Bodrum Encapsulated.

There is a compact museum in the centre of town that catches the flavour of the Bodrum I fell in love with in 1982.  The Deniz Müzesi / Maritime museum honours the essence of the small seafaring village that grew out of ancient Halicarnassus and morphed into the international hangout we live in now.  Boats are celebrated and boatbuilders are given the reverence that they deserve. Bodrum was so cut off from the rest of mainland Turkey that the sea was the main highway - the "boat" was essential. In this museum, beautifully made nautical models of all different types are on display. Whether for fishing, sponge diving, transporting goods or pure pleasure, you'll find an example here.  They are so well made that I wish a cohort of tiny folk would raid the museum one moonlit night and sail these Borrower-size vessels off towards the horizon.  

The importance of the natural sponge to the local economy in the mid half of the 20th century is acknowledged and the faces and names of long-gone sponge divers are recorded for their descendants to view with pride.

Not all our divers are "long -gone',  see Bodrum's last sponge diver

The trailblazer  of Bodrum's artistic, poetic, touristic and literary future: Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, a.k.a The Fisherman of Halicarnassus is recognised with a display of some of his personal items (with more to come soon)  and his books are on sale in the museum shop.

The museum curator is Sema Sagat, who has taken the collection and concept from a temporary display in a tent outside the castle,  to this permanent site just opposite the PTT on Bodrum's main road down from the Bus Garage.  (Look out for the massive Eucalyptus trees, planted by Cevat Şakir, outside the entrance)
The building has been shut for most of 2015 for urgent restoration but is up and running now and
should be a mandatory destination on any Bodrum itinerary.

Open Tuesday to Sunday;  

November to May - 10am to 6pm.  June to October 11am to 10pm. 

Admission fee 5 TL (under 16 yrs - free. Over 65 yrs - half price)