The Castle of St. Peter is what the Knights of St. John built when they fortified Bodrum in the 15th century, using stones from the Mausoleum they dismantled for material. The castle that now holds the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, where shipwrecks reveal ancient trade - the castle is Bodrum's landmark and its historical anchor.

The castle provides the views that postcards feature, the museum that gives Bodrum depth, the history that beach tourism often lacks. The castle is what makes Bodrum more than marina.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was ancient wonder, the tomb that Mausolus' widow built that gave all grand tombs their name. The Mausoleum that earthquakes damaged and Crusaders quarried, that now exists only in foundations and fragments and the word it contributed to language.

The Mausoleum site is modest for what it was - the foundations that outline scale, the museum pieces that reconstruction required. The Mausoleum is why ancient history buffs come; the beaches are why everyone else does.

Bodrum's marina is where Turkish wealth and international yachting meet, the harbor where vessels that cost more than villages anchor. The marina culture that defines Bodrum's summer character - the restaurants that serve waterfront tables, the bars that serve yacht owners, the scene that money creates.

The marina represents what Bodrum has become - the destination for those who want Turkey's beaches with European sophistication. The marina is not for everyone; it is for those who can afford what Bodrum's reputation promises.

Bodrum's white houses are what regulations require and what aesthetics celebrate, the cubist architecture that Aegean tradition meets modern mandate creates. The whitewash that reflects summer heat, the blue trim that echoes sea and sky, the style that makes Bodrum recognizable from any angle.

The white houses create the Bodrum that photographs show, the visual coherence that unregulated development destroys elsewhere. The white houses are planning success; the tourism they enable justifies the restriction.

Bodrum's nightlife is Turkey's most famous, the clubs that stay open until dawn, the bars that line the waterfront, the scene that summer creates. The nightlife that draws visitors who want beaches by day and dancing by night, the combination that resort towns provide.

The nightlife is not for everyone - the noise that residents endure, the crowds that quiet seekers avoid. The nightlife is what certain visitors come for; others find quieter corners that Bodrum also holds.