What is Bodrum Castle?
[[File:Bodrum castle 3.JPG|thumb|right|300px|{{Center|[[Southeast]] view of Bodrum Castle}}]] '''Bodrum Castle''' ({{lang-tr|Bodrum Kalesi}}), formerly the '''Castle of St. Peter''', is located in southwest [[Turkey]] in the [[port]] [[city]] of [[Bodrum]] ({{Coord|37|1|54|N|27|25|46|E|display=inline,title}}), was built from 1402 onwards, by the [[Knights Hospitaller]] as the ''Castle of St. Peter'' or ''Petronium''. The castle was completed in 1522. It was used as a jail in 19th century. There are 5 towers of Bodrum Castle. == History == [[File:BodrumKalesi 2020.jpg|thumb|Bodrum Castle, 2020]] The headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller were on the island of [[Rhodes]]. In 1402 their [[fortification]]s at [[İzmir]] fell to the [[Mongols]] under [[Tamerlane]].<ref name=Nicolle53>David Nicolle, ''Knight Hospitaller (Oxford: Osprey Military, 2001): 1306-1565'' (), p. 53</ref> Threatened by an invasion of the [[Seljuk Empire|Seljuks]] they built the castle at Bodrum.<ref name=Nicolle53/> Its location was the site of a fortification during the [[Doric Greek]] period. There was also a small Seljuk castle in the 11th century. The same [[promontory]] is also the probable site of the [[palace]] of [[Mausolos]].<ref name=Bryce278>Trevor Bryce, ''The Routledge Handbook of the Peoples and Places of Ancient Western Asia'' (Oxford; New York: Routledge, 2009), p. 278</ref> He was the king of [[Caria]].<ref name=Bryce278/> The construction of the castle began in 1404. It was fully fortified by 1460.<ref name=Carlsson59>''Archaeology and Architecture of the Military Orders: New Studies'', eds. Christer Carlsson; Mathias Piana (Farnham, Surrey; Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2014), p. 59</ref> Bodrum came under its final [[siege]] in 1522. At the time it was still strong enough to send men to Rhodes.<ref name=Carlsson59/> After Rhodes fell, the castle [[Surrender (military)|surrendered]].<ref name=Carlsson59/> == Museum of Underwater Archaeology == The Museum of Underwater Archaeology is housed inside the castle.<r