Zeki Muren Arts Museum

The basics

While most travelers and cruise visitors arriving in Bodrum focus on the Old Town and marina district, the Zeki Müren Arts Museum is an easy detour if you’re heading to Bodrum Beach. Combine a visit to the museum with other popular sights, such as Bodrum Castle and the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. Admission tickets provide full access to the museum, which is spread over the two floors and various rooms of the artist’s former home.

Things to know before you go

• There is an admission fee to visit the museum.

• The museum’s exhibitions are mostly in Turkish, so it’s worth visiting with a guide if you want to learn more about Zeki Müren.

• There’s a small café and shop on-site, but no restrooms.

• As the house is preserved in its original state, it is not accessible for wheelchairs or strollers.

How to get there

The Zeki Müren Arts Museum is located along Zeki Müren Caddesi in the Kumbahçe neighborhood of Bodrum in Turkey (officially the Republic of Türkiye). You can walk to the museum from Bodrum Beach in about five minutes, or head there from the cruise port, about a 10-minute walk.

When to get there

The museum is open year-round, typically every day except Mondays. Check the schedule in advance, because the museum’s hours vary between the high and low seasons (April-October and November-March, respectively).

Who is Turkish artist Zeki Müren?

A household name and State Artist in Turkey, Zeki Müren (1931-1996) was renowned as a master of Turkish classical music, as well as being a poet, actor, and painter. Nicknamed the “The Sun of Art” and “Pasha,” he rose to fame in the 1950s and produced hundreds of records over his decades-long career. His global success saw him rub elbows with Mick Jagger (while teaching him a thing or two onstage) and perform in Las Vegas. Müren’s legacy continues to inspire, and he’s sometimes called “the David Bowie of Turkey.”