Bodrum Maritime Museum

A quaint yet informative museum filled with model replica boats, early diving equipment, Bodrum sailor stories and shells that is worth the money and time. Really cheap; you don't expect to get much value at that price point. A must-visit if you're in the area.

I’ve spent there not that much time as it’s small, but I did enjoy it and find it interesting, it was incredible to see almost 1m big shell!

Great local museum. Lots of different aspects of maritime history and culture - photos and relics of sponge driving, model boats, lots of amazing shells, and original material from author Cevat Şakir, the Fisherman of Halicarnassus.

A must visit if you love maritime related tools, gadgets and boats. Also there is a seashell exhibition on the 2nd floor which is awe-inspiring and very comprehensive.

This isn't a huge museum, but they have packed a lot into it's two floors. It's the newest arrival on the Bodrum Museum scene, and focuses on Bodrum’s nautical heritage and maritime culture. 54 model replicas of vessels used for sponge diving, fishing and transportation are on display, meticulously crafted by artist Ali Kemal Denizaslani. What’s great about this display is that most of the boats have an old black and white photo of the boat captain and a brief history about him and his boat. This connection really personalises these intricate models. On the second floor is a massive collection of over 4,000 seashells, which were collected over a 40 year period from different parts of the world by Hasan Güleşçi and his wife. This is a compact museum on two floors, and is a great option if you’re looking to get out of the mid-day heat and enjoy a blast of air conditioning, while soaking up some of Bodrum’s nautical history. The museum includes a special exhibit dedicated to Cevat Şakir, The Fisherman of Halicarnassus, which includes photographs and personal belongings. In 2020, in honour of the 47th anniversary of his death, a collection of his manuscripts is being added to the permanent collection. It includes original book manuscripts, newspaper clippings and pages from his comic book series Pirates of Algeria.

Fun, interesting little museum with dozens of meticulously detailed model boats used in the area and hundreds of lovingly curated and catalogued seashells. Worth a stop.

Mixture of fascinating historic artefacts about fishing and boats, shells, and sea art. Costs 75 TL. Definitely visit!

Loved it. The shell collection was the best I've ever seen. The history and the model boats are excellent too.