are
referred to as “beach bars
Marmaris
Maritime and Spring Festival is organizing
by the Marmaris Municipality between the
dates of 16-19 May, and it covers several
activities related wit the sea. Marmaris
Maritime and Spring Festival Race is one of
them, and will be hosted by MIYC. The Race
will be in two days and routes will be
inshore. Registry is free of charge, only
IRC 2008 certificate is needed to race. You
should fill the entry form latest by 15th
May, 17:00 hrs.
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