Arkas Maritime History Center

Arkas Maritime History Center

The building where the Arkas Maritime History Center is located is the mansion where the Arkas family used to live. The building, one of the glamorous examples of Levantine mansions in Bornova, was built in the 19th century. Most of the Levantine families, who played a role in İzmir's importance in the Eastern Mediterranean maritime trade, had mansions built in Bornova or Buca, the suburbs of the city at that time. The mansion where the museum is located is one of them. This center was established for the exhibition of the ship models and other collection pieces collected by the chairman of the board of directors of Arkas Holding, Lucien Arkas, which shed light on maritime history. 89 models of ships, 126 pieces of ship antiques, 67 paintings, nautical maps, and sponge kits can be seen in this center. Arkas Maritime History Center also contains clues as to how important Izmir is in the Mediterranean.