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Milas, once the capital
of the ancient Kingdom of Caria,
is a pleasant Aegean town
which boasts a miniature replica
of the grand, original Mausoleum, one
of the Seven
Wonders of the World.
King Mausolus was king of Caria
(377-353 BC), perhaps its greatest
king. He ordered a splendid, gigantic
tomb built for himself in Halicarnassus (Bodrum).
Today little remains of the tomb, but
the marble Gümüşkesen temple
in Milas is thought to be a small-scale
replica of the Mausoleum, the
grand tomb that gave its name to all
grand tombs since.
Perhaps more important for today's
visitors, Milas is a noted carpet-making
center and has a fairly busy airport which
serves Bodrum as
well (map).
If you come to buy Turkish carpets,
have a look at the Gümüşkesen,
and also the Baltalı Kapı (Gate
with Axe), a Roman gate in the city
walls. Also visit some of the town's
14th-century mosques, built when Milas
was capital of the Menteşe emirate.
These include the Great Mosque (Ulu
Cami, 1378), the Mosque of
Orhan Bey (1330), and the Firuz
Bey Mosque (1394).
Up in the hills north of Milas is
the ancient city of Labranda.
Most people stop for a few
hours (and
lunch) in Milas as they travel to or
from Bodrum or Marmaris,
though Milas does have a few serviceable
small hotels. Minibus services
to Milas are frequent from Söke,
southeast of Kuşadası.
Distances & Travel Times
Bodrum: 63
km (39 miles) SW, 40 minutes
Ephesus
(Selçuk): 120 km (75
miles) N, 1.45 hours
Euromos
(Selimiye): 12 km (8 miles)
NW, 15 minutes
İzmir: 200
km (124 miles) N, 3 hours
Kapıkırı (Herakleia): 41
km (26 miles) NW, 40 minutes
Kuşadası: 102
km (63 miles) NW, 2 hours
Labranda: 20 km (12
miles) N, 35 minutes
Marmaris: 112
km (70 miles) NW, 2 hours
Milas-Bodrum
Airport: 30 km (19
miles) SE, 25 minutes
Söke: 82 km
(51 miles) NW, 1.25 hours
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