The building is housed in the historic Mattheys Mansion, a structure originally built by a prominent Levantine merchant family in the 1800s.
The collection includes detailed ship models commissioned specifically for the center to ensure historical accuracy.
Many of the navigational instruments on display are authentic period pieces recovered from historical merchant and naval vessels.
The museum serves as a research repository for scholars studying the maritime commercial history of the Eastern Mediterranean.
The mansion's architecture retains original design elements typical of the 19th-century residential estates occupied by the foreign merchant elite in Bornova.
The Arkas Maritime History Center is located within a restored 19th-century Levantine mansion in the Bornova district of İzmir. It preserves and displays the maritime heritage of the Aegean and Mediterranean regions through an extensive collection of ship models, navigational instruments, and historical documents. The museum houses over 100 high-quality ship models that chronicle the development of naval architecture from ancient times to the modern era. Visitors can examine rare maritime artifacts including compasses, sextants, and nautical charts used by sailors throughout centuries of Mediterranean trade. The center also features paintings depicting naval battles and historical maritime scenes, providing artistic context to the technical displays. As a private initiative by the Arkas Holding conglomerate, the museum is dedicated to safeguarding the nautical history of the Anatolian coastline. The permanent exhibition is curated to highlight İzmir's historical significance as a major hub for maritime commerce.
The restored exterior façade of the historic mansion and the central atrium staircase.
Combine your visit with a walk through the surrounding historic neighborhood of Bornova to see other surviving Levantine mansions.
The museum is smaller than typical municipal galleries, so plan your visit to allow for close inspection of the detailed model ships.
Check the official website prior to your visit for updates on temporary thematic exhibitions.
Do not confuse this location with the Arkas Art Center, which is a separate gallery located in the Konak district near the waterfront.
Closed on Mondays.
Maintain a quiet volume and refrain from touching the ship models or display glass.
