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     | White-washed and 
    flower-bedecked Bodrum is one of the most charming cities and sophisticated 
    resorts on the Aegean coast. Beautiful Turkish-made wooden boats, called 
    gulets, line the waterfront and can be hired for the day. (In fact, Bodrum 
    has been a center for boat building since the days of Mark Anthony and 
    Cleopatra.) Local restaurants feature specialties of octopus and calamari; 
    shops are filled with Turkish treasures such as leather and woven rugs.
  The history of Bodrum, known formerly as Halicarnassus or Halicarnassos, goes back to the 13th century BC. Excavations 
reveal the 5000-year-old history of this town.
 Bodrum's oldest antiquity, the Mausoleum, was built 
by Artemisia II in honor of her husband King Mausolos. It became one of the 
wonders of the ancient world. The entire structure stood at over 50 meters in 
height. The first bas reliefs from the Mausoleum reached the British Museum in 
London in 1846; these included frescos and other objects. Remnants of 
antiquities remain in the city and in its attractive museum and gardens. One can 
walk from the port to the main excavations and the museum.
 Bodrum offers an attractive port and a nearby beach that draws sunbathers.
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