THE MAUSOLOS PALACE
As ancient writers such as Plinius, Arianus, Strabon, Vitrivius, and Skylax mentioned, the Palace of King Mausolos was located on the former Zepyria Island, where the Bodrum castle is today. The digs carried out in the castle area gave exciting results. The archaeologists discovered the Mycenaean pottery dating to the 14th century BC and reached Mausolos Palace’s remains. According to Vitrivius, the palace was built following the plan designed by Mausolos. The marble from Marmara Island and bricks were used in the palace. This former rocky island, reaching 25 meters above sea level, was fortified impressively. The palace was built of marble and bricks, and its walls had a beautiful coating. Mausolos could see all the great monuments of the city from his palace. He could also see the secret harbor and reached for it through the steps. The research and excavations at the castle gave some ideas about this beautiful palace. Visitors can enjoy one of the impressive terrace walls near the Spanish Chapel and a few trenches opened by Danish archeologists showing the palace walls and steps’ remains.
APOLLO TEMPLE
According to ancient writers, a temple was dedicated to Apollo in the palace area. Many architectural pieces discovered in the Italian Tower walls and two inscriptions mentioning the Apollo temple are strong evidence of the Apollo temple’s existence. This temple with Ionic-style capitals was built with excellent quality marble. One of the temple inscriptions dating to the Hellenistic Period warns people not to go up ( possibly to the temple area) if they haven’t any legal business transactions. The second inscription on a statue base mentions a fine altar and speaks of a beautiful courtyard.