Marmaris Castle is a historic fortress situated in the Marmaris district of Muğla. The castle was reconstructed by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent during the Rhodes campaign.
The renowned historian Herodotus mentioned that the initial city walls in Marmaris were established in 3000 BC. The castle, originally constructed in the 2nd millennium BC, underwent its first restoration during the Ionian period (1044 BC) and later after the conquest of Marmaris by King Alexander the Great.
The sole written source on the construction of the castle by the Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi is found in his Seyahatname. Çelebi, who explored Muğla and its surroundings in the 17th century, recorded that Suleiman the Magnificent commanded the construction of the castle prior to his Rhodes expedition, and that it served as a military base during this campaign.
In World War I, the castle’s walls were damaged by shellfire from French naval vessels. Until 1979, the castle was inhabited by local residents of Marmaris.
Marmaris Castle is among the few castles in Turkey that also function as museums. Renovated between 1980 and 1990, the castle was inaugurated as a museum in 1991 by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey. The Marmaris Archaeology Museum, accessible to the public since then, is housed within the castle.
The museum features 18 rooms, a fountain, and an arch. It includes 7 indoor spaces, 2 archaeology halls, and 1 ethnography hall. The remaining parts of the museum are designated as exhibition halls and storage areas.
In the archaeology section of the museum, various amphorae from the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine eras are displayed. Additionally, pottery, glassware, coins, and ornaments unearthed from archaeological sites in the region such as Knidos, Burgazada, and Hisarönü are other notable artifacts in the museum. The ethnography section showcases various objects, tools, and equipment from the Ottoman period.
The museum inventory lists a total of 14,984 registered artifacts across various categories such as archaeological remains, coins, and ethnographic items. In the first five months of 2018, the museum attracted 19,708 visitors and is among the 22 highest-grossing museums in Turkey according to 2017 statistics.