Marmaris

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Marmaris
Beaches of Marmaris on the Turkish Riviera
Marmaris is located in Turkey
Marmaris
Location of Marmaris
Coordinates: 36°51′N 28°16′E / 36.850°N 28.267°E / 36.850; 28.267Coordinates: 36°51′N 28°16′E / 36.850°N 28.267°E / 36.850; 28.267
Country  Turkey
Region Aegean
Province Muğla
Government
 • Mayor Muhammet Ali Acar (CHP)
Area[1]
 • District 878.09 km2 (339.03 sq mi)
Population (2012)[2]
 • Urban 34,047
 • District 83,081
 • District Density Bad rounding here95/km2 (Bad rounding here250/sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 48700
Area code(s) (0090)+ 252
Licence plate 48
Website www.marmaris.bel.tr

Marmaris is a port town and tourist resort on the Mediterranean coast, located in Muğla Province, southwest Turkey, along the shoreline of the Turkish Riviera.

Marmaris' main source of income is tourism. Little is left of the sleepy fishing village that Marmaris was just a few decades ago, after a construction boom in the 1980s. Marmaris still retains its charm due to its exceptional location between two intersecting sets of mountains by the sea. As of 2010, the town's population was 30,957,[3] peaking at around 300,000 to 400,000 people during the tourism season. Marmaris' nightlife rivals anything on the Turkish coast.

It is also a centre for sailing and diving, possessing two major and several smaller marinas. It is a popular wintering location for hundreds of cruising boaters, being also served by the nearby Dalaman Airport.

Contents

Climate[edit]

Marmaris has a Mediterranean climate characterised by a hot and humid summer and cool, rainy winter. Showers and rain are very unlikely between May and October.

Summers are hot and humid, and temperatures can reach over 40°C sometimes during heatwaves in July and August. October is still warm and bright, though with spells of rain, and many tourists prefer to visit in the early autumn, especially in September, because the temperatures are not as hot.

Winters are mild and wet. Winter is the rainy season, with major precipitation falling after November. The annual rainfall can reach to 1,232.7 milimetres (48.531 in); the rainfall is concentrated during scattered days in winter falling in heavy cloudbursts which cause flash floods sometimes in flood prone areas.[4]

Climate data for Marmaris
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 22.5
(72.5)
24.0
(75.2)
28.4
(83.1)
31.6
(88.9)
37.0
(98.6)
42.2
(108)
45.2
(113.4)
42.6
(108.7)
40.7
(105.3)
39.0
(102.2)
31.6
(88.9)
22.2
(72)
45.2
(113.4)
Average high °C (°F) 15.1
(59.2)
15.3
(59.5)
17.6
(63.7)
20.9
(69.6)
25.9
(78.6)
31.4
(88.5)
34.5
(94.1)
34.3
(93.7)
30.8
(87.4)
25.9
(78.6)
20.4
(68.7)
16.4
(61.5)
24.04
(75.26)
Average low °C (°F) 7.0
(44.6)
7.0
(44.6)
8.6
(47.5)
11.5
(52.7)
15.6
(60.1)
20.1
(68.2)
23.1
(73.6)
23.2
(73.8)
20.0
(68)
15.8
(60.4)
11.4
(52.5)
8.5
(47.3)
14.32
(57.77)
Record low °C (°F) −2.4
(27.7)
−3.4
(25.9)
−1.2
(29.8)
1.4
(34.5)
8.0
(46.4)
12.5
(54.5)
16.8
(62.2)
16.7
(62.1)
12.8
(55)
5.5
(41.9)
1.4
(34.5)
−1.0
(30.2)
−3.4
(25.9)
Precipitation mm (inches) 230.7
(9.083)
170.0
(6.693)
120.8
(4.756)
61.1
(2.406)
27.8
(1.094)
15.3
(0.602)
23.4
(0.921)
7.9
(0.311)
24.5
(0.965)
80.9
(3.185)
180.4
(7.102)
289.9
(11.413)
1,232.7
(48.531)
Avg. rainy days 13.7 11.9 9.4 7.7 4.4 2.7 1.9 1.0 2.1 5.5 9.1 13.6 83
Mean monthly sunshine hours 127.1 137.2 192.2 222 285.2 324 344.1 328.6 273 217 144 111.6 2,706
Source: [5]

History[edit]

Historical map of Marmaris by Piri Reis

Although it is not certain when Marmaris was founded, in the 6th century BC the site was known as Physkos (Ancient Greek: Φύσκος) and considered part of Caria.

According to the historian Herodotus, there had been a castle on the site since 3000 BC. In 334 BC, Caria was invaded by Alexander the Great and the castle of Physkos was besieged. The 600 inhabitants of the town realised that they had no chance against the invading army and burned their valuables in the castle before escaping to the hills with their women and children. The invaders, well aware of the strategic value of the castle, repaired the destroyed sections to house a few hundred soldiers before the main army returned home.

The town became known as Marmaris during the period of the Beylik of Menteşe; the name derives from the Turkish word mermer and Greek màrmaron (marble) in reference to the rich deposits of marble in the region, and the prominent role of the town's port in marble trade.

Marmaris Castle

The next important event regarding the history of Marmaris took place in the mid-fifteenth century, when the Ottoman Empire began to rise as a result of the efforts of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, who succeeded in conquering and uniting under one banner the various tribes and kingdoms of Anatolia and the Balkans, together with Constantinople. Some of his greatest difficulties came from the Knights of St. John, who occupied the Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean Sea, at the vicinity of Marmaris. Based in Rhodes, the Knights had fought the Ottoman Turks for many years; they were able to withstand the onslaughts of Mehmed II until a succeeding and more powerful sultan came to the scene.

Marmaris Castle was rebuilt from scratch in 1522 by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent when he had set out for his conquest of Rhodes, during which Marmaris served as a base for the Ottoman Navy.

Lord Nelson and his entire fleet sheltered in the harbour of Marmaris in 1798, en route to Egypt to defeat Napoleon's armada during the Mediterranean campaign.

Since 1979, renovation work has been continuing at the castle, in order to restore it back to its original condition. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, the castle was converted into a museum. There are seven galleries, of which the largest is being used as an exhibition hall and the courtyard is decorated with seasonal flowers. Built at the same time as the castle in the bazaar, there is also a small Ottoman caravanserai built by Suleiman's mother Ayşe Hafsa Sultan.

International relations[edit]

Twin towns – Sister cities[edit]

Marmaris is twinned with:


Gallery[edit]

Marmaris coastline waters (panoramic view), Muğla Province, southwest Turkey, Mediterranean.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Area of regions (including lakes), km²". Regional Statistics Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. 2002. Retrieved 2013-03-05. 
  2. ^ "Population of province/district centers and towns/villages by districts - 2012". Address Based Population Registration System (ABPRS) Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. Retrieved 2013-02-27. 
  3. ^ Marmarismarmaris.com Marmaris
  4. ^ Climate of Marmaris
  5. ^ Meteoroloji Genel Müdürlüğü: Marmaris En Yüksek Sıcaklık (°C)

External links[edit]