MuÄŸla @ Travel Turkey

In ancient times, Muğla was an insignificant settlement in the region of Caria, which was ruled from the larger coastal towns of Halicarnasoss or Knidos. Muğla was part of the Rhodian Peraea, which was subject to Rhodes but not incorporated in the Rhodian state, and bore the Carian name of Mobolla. There are almost no ruins to reveal the history of the settlement of Muğla. On the high hill to the north of the city, a few ancient remains indicate that it was the site of an acropolis. Two inscriptions unearthed within the city are from the 2nd century B.C., attesting to Rhodian domination.

Turkish-era Muğla remained a minor site, as the local ruling dynasty, the Menteşe, ruled from nearby Milas. Muğla finally acquired regional importance after it replaced Milas as the seat of the subprovince (sanjak) under the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. The sanjak carried the name Menteşe until the Republican Era, when it was renamed Muğla after its seat of government.

Places of interest

Although it is close to major resorts, Muğla has only recently begun to attract visitors. Sights of interest in the town include:

• The Ottoman Empire-era bazaar (Arasta) - marked by a clock tower built by a Greek craftsman named Filivari Usta in 1895,
• Kurşunlu Cami - a large mosque built in 1495
• Vakıflar Hamam - a Turkish bath which dates back to 1258.
• The old quarter of Muğla - on the slopes and around Saburhane Square (Meydanı), consisting of about four hundred registered old houses dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of which are restored. These houses are mainly in the Turkish style characterized with hayat sections ("courts") entered through double-shuttered doors called kuzulu kapı ("lamb doors") and dotted with chimneys typical of Muğla, but there are also a number of "Greek" houses. The differences between the two types of houses may have as much to do with the extent to which wood or stone were used in their architecture, and whether they were arranged in intraverted or extraverted styles, as with who inhabited them previously.
• Muğla City Museum - has a good collection of archaeological and ethnographical artefacts, as well as 9 million years old animal and plant fossiles recently discovered in Kaklıcatepe nearby.

The city is also home to Muğla University. The local football club, Muğlaspor currently apply their trade in the third tier of the Turkish football pyramid.

Advanced surfing training in Mugla - September 13, 2010
Four professional wind surfers from the United Kingdom have come to Akkaya town in the southwestern province Mugla to train professional wind surfers at an advanced level.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=0906101325193-2010-09-06

How to get Muğla

There are daily flights to Dalaman on Turkish Airlines (THY), Atlasjet, Pegasus and Onur Air from Ankara and İstanbul. Dalyan is a short drive away. If leaving from İstanbul, one can use the TEM highway, passing through İzmit, Bursa and Balıkesir. The İstanbul to Muğla trip is an eight-hour drive of approximately 830 kilometers. If you take a ferry from İstanbul to Bandırma, you will travel more comfortably for a good portion of the route.

Where to stay in Muğla

Club Viva Hotel. Tel: 212 414 27 77. A five-star hotel that is close to archaeological sites. Meridyen Apart. Tel: 212 414 27 77. Affordable with an a la carte menu. Close to the sea.

Where to eat in Muğla

Ömer'in Yeri, 214 92 26, Cami Kebir Mah. Pabuççular Sokak. Offers traditional home-style Turkish dishes. Köşem Restaurant, 212 05 09, Marmaris Bulvarı.

Muğla Article on Wikipedia

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