This cosmopolitan seaside resort is composed of bright whitewashed dwellings tumbling down to a yacht-filled harbor. Boutiques, restaurants, outdoor cafés and a colorful bazaar all add to the charm of the town. First known as Halicarnassus, the ancient city was conquered by Alexander the Great in 334 B.C. One can still view the extensive ruins of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), destroyed by a series of earthquakes between the 12th and 15th centuries. Stones from the mausoleum were used in the construction of the town’s spectacular Crusader castle. Bodrum’s most famous son was Herodotus, “the Father of History,” who was born in 484 B.C. Having fallen out with the authorities, he lived abroad for many years, exploring Greece, Egypt and virtually the entire ancient Middle East, becoming one of the world’s first great travelers. For centuries a quiet town of fishermen and sponge divers, Bodrum is now one of the most fashionable yachting centers in the Aegean.