Beçin Castle

Beçin Castle and the Menteşe Town

Beçin Castle rises on a round, steep rock at the edge of a plateau near Milas, in Muğla province. South of the rock, a walled medieval town spreads across the plateau. The Menteşe beys took it in the late 13th century, and for a time it was the capital of their beylik, a Turkish principality in western Anatolia. In 2012, the medieval town of Beçin joined Turkey's tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage.

Where Beçin Castle stands

The site lies 5 km (3 miles) from Milas, along the road to Ören. Its plateau rises about 200 m (650 feet) above the Milas plain, so the walls look out over the farmland around the town.

Quick facts

• Good for: a castle on a rock, the buildings of a medieval Turkish town, a half day inland
• Best combined with: Milas, Euromos, Labraunda

History of Beçin Castle

The Menteşe beys at Beçin

The castle dates to the Byzantine period, but most of the ruins you see belong to the Menteşe era. Older texts call the town Petzona, Peçin, Barçın or Berçin. Finds on the site run from the Chalcolithic Age through Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman times. Beçin had its brightest years under Ahmed Gazi, a Menteşe bey of the 14th century. Later, the town came under Ottoman rule. Its population fell from the 16th century on, until the last families living inside the castle moved out after the 1950s.

Travelers at Beçin

In 1333, the traveler Ibn Battuta came to Beçin and met Orhan Bey, the Menteşe ruler. Then, in the 17th century, the Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi visited too. Both men wrote about the town in their travel books.

What to See at Beçin Castle

The town follows the plan of Turkish towns of its time: an inner castle, a walled town and a settlement outside the walls. The town walls are 1.5 m (5 feet) thick. Within the site, you find the ruins of medreses (religious colleges), baths, mosques, a han (an inn), a zaviye (a dervish lodge) and tombs. Besides the Menteşe buildings, older layers lie here too, with an ancient necropolis, a Hellenistic temple and a Byzantine chapel. Archaeologists from Ege University have excavated the site.

The Ahmed Gazi Medrese

The Ahmed Gazi Medrese (a school of Islamic learning) is the only building in Beçin whose building inscription has survived. Ahmed Gazi built it across from the mosque that Orhan Bey, an earlier ruler of the same family, had raised before him.

Mosques, baths and the Kızılhan

Walk on to the Karapaşa Medrese and the Bey Konağı, the mansion of the beys. Nearby stand the Bey Hamamı, their bathhouse, and the Kızılhan, the Red Han. Look for the Yelli Mosque and Medrese as well. However, little of Orhan Bey's mosque survives today.

Visiting Beçin Castle

How to reach Beçin Castle

From Milas, drive 5 km (3 miles) on the Ören road to the Beçin quarter. Milas–Bodrum Airport lies 17 km (11 miles) from Milas, so Beçin fits an arrival or departure day. Beyond Milas, the temple of Zeus at Euromos and the sanctuary of Zeus at Labraunda make a full day of it. For the town below, read our guide to Milas.

Before you go

Beçin is an archaeological site with a box office and set opening hours. We arrange your entry to Beçin Castle and pair it with Milas. Wear shoes with a good grip, because the castle sits on a steep rock.

Updated: October 27, 2026.

Seeing Beçin Castle with Us

Are you staying in Bodrum? Our Euromos and Milas tour from Bodrum starts at the temple of Euromos and stops in Milas for lunch. In the afternoon, your driver takes you up to Beçin. We can add Labraunda to the same day. Labraunda can join the same day, so tell us how long you want to stay inland.