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Marmaris was used to be called Physkos and it was part of the Carian Empire during the 6th century B.C. although it is not known when exactly the town was founded. According to the historian Herodotus it was a large natural harbor which was used as a military base of the Carians against the Phoenicians in Rhodes.
The city was left to Rome by Attalos III, the king of Pergamum in 138 B.C. and then on it was controlled by Roman Generals from Rhodes. In 1425 the Ottomans added the city into their empire and had a castle built in 1521 AD.
The Emperor of the Ottomans during the time was Kanuni Sultan Selayman who changed the city's name to Mimaras which became Marmaris later on. According to the legend, the name was changed as Mimaras because after an expedition from Rhodes, Kanuni Sultan Suleyman did not like the castle and commanded "Mimar as!" which means "Hang the architect!" However there is nothing to prove this story.
There are many worth seeing places to visit such as the tomb of Sariana, Physkos Asarkale, the Kervansaray, The Stone Inn, the Aqueduct, Bedesten, the Castle and Ibrahim Mosque.
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