|
Capital of the
Turkish province of the same name, Mugla is
a nice small city that gets its wealth
from farming and tourism.
Not many tourists come to Mugla, (MOO-lah,
alt. 655 meters/2149 feet, pop. 70,000)
but they throng the neighboring tourist
meccas of Bodrum and Marmaris (map),
and a tidy portion of the money flows
to government coffers in Mugla.
Should your itinerary take you through
this inland town you can change buses,
have a meal or find
a bed.
If you have an hour or two between
buses you can spend it pleasantly enough
wandering Mugla's shady streets,
exploring its Ottoman-era bazaar,
or sipping a hot glass
of tea in one of its tea gardens.
There has been a town here since about
1200 BC, when it was known as Alinda.
The Emir of Mentese took
the town in 1261, and the Ottoman armies
took it from him in 1390, but Tamerlane tore
through in 1402 and restored it to
the emir's control. The great Ottoman
sultan Mehmet the Conqueror brought
it into the Ottoman
Empire definitively in 1451, the
year before he conquered Istanbul.
Mugla's Great Mosque (Ulu
Cami) dates from the Mentese
era (1344), its Kursunlu
Mosque from Ottoman times
(1494). The Vakiflar Hamami (Turkish
bath), dating from 1258, will
still give you a steam, wash, dry
and nap.
The closest airport is Milas-Bodrum (77
km/48 miles W), the next closest (100
km/62 miles SE) is Dalaman.
Maps
of Mediterranean Turkey
Distances & Travel Times
Aydin: 101 km (63
miles) N, 2.25 hours
Bodrum: 110
km (68 miles) W, 2 hours
Dalaman: 100
km (62 miles) SE, 2 hours
Ephesus (Selçuk):
146 km (91 miles) NW, 2.5 hours
Fethiye: 160
km (100 miles) SE, 3 hours
Istanbul: 794
km (493 miles) N, 13 hours
Izmir: 228
km (142 miles) N, 4 hours
Kas: 270
km (168 miles) E, 5 hours
Köycegiz: 65
km (40 miles) SE, 1.5 hours
Marmaris: 55
km (34 miles) S, 1 hour
Milas-Bodrum
Airport: 77 km (48
miles) W, 1.5 hours
Pamukkale (Denizli): 174
km (108 miles) NE, 3 hours
Mediterranean
Turkey
Where
to Go
Turkey
Travel Planner Homepage
|
