Art enthusiasts, history lovers, nature lovers, marine enthusiasts...

Aspat is calling for you... It is not Aspat here, my Halil, it is Bitez shore... (A quote from the song, called “Cokertme”)

Aspat Bay, which is mentioned in the folk song called Cokertme, is one of the most unique bays in Bodrum with its historical condition, natural structure and the sea. Aspat, which is in Akyarlar and between Karaincir and Bagla, has a unique bay on the slope of a conical hill.

Although the land is closed for service this season, it promises small surprises for its visitors, besides its unique beauty. Let us put it this way, the sculpture exhibition is one of the classics of Aspat. Throughout the trip, it is possible to see the exhibits of historic monuments and sculptures. Aspat, a venue for the work of important sculptors every year, remains to protect those masterpieces in its hearth.

From the words of the famous traveller Evliya Celebi, “In the domination of Mentese, it is an artisanal castle on a crag” it is understood that he had visited Aspat. (Mentese was the name of a 14th-century territory in and around Mugla Province.) When Aspat was found not suitable for planting, it was named as Aspartos according to its situation. Due to its topographical structure, this area was called Strobilos, which means pine-cone and cone in Greek. Piri Reis the Ottoman admiral, navigator, geographer and cartographer, was the first to speak of Aspat in the history mentioning Strobilos.

Termera, the ancient city and one of the oldest historical foundlings in Bodrum, it is now known that it was the main city of the Aspat Castle. The Aspat (Cifit) Castle is located on the Aspat hill. However, it is troublesome to reach the remains on the conical hill. Today, only the remains of the castle walls are able to be seen.

The Byzantine Bath is among the structures that time has preserved in their existence today in the foundlings from the 13th century in Aspat, a significant fortress and harbour, where the Byzantines were sheltered. The bath was restored and opened to tourism in 2005, in the presidency of the Bodrum Museum, in collaboration with Mugla University Department of Archeology and with the sponsorship of the Foundation of Aspat for Culture, Art and Education.

Aspat that has yet to be discovered by many people is widely used as a harbour for the boats as it is closed to northwest winds. You should definitely add Aspat to your list of places to see in Bodrum.