Guest Post based on Sue’s original article

Last year, Sue visited the Bodrum Peninsula. She wrote about it on her Suemtravels blog, and she’s graciously agreed to share her daily adventures with us.

During her stay she visited historical sights and some of the towns and villages in the area, and her articles provide some great inspiration for getting off the beaten path and discovering the surrounding sights.

Ancient City of Pedasa

Today I hiked to the Ancient City of Pedasa with a group of tourist from Denmark. Our guide, Erkan Şehirli, provided excellent commentary on the history of Pedasa and the area.

The weather was clear and windy. The vistas were amazing!

Pedasa existed some 2,500 to 3,000 years ago in the hills surrounding Bodrum. It’s one of the oldest civilizations of the Aegean region.

Walking paths we crossed have ancient cities buried beneath them. Today the visible remains of Pedasa are a maze of loose rocks and stone walls. In the Medieval period the Knights of Rhodes used stones taken from Pedasa to build Bodrum Castle.

The uphill hike to Pedasa over a cobbled road led us to breathtaking panoramic views of the Aegean Sea from the top.

The vegetation was lush and green from winter rains and wild flowers were abundant. We hiked by grazing cattle and passed turtles slowly making their way along the road.

Pedasa History

Pedasa was in the Caria region first inhabited by the Lelegs and Carians, indigenous populations, as early as 3000 BC. “More than 20 ancient cities, inhabited by Carians and Lelegs, still bear witness to the glorious past of the region.” Homer wrote about Mausolus, the king of Lelegs, in the Iliad which details events that took place during the 10th year of the Trojan War. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was erected in honor of Mausolus.

“Lelegs preferred high locations away from the sea so they could watch the coast and be protected from attacks. In this civilization the typical masonry included circular walls. The most interesting aspect of Lelegs’ construction techniques is that they did not use a material like cement or plaster to merge the rocks when building.”