Marmaris

Marmaris lies at the head of a deep, sheltered bay on the coast of Caria, surrounded by wooded mountains. Ancient Physkos stood nearby on a hill above the harbour. The anchorage faces the island of Rhodes and offers ships a haven among the indented shores of southwestern Anatolia. A castle on the waterfront guards the entrance to the old settlement.

In 1522 Sultan Süleyman I assembled forces here for his expedition against the Knights Hospitaller on Rhodes. According to the traveller Evliya Çelebi, the sultan ordered the castle built during the campaign and used Marmaris as a military base. The fortress and anchorage linked the mainland to the crossing toward Rhodes, where the Ottoman siege ended the knights' rule. Marmaris continued as a coastal settlement under Ottoman authority, its harbour sheltered by the mountains and defended by the castle.