Mersin Sea Museum

Mersin Maritime Museum, established on 14 July 2011 in Mersin, aims to reflect the naval warfare history and the social, historical, and technical development of the Turkish Naval Forces Command. Located in the Gazi Quarter along Adnan Menderes Boulevard, the museum was constructed in three blocks under the authority of the Turkish Naval Forces Command. As Türkiye’s fourth maritime museum, it was established after the Istanbul Maritime Museum (1897), Çanakkale Maritime Museum (1982), and İskenderun Maritime Museum (2009). Inspired by the vision of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk that “Maritime affairs must be a great aspiration of the Turkish people,” the museum seeks to transmit Turkish maritime history to future generations, foster appreciation for seafaring, and establish communication with civil society, especially children.

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The Mersin Maritime Museum consists of four exhibition areas: the 450-square-meter Barbaros Main Exhibition Hall, the Ertuğrul Hall, the Fossil Hall, and a temporary exhibition hall. Additionally, there are open and indoor exhibition areas as well as workshops for paintings and ship models. The museum serves visitors and researchers with over 500 objects and a library of 800 books. It is open daily from 09:00 to 17:00 except on Mondays and Tuesdays; however, the Museum Card is not valid.

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The main exhibition hall, named after the renowned Turkish naval commander Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, presents Turkish naval history chronologically. Exhibits include ship models from the oared, sail, and armored eras, standards, coats of arms, military uniforms, bladed and firearms, and oil paintings. Notable items on display include:

• A 17-link section of the chain used by the Eastern Roman Empire during the conquest of Istanbul in the Golden Horn,
• A tombak armor belonging to Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay, captured by Yavuz Sultan Selim during his 1516 campaign in Egypt,
• An armored horse saddle from the 16th century bearing the kayı stamp,
• German and Ottoman medals,
• Pistols belonging to Mersin-based National Forces volunteers.

Additionally, the hall features interactive reconstructions of naval battles and bridge crossings aboard a 16th-century galleon.

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The Interactive Hall provides digital information about significant ships in Turkish naval history. These include the Efsane Mahmudiye, Kahraman Hamidiye, Preveze, Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, Nusret Mine Ship, Gazi Alemdar, and Yavuz Battle Cruiser. This section offers visitors an interactive experience centered on pivotal historical events and heroic narratives.

The outdoor exhibition area displays objects from floating units used by the Turkish Naval Forces. Exhibits include cannons, ASROC launchers, radar systems, torpedoes, mines, depth charges, as well as a model of a submarine and the lifeboat of the Refah ship.

The Ertuğrul Hall is dedicated to the frigate Ertuğrul, which sank in a storm on 16 September 1890 while returning from a visit to Japan. Artifacts recovered during underwater excavations under the “Ertuğrul Project” are displayed here. The hall’s most valuable items include fragments of the ship, glassware, Japanese porcelain, personal belongings of the crew, and wax statues of the commanders.

Titled “Fossils from the Geological Time Seas,” this hall houses 312 fossil specimens averaging 400 million years old, of which 123 belong to marine species. The most striking exhibit is a set of rib bones from a sea scorpion, a rarity worldwide. Fossils are presented to visitors with supporting poster displays and projection systems.

The temporary exhibition hall, located in Block B of the museum, hosts rotating exhibitions on specific periods. In addition, painting and ship model workshops have been established to contribute to local culture and art activities. Experienced staff lead courses in these workshops. The Ertuğrul Art Gallery, meanwhile, hosts paid exhibitions of paintings, photographs, and sculptures.

The museum’s collections span a wide range:

• Painting Collection: Oil, watercolor, and black ink paintings of naval vessels, naval battles, portraits, and city panoramas, as well as engravings.
• Ship Models Collection: Models of Ottoman naval vessels from the oar and sail eras, as well as models from the machine and modern era.
• Weapons Collection: Bladed and piercing weapons, defensive arms, and firearms.
• Other Objects: Coats of arms and name plaques, navigation instruments, uniforms, objects from the Cyprus Peace Operation, amphorae, diving equipment, and ship engine models.

In the museum corridors, busts of prominent Turkish naval commanders and Turkish naval uniforms from historical periods to the present are displayed.

The mission of the Mersin Maritime Museum is to collect objects, artifacts, documents, photographs, and records related to Turkish maritime history and the history of Mersin Province, to reveal their historical significance, and to exhibit them according to contemporary museological standards. Its vision is to promote, popularize, and preserve maritime culture, transmit it to future generations, and enrich its collections to become a model museum.

With its rich content and interactive exhibition approach, the Mersin Maritime Museum continues to keep alive the legacy of Turkish maritime heritage.