The Çanakkale Maritime Museum or Deniz Müzesi holds a large collection of exhibits from the First World War and the Gallipoli Campaign. The museum is housed within the walls of Çimenlik Castle or Kale-i Sultaniye its older name. It was build in the 15th century by order of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror and took two years to build.

Completed in 1462 it guarded the straits along with its sister castle across the water at Kilitbahir on the European side of the strait.

The museum extends outside the castle walls and includes an old UB46 German submarine and a replica of the famous Turkish minelayer The Nusret or Nusret Mayin Gemisi in Turkish. During the military campaign this small ship played an important role in the defence of the peninsula from the Allied fleet. The original ship served with the Turkish navy until 1955 and is a museum in it’s own right in the city of Mersin. The replica that you see here today was built in 1982.

The Maritime Museum holds an extensive collection of mines, military equipment, weapons, photos, paintings and exhibition material with a dedicated gallery section for photos and paintings. There are two mosques within the castle walls, the Fatih Camii and Abdulaziz Camii. There is a small section dedicated to Piri Reis who is said to have completed his Book of Navigation from his room in the fortress.

Inside the fortress tower is an exhibition on two floors which explains the Gallipoli Campaign in detail and provides film footage, weapons, scenes and documents from this period of history. If you wish to take photographs or video you will need to purchase a special ticket at the entry point in addition to the main entrance ticket.

The castle is near the centre of Çanakkale within easy walking distance from the ferry terminal.