The Myndos Gate (tr. Myndos Kapısı) is the only significant remnant of the magnificent defensive walls that protected the Carian city of Halicarnassus from invasion. Unlike the famous St. Peter's Castle, this monument located in Bodrum is rarely visited by tourists, so there is a high probability that you will have the place to yourself during your visit.

The defensive walls of Halicarnassus were built during the reign of the Carian ruler Mausolus, around 364 BCE. They stretched from the western side of the harbour to the Göktepe Hill. In places where the walls descended to the sea, two fortresses once stood: Salmakis on the western side and Zephyrion on the eastern side.

Two gates led to Halicarnassus, and they were located to the east and to the west of the city. No trace of the Mylasa Gate, which faced east, has survived to this day. However, the western Myndos Gate has survived in quite good condition.

The names of both gates were related to the direction in which the roads passing through them led. The road starting at the Mylasa Gate led east to the city of Mylasa (now known as Milas), the first capital of ancient Caria. From the Myndos Gate, ran the westward road to the Dorian colony known as Myndos, the remains of which are located in the resort town called ​​Gümüslük.

The Myndos Gate consisted of three monumental defensive towers built from blocks carved from a rock known as andesite, surrounding an inner courtyard. The original height of these towers is unknown. The central tower was completely destroyed, but the two outer towers still dominate this area of Bodrum.

Additionally, the walls were protected by a 56-meter-long moat surrounding the southern defensive tower from the west and south. The depth of this moat reached 2.5 meters and its width - 7 meters. According to Ariannos, Alexander the Great's biographer, when the Macedonian leader launched an assault on Halicarnassus in 334 BCE, his troops had to cross the moat in front of the Myndos Gate. While crossing it, a narrow footbridge collapsed, which caused the death of many soldiers. During the siege, the defensive walls of Halicarnassus were damaged and then repaired, on the orders of the Macedonian leader.

At the end of the 20th century, two companies, Ericsson and Turkcell, provided funding for the renovation of the Myndos Gate. This was the first stage of a larger project aimed at restoring many of the monuments of ancient Halicarnassus. After the Myndos Gate, the Ottoman shipyard on the western side of the Bodrum marina and the ancient theatre on the slope of Göktepe Hill were also excavated and renovated.

In the immediate vicinity of the Myndos Gate, researchers have unearthed two arched tombs from the 4th century BCE. One of them has two storeys, while the other has only one level.

About 100 meters to the west of the Myndos Gate, there is the area of ​​the Roman-era necropolis. The 17 visible tombs date back to the 4th century CE. The floor of one of these tombs is decorated with beautiful mosaics. Interestingly, the necropolis stands on the grounds of a hotel, whose owners provided the funds for its renovation.

Also, right next to the Myndos Gate there are graves from the Roman period.