Bodrum where the name comes from The fortress that was built by the Knights of Rhodes was dedicated to St Peter and for this reason it is also known as the Castle of St Peter, or "Petronion" in Greek and "Petronium" in Latin. The name Halikarnassos fell into disuse and the town acquired the name of the castle instead. Under Ottoman control, the castle's chapel was turned into a mosque and a minaret was added. The name of the town, Petronium, was difficuIt for the new owners to pronounce and became altered through usage to conform to Turkish phonology. In some old records of the day it appears as "Petrum". Piri Reis, a 15th-century Ottoman mariner and cartographer, calls it "Bodurum" in his book On Seafaring, which appeared in 1521. Even today one can hear old-timers in the area refer to the town as "Potrum". back to mainpage