Marmaris

During the period of the Beylik of Menteşe; the city became known as Marmaris, a name derived from the Greek màrmaron (marble; Turkish: mermer), in reference to the rich marble deposits in the region, and the prominent role of the city's port in the marble trade.

Image:Marmaris Castle.jpg]]

It is not certain when Marmaris was founded but in the 6th century BC the site was known as Physkos ({{langx|grc|Φύσκος}} or {{langx|grc|Φοῦσκα|translit=Phouska|label=none}}) in Greek, also Latinised as Physcus. It was in a part of Caria that belonged to Rhodes and contained a magnificent harbour and a grove sacred to Leto.Strabo, Geography, xiv; Stadiasmus Maris Magni § 245; Ptol., Geography 5.2.11.{{Cite DGRG|title=Physcus}}

According to the historian Herodotus, there had been a castle on the site since 3000 BC.{{cn|date=November 2023}} The area eventually came under the control of the Persian Empire. In 334 BC, Caria was invaded by Alexander the Great and Physkos Castle was besieged.{{cn|date=November 2023}} The town's 600 inhabitants realised that they had no chance against the invading army and burned their valuables in the castle before escaping to the hills. Aware of the strategic value of the castle, the invaders repaired the destroyed sections to house a few hundred soldiers before the main army returned home.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

Image:Marmaris by Piri Reis.jpg]]

Image:48700_Karaca-Marmaris-Muğla,_Turkey_-_panoramio_(14).jpg

In the later Middle Ages, Marmaris formed part of the Beylik of Menteşe.{{cn|date=November 2023}} Then In the mid-fifteenth century, Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror conquered and united the various tribes and kingdoms of Anatolia and the Balkans, and acquired Constantinople. The Knights of St. John, based in Rhodes, had fought the Ottoman Empire for many years and managed to withstand the onslaughts of Mehmed II too.{{cn|date=November 2023}} When Suleiman the Magnificent set out to conquer Rhodes, Marmaris served as a base for the Ottoman navy; Marmaris Castle was rebuilt from scratch in 1522 to accommodate an Ottoman army garrison.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

In 1798, Admiral Nelson assembled his fleet in the harbour at Marmaris before setting sail for Egypt and the Battle of the Nile which put an end to Napoleon's ambitions in the Mediterranean.{{Cite web |title=Cornucopia Magazine: A Connoisseur's Guide to Marmaris & Bozburun Peninsula |url=https://www.cornucopia.net/guide/marmaris/ |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=www.cornucopia.net}}

In 1801, a British force of 120 ships under Admiral Keith and 14,000 troops under General Abercromby anchored in the bay for eight weeks, using the time to train and resupply ready their mission to end the French campaign in Egypt and Syria.{{cite book|last=Mackesy|first=Piers|year=1995|title=British Victory in Egypt, 1801: The End of Napoleon's Conquest|url={{Google books|rsj8RStBgjwC|page=16|plainurl=yes}}|page=16}}

Throughout Ottoman rule, Marmaris retained its majority Greek population up until the end of World War I. In the aftermath of the 1919–1922 Greco-Turkish War and the subsequent population exchange, the majority Greek population of Marmaris left for Greece and the town was settled by Turkish migrants from the Balkans. The two Fethiye earthquakes of 1957 almost completely destroyed the city. Only the castle and the historic buildings surrounding it were left undamaged.{{Cn|date=December 2023}}

Renovation work on the castle started in 1979. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, it was converted into a museum with seven galleries, the largest of them used as an exhibition hall. The courtyard is full of seasonal flowers. Built at the same time as the castle, there is also a small Ottoman caravanserai built by Süleyman's mother Ayşe Hafsa Sultan in the bazaar.{{Cn|date=December 2023}}

There were many forest fires in the early 2020s.{{Cite web |title=Forest fire ravages 25 hectares in southwestern Turkey |url=https://bianet.org/haber/forest-fire-ravages-25-hectares-in-southwestern-turkey-280983 |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=bianet.org |language=en}}

Marmaris is now a major package-holiday destination popular in particular with British visitors. Although adjacent İçmeler is theoretically a separate resort, these days the two more or less run into each other.

Most visitors to Marmaris come for the beaches and watersports. There are also popular cruises that take in islands in the surrounding bay, including Sedir Island (Turkish: Sedir Adası), commonly known as Cleopatra's Island, which is famous for its soft, white - and now protected - sand.

Summer visitors can also take day trips to the Greek islands of Symi and Rhodes.

In 2018, archaeologists discovered the 2300 year-old pyramid-shaped tomb of the ancient Greek boxer Diagoras near the city of Marmaris. The following words were inscribed on it in Greek: "I will be vigilant at the very top so as to ensure that no coward can come and destroy this grave,"{{Cite web |url=https://ahvalnews6.com/archaeology/turkish-locals-stunned-find-out-sacred-tomb-belongs-ancient-greek-boxer |title=Turkish locals stunned to find out sacred tomb belongs to ancient Greek boxer |access-date=2018-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525062921/https://ahvalnews6.com/archaeology/turkish-locals-stunned-find-out-sacred-tomb-belongs-ancient-greek-boxer |archive-date=2018-05-25 }} The structure had been believed to be the grave of a saint and was visited by locals seeking answers to their prayers, but once it was realised that it was not a holy site, the mausoleum was looted.{{Cite web |url=https://ahvalnews6.com/archaeology/turkish-locals-stunned-find-out-sacred-tomb-belongs-ancient-greek-boxer |title=Turkish locals stunned to find out sacred tomb belongs to ancient Greek boxer |access-date=2018-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525062921/https://ahvalnews6.com/archaeology/turkish-locals-stunned-find-out-sacred-tomb-belongs-ancient-greek-boxer |archive-date=2018-05-25 }}{{Cite web|url=https://eu.greekreporter.com/2018/05/21/turkey-shrine-turns-out-to-be-tomb-of-ancient-greek-boxer/|title=Turkey 'Shrine' Turns Out to be Tomb of Ancient Greek Boxer {{!}} Greek Reporter Europe|last=Smith|first=John|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-02}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.trthaber.com/haber/turkiye/yillarca-turbe-sanildi-mozole-cikti-426813.html|title=Yıllarca türbe sanıldı; mozole çıktı|website=www.trthaber.com|access-date=2019-09-02}}{{Cite web|url=https://neoskosmos.com/en/115755/shrine-in-turkey-uncovered-as-tomb-of-ancient-greek-boxer/|title=Shrine in Turkey uncovered as tomb of ancient Greek boxer {{!}} Neos Kosmos|date=2018-05-22|website=English Edition|language=en|access-date=2019-09-02}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.turkishminute.com/2018/05/21/previous-holy-site-in-turkeys-marmaris-revealed-to-be-tomb-of-greek-boxer/|title=Previous holy site in Turkey's Marmaris revealed to be tomb of Greek boxer - Turkish Minute|last=TM|date=21 May 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-02}}{{Cite web|url=https://greekcitytimes.com/2018/05/23/2300-year-old-shrine-in-turkey-turns-out-to-be-tomb-of-ancient-greek-boxer-diagoras/|title=2,300 year old shrine in Turkey turns out to be tomb of ancient Greek Boxer Diagoras|last=Team|first=G. C. T.|website=Greek City Times|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-02}}{{Cite web|url=https://ahvalnews.com/archaeology/aegean-villagers-mistook-greek-boxers-tomb-islamic-holy-site-archaeologists-discover|title=Aegean villagers mistook Greek boxer's tomb for Islamic holy site, archaeologists discover|website=Ahval|language=en|access-date=2019-09-02}}{{Excessive citations inline|date=December 2023}}

File:Nimara_Mağarası_2020_-_VI.jpg on Heaven Island]]

File:Nimara Peninsula 02.JPG in Marmaris]]

File:Marmaris_milli_park.jpg is a popular tourism destination.]]

File:1MarmarisHafen_(13).JPG

Nimara Cave is located at the highest point of Heaven Island near Marmaris.{{cite web|url=http://www.marmaris-turkey.net/marmaris-heaven-island/|title=Marmaris Heaven Island|access-date=13 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128045713/http://www.marmaris-turkey.net/marmaris-heaven-island/|archive-date=28 November 2013}} Since ancient times, it was used as a place of worship. According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, human presence in the cave dated back to 3000 BC but excavations carried out by the Municipality of Marmaris in 2007 pushed this back by almost 12,000 years.{{cite web|url=http://www.marmaris-turkey.net/nimara-cave-marmaris/|title=Nimara Cave, Marmaris|access-date=13 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128045342/http://www.marmaris-turkey.net/nimara-cave-marmaris/|archive-date=28 November 2013}} Research conducted in the cave revealed the existence of a cult of the Mother Goddess Leto, the mother of God Apollo and Goddess Artemis, in the ancient city of Physkos. Worship took place around the main rock which is surrounded by stone altars in a semi-circle raised about 30 cm from the ground. Offerings in the form of cremations, glass beads, terracotta, and sculptures of Leto were placed on these elevated stones. The cave was also used during the Roman period.

Nimara Cave was declared a protected area in 1999. It shelters trogloxene butterflies, identical to those living in Fethiye's Butterfly Valley ({{langx|tr|Kelebekler Vadisi}}).

The Marmaris peninsula is the westernmost habitat for Tulipa armena, which normally grows in Eastern Turkey, Iran, and Transcaucasia at much higher altitudes.Anna Pavord, The Tulip (London, Bloomsbury 1999) 289 The plants may have been introduced during the Ottoman period.

There are 25 neighbourhoods in Marmaris District:[https://www.e-icisleri.gov.tr/Anasayfa/MulkiIdariBolumleri.aspx Mahalle], Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023.

{{div col|colwidth=12em}}

• Adaköy
• Armutalan
• Bayırköy
• Beldibi
• Bozburun
• Çamdibi
• Çamlı
• Çetibeli
• Çıldır
• Hatipirimi
• Hisarönü
• İçmeler
• Karaca
• Kemeraltı
• Orhaniye
• Osmaniye
• Sarıana
• Selimiye
• Siteler
• Söğütköy
• Taşlıca
• Tepe
• Turgutköy
• Turunç
• Yeşilbelde

{{div col end}}

File:Marmaris TURKEY.JPG

Marmaris has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) characterised by hot dry summers and mild rainy winters. Showers and rain are very unlikely between May and October. Summers are hot and dry, and temperatures are especially high during the heatwaves in July and August. Temperatures start to cool in September and October is still warm and bright, though with spells of rain. Winter is the rainy season, with most precipitation falling after November. Annual average rainfall is 1,257 millimetres (49.488 in) and heavy cloudbursts can cause flash floods in flood prone areas.{{cite web|url=http://www.meteor.gov.tr/2006/arastirma/arastirma-yagisgrafikler.aspx?m=mugla&i=marmaris |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110807160052/http://www.meteor.gov.tr/2006/arastirma/arastirma-yagisgrafikler.aspx?m=mugla&i=marmaris |archive-date=7 August 2011 |title=Climate of Marmaris |access-date=13 May 2017 }} Winter temperatures are usually mild.

{{Weather box |metric first= Yes |single line= Yes |width=auto

|location= Marmaris (1991–2020)

|Jan record high C= 21.0

|Feb record high C= 24.0

|Mar record high C= 28.4

|Apr record high C= 31.0

|May record high C= 36.0

|Jun record high C= 42.2

|Jul record high C= 43.1

|Aug record high C= 45.5

|Sep record high C= 40.7

|Oct record high C= 39.0

|Nov record high C= 31.6

|Dec record high C= 22.2

|Jan high C= 15.4

|Feb high C= 15.9

|Mar high C= 18.2

|Apr high C= 21.5

|May high C= 26.4

|Jun high C= 31.8

|Jul high C= 34.9

|Aug high C= 35.0

|Sep high C= 31.4

|Oct high C= 26.5

|Nov high C= 21.1

|Dec high C= 16.8

|year high C = 24.6

| Jan mean C = 10.7

| Feb mean C = 11.3

| Mar mean C = 13.4

| Apr mean C = 16.4

| May mean C = 21.0

| Jun mean C = 26.0

| Jul mean C = 28.9

| Aug mean C = 29.1

| Sep mean C = 25.7

| Oct mean C = 21.1

| Nov mean C = 16.0

| Dec mean C = 12.3

| year mean C = 19.4

|Jan low C= 6.9

|Feb low C= 7.3

|Mar low C= 8.9

|Apr low C= 11.8

|May low C= 16.2

|Jun low C= 21.0

|Jul low C= 23.9

|Aug low C= 24.3

|Sep low C= 21.1

|Oct low C= 16.7

|Nov low C= 11.9

|Dec low C= 8.6

|year low C = 14.9

|Jan record low C= -2.4

|Feb record low C= -3.4

|Mar record low C= -1.2

|Apr record low C= 1.4

|May record low C= 8.0

|Jun record low C= 12.5

|Jul record low C= 16.8

|Aug record low C= 16.7

|Sep record low C= 12.8

|Oct record low C= 5.5

|Nov record low C= 1.4

|Dec record low C= -1.0

|Jan rain days= 11.4

|Feb rain days= 10.3

|Mar rain days= 7.3

|Apr rain days= 5.8

|May rain days= 3.6

|Jun rain days= 2.0

|Jul rain days= 1.8

|Aug rain days= 1.0

|Sep rain days= 2.0

|Oct rain days= 4.6

|Nov rain days= 7.0

|Dec rain days= 11.2

|year precipitation days = 68.0

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 255.98

|Feb precipitation mm = 178.92

|Mar precipitation mm = 125.74

|Apr precipitation mm = 73.3

|May precipitation mm = 29.04

|Jun precipitation mm = 6.38

|Jul precipitation mm = 5.6

|Aug precipitation mm = 0.76

|Sep precipitation mm = 22.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 87.92

|Nov precipitation mm = 182.3

|Dec precipitation mm = 289.01

| year precipitation mm = 1257.05

|Jan sun= 127.1

|Feb sun= 137.2

|Mar sun= 192.2

|Apr sun= 222

|May sun= 285.2

|Jun sun= 324

|Jul sun= 344.1

|Aug sun= 328.6

|Sep sun= 273

|Oct sun= 217

|Nov sun= 144

|Dec sun= 111.6

| source = NOAA{{cite web

|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Turkiye/CSV/Marmaris_17298.csv

|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Marmaris

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = January 15, 2024}}

}}

The Final Four matches of the 2013 Men's European Volleyball League were held in the Amiral Orhan Aydın Sports Hall in Marmaris from July 13 to 14,.{{cite news |url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/spor/digersporlar/23682610.asp |newspaper=Hürriyet Spor |title=CEV Avrupa Ligi eşleşmeleri bell oldu |date=2013-07-09 |language=tr |access-date=2013-07-14 }}

The Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey ({{langx|tr|Cumhurbaşkanlığı Bisiklet Turu}}) is a professional road bicycle racing stage race held each spring.

Every year in late October Marmaris hosts a regatta attracting domestic and international boats and crews.

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Turkey}}

Marmaris is twinned with:

• {{Flagicon|Germany}} Fürth,{{cite web|url=http://www.martab.gov.tr/news/show/361/kardes-sehir-furthde-marmaris-meydani |title=MARTAB: "Kardeş şehir Fürth'de Marmaris Meydanı" |access-date=13 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317172341/http://www.martab.gov.tr/news/show/361/kardes-sehir-furthde-marmaris-meydani |archive-date=17 March 2014 }} Germany
• {{Flagicon|China}} Jinan,{{cite web|url=http://www.marmaris.bel.tr/index.asp?s=Haberler&HID=1927 |title=Marmaris Belediyesi Resmi Web Sitesi |first=Marmaris |last=Belediyesi |website=www.marmaris.bel.tr |access-date=13 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317165054/http://www.marmaris.bel.tr/index.asp?s=Haberler&HID=1927 |archive-date=17 March 2014 }} China
• {{Flagicon|Turkey}} Ordu,{{cite web|url=http://www.martab.gov.tr/news/show/558/marmaris-ordu-kardes-sehir- |title=MARTAB: "Marmaris - Ordu kardeş şehir" |access-date=13 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317172346/http://www.martab.gov.tr/news/show/558/marmaris-ordu-kardes-sehir- |archive-date=17 March 2014 }} Turkey
• {{Flagicon|Israel}} Ashkelon,{{Cite web |url=http://www.ashkelon.muni.il/mahlakot/Pages/twincities.aspx |title=Municipality of Ashkelon: "ערים תאומות לאשקלון " |access-date=2014-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220145831/http://www.ashkelon.muni.il/mahlakot/Pages/twincities.aspx |archive-date=2014-12-20 }} Israel
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Dzerzhinsky, Russia{{cite web |url=http://ugresh.ru/gorod/o-gorode|title= Дзержинский О городе|lang=ru |access-date=2019-06-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009152204/http://ugresh.ru/gorod/o-gorode|archive-date=2018-10-09}}

• Gulf of Gökova
• Turkish Riviera

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Marmaris}}

• {{Wikivoyage-inline}}

{{Ancient settlements in Turkey}}

{{Marmaris District}}

{{Districts of Turkey|provname=Muğla|image=Mugla|sortkey=Marmaris}}

{{National parks of Turkey}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Turkish Riviera

Category:National parks of Turkey

Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Turkey

Category:Populated places in Muğla Province

Category:Tourist attractions in Muğla Province

Category:Populated coastal places in Turkey

Category:Districts of Muğla Province

Category:Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey

Category:Ancient Greek tombs

Category:Greek colonies in Caria