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Bodrum Oct, 21 2009 | Half-Day Shore Experience
Built upon the remains of the centuries-old city of Halicarnassus, Bodrum is a beautiful resort town on the shores of Turkey’s Aegean coast. And it is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The Tomb of King Maussollos. In Lucian’s Dialogues of the Dead, King Maussollos of Caria proclaims that he has built, “a gigantic monument…carved with statues of horses and men.”
And indeed the Mausoleum was just that. The king’s life was unremarkable, but the monument to his death was bold (and his sister, Artemisia’s idea). Statues of men, horses, and lions – but not a single Greek god – which was highly unusual for the time, surrounded the tomb. Many of the statues, which were carved by four different Greek sculptors (each one was responsible for one side of the 140-foot-high tomb), have been saved and can be seen in the British Museum in London.
Maussollos was the Satrap (local Governor) of Caria, an autonomous region of the great Persian Empire. He died in 353 BC; his final resting-place was completed in 350 BC. And it remained so for 16 centuries, until 1494, when the Knights of St. John and Malta began to dismantled the tomb to use its “bricks” to reinforce their new Crusader Castle at Bodrum. They eventually used each and every brick to build their fortress. The marble that was used for the Mausoleum was so polished that those “bricks” in the castle are easily discerned.
Voyager Club members begin their explorations at Bodrum Castle. The fortress has extraordinary gardens and is home to the renowned Underwater Sea Museum. Then we travel on to the ruins at Halicarnassus and the Tomb of King Maussollos. The beauty of the Mausoleum fascinated visitors for years. We’ll also visit the 2nd-century Amphitheater in Bodrum, whose construction – and well-preserved remains – are equally impressive.
Following our morning visits we return pier side for snacks and refreshments in the garden of a local seaside café. You have the rest of the day free for independent pursuits.
Approximate Length: Three hours.
Suggested Attire: Casual wear with comfortable shoes. Light to moderate walking.
PLEASE NOTE: All Virtuoso Explorer events ashore are capacity controlled and require a minimum number of participants to operate. Events are subject to change without notice. Virtuoso Explorer events are individually tailored for each date and arrival. Your event could be different than what’s noted here; but it will be designed to be memorable and to bring you a traveler’s view that you will treasure, and would otherwise miss entirely. Final details will be outlined in program letters provided by your Virtuoso host aboard ship.
Onboard Hosts: Mark and Jeri Johnstone
Exclusives:
· Hosted
· Welcome Reception
· Special Virtuoso Explorer Shore Event! |