Although it is not certain when Marmaris was founded, in the 6th century BC the site was known as Physkos (Ancient Greek: Φύσκος) & 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 & the castle of Physkos was besieged. The 600 inhabitants of the town realised that they had no chance against the invading army & burned their valuables in the castle before escaping to the hills with their women & 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.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

SUN ODYSSEY 43

Jonty is a comfortable elegant cruising yacht offering performance & ease of handling along with spacious decks & a roomy interior.  Accomodation comprises of 3 cabins & 1 bunk cabin,  fitted with fans, 2 heads with hot water showers. Dinghy & outboard included in the price,

13/07  -  7 nights

SAVE 250 Euro

NOW 2100 Euro

SUN ODYSSEY 45.2

Perfect Form can be chartered as three or four cabin. As a three cabin layout the two forward cabins are converted to one large cabin with en-suite head.  She has a spacious saloon & well equiped galley.  Fans throughout, outboard & dinghy included in the charter price.

24/06 – 7 Nights                                             13/07  -  7 nights

SAVE 300 Euro                                             SAVE 200 Euro

NOW 2388 Euro                                            NOW 2488 Euro

OCEANIS  54

New in 2011, Natali de la Mer, a beautiful yacht with all the added extras you could want.

Accomodation comprises of 3 double cabins, the fwd master cabin has ensuite heads, the 2 aft double cabins share 1heads, plus there is a skipper cabin (1 berth) with separate head fwd of the master cabin.

20/07  -  7 nights

SAVE 200 Euro

NOW 5000 Euro

This was taken just after it was installed in the Boatyard, she has since been launched and fully tested.

Cultural Connections is an annual celebration of literature, film, art, music, dance and food… all the stuff of life that links humanity throughout the world. Both stimulating, challenging, occasionally provocative and always fun, Cultural Connections is an excitingly different and thought provoking way to explore the things that bring people together.

This five-day event, Kayaköy Connections 2013 will celebrate the Kaya valley in southwest Turkey, its long history, rich culture and links with Greece. Acclaimed authors Louis de Bernières, Victoria Hislop, Jeremy Seal will be travelling from the UK and Sofka Zinovieff will be joining them from Athens. Others, from Turkey, Greece, yet to be decided, will join them to take part in a range of thought provoking, fun and entertaining events and gatherings.

Kayaköy

Kayaköy is a tranquil valley in the hills above the busy town of Fethiye. The contrast may come as a surprise to first time visitors. However, tranquillity does not mean that Kayaköy is devoid of interest and activity. It is a truly unique place to live or spend your holiday.

Kayaköy is most famous for Livissi, a town once home to Orthodox Christians, which they had to leave following the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, when Christian populations in Greece and Turkey were exchanged with Muslims who were offered the village but because of their different lifestyles they chose to live elsewhere. Its tragic history is almost tangible when walking along the cobbled paths past the crumbling shells of churches, chapels and empty houses, intertwined with gnarled fig trees and verdant foliage. It is of course the inspiration for Louis de Bernières’ Birds Without Wings.

There are some excellent restaurants serving everything from traditional fare, gözleme (Turkish pancakes) to modern Euro Turkish fusion food. It is also home to several mouth watering barbeque restaurants where you can enjoy the succulent slow cooked lamb tandır or grill your own lamb chops; all served with a variety of delicious meze and salads.

Günays Garden is a precious gem, nestled beneath Levissi, and the forested hillside.

With well-appointed interiors and massive wooden balconies overlooking Levissi and the lower church, the five self-contained stone houses perfect place to stay and enjoy Kayaköy. There is also Izela, a restaurant with a well-deserved reputation for excellence.

Kaya Connections 2013 has plans to celebrate several of the most inspirational locations in Kayaköy as settings for concerts, exhibitions, markets and other events.

One of the Hghlights of the 5 Day Event – ‘Walk with Louis‘

Nearly twenty years ago Louis de Bernières visited Kayaköy, near Fethiye in southwest Turkey. This beautiful valley is the site of a town once lived in by Muslims and Greek Orthodox Christians, all Ottoman subjects, who together with millions of others, from various regions around the Mediterranean, were forced apart in a traumatic population exchange based on their religion, following the signing of the 1923 Lausanne Treaty. The evocative sight of the once thriving town, reduced to a jumble of ruined houses scattered across the hillside, inspired de Bernières’ to write his 6th novel, ‘Birds Without Wings’, which was first published in 2004 by Random House.

The publication of this book caused great excitement for de Bernières’ admirers, none more so than those living in Kaya valley. In 2011, for the first time since he finished the novel, Louis came back to Kayaköy. A ‘Sunday afternoon with Louis de Bernières,’ in Gunay’s Garden, was an unforgettable occasion for more than 150 admirers, who met with him, heard him read some poignant passages from ‘Birds Without Wings’, followed by an informal discussion.
Last Year (2012), Louis returned again, ‘Walk with Louis’ was held, through the village. We stopped to listen to Louis read passages from his book with the stunning atmospheric backdrop of the ruined village and its stillness creating an experience all who attended will remember always. Both events sponsored by Gunays Garden and Izela Restaurant raised funds to support the Primary school in Kaya Village and the charity FIG.

Find more details of events

If you are able to watch TV this afternoon the bicycle race will be on Eurosport. The race today 24/04 is from Gocek to Marmaris and tomorrow 25/04 Marmaris to Turgutreis.

Follow this link for information about the race

ANY DAY START /  ANY DAY FINISH

We have upgraded our system so you are able to start and finish your sailing holiday on ANY day of the week and charter for any period of time.

ANY DURATION

You now have complete flexibility to organise the sailing holiday of your choice for the duration or your choice – 4 days, 10 days or 4 weeks. – you choose.

Contact us to get your quote now

Click here to view online:

Chartering in Turkey

Jonty our charter yacht

That is the tile of a recent article in “Get Lost” magazine featuring Sailinturkey.

…….and yes we are batting up there with the big boys!!!

……and here is what they say
(For full spread of Self Charter Cruises)

There’s something terribly romantic about commandeering a boat, mustering your nearest and dearest and sailing off into the sunset. And with self-charter hire, you don’t need to be a millionaire to do it. Skipper your own boat, plot your course and escape the tourist hordes in your chosen paradise.