Peninsula People: The Fisherman of Halicarnassus
Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı / Source: TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi
As you roll into the sprawling white hills of Bodrum, chances are you might miss a towering sign greeting visitors on the main road into town. Prominently placed yet quickly dismissed by magpie travellers in favour of the glistening bay view, the sign reads in Turkish:
“When you reach the top of the hill, you will see Bodrum. Don’t assume that you will leave as you came. Others before you were the same too. As they departed, they all left their souls behind.”
These evocative words are a famous quote from an elusive Bodrum persona, so intertwined with the peninsula that he is woven into almost every aspect of the town's fame. His praise for Bodrum and its azure waters adorns travel literature, hotel walls, and even breakfast tablecloths. His bust stands outside the castle, and a memorial garden on Cevat Şakir Street, home to the Bodrum Maritime Museum, features a corner dedicated to his life. Known by his pen name, The Fisherman of Halicarnassus, one might assume he graced the peninsula during Carian times, but the story of Bodrum’s very own poet is much more recent.
The old sign in Turkish and English greeting visitors driving into Bodrum.
Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı (1886–1973) is celebrated for transforming Bodrum into one of Türkiye's most renowned resorts. Born on April 17, 1886, in Crete, he was the eldest child of Mehmet Şakir Pasha, the Ottoman High Commissioner to Crete, and Sare İsmet Hanım. His family was renowned for its artistic talent. His sisters, Fahrelnisa Zeid and Aliye Berger, became famous painters, while his niece Füreya Koral gained recognition as Türkiye’s first modern ceramic artist.
Kabaağaçlı experienced a tumultuous life marked by family conflicts, financial struggles, and personal tragedy. His uncle Ahmed Cevat Pasha served as Grand Vizier in the Ottoman Empire, but political upheaval led his family to relocate from Crete to Istanbul's Princes' Islands. Educated at the prestigious Robert College in Istanbul, which he found disappointing, Kabaağaçlı later studied history at Oxford and painting in Italy, where he married his first wife, Italian model Agnesia Kafeira.
In 1914, returning to Istanbul with his wife and daughter, Kabaağaçlı faced familial discord and financial ruin. A heated argument in Afyon province led to the accidental death of his father, resulting in a 14-year prison sentence for Kabaağaçlı, of which he served seven years. Released during the British occupation of Istanbul, he detested the oppressive rule and turned to Sufism for solace. Multilingual and talented (it is said Kabaağaçlı was fluent in Arabic, Persian, English, Italian and Latin, and old and new Greek), he attempted to earn a living by writing for newspapers, writing both short stories and cultural pieces. After divorcing Agnesia, he married his cousin Hamdiye, with whom he had a son named Sina.
It was in 1925 that Kabaağaçlı’s fate finally led him to Bodrum. Facing arrest once again, this time for political reasons, he was prosecuted for a short story about an Ottoman deserter, accused of inciting rebellion against the army. Although the story concerned the Ottoman Empire and not the newly established Turkish Republic, he was given a fablelike sentence of three years imprisonment in Bodrum Castle. Fortunately for him, the castle was in disrepair, allowing him to live his exiled existence in a rented house in Bodrum. This exile marked the beginning of his profound connection with the peninsula. Initially disheartened, he soon fell in love with the town’s beauty and tranquillity. To reflect his love for the sponge-fishing town and its people, who lived simply and connected to nature, he adopted the pen name Fisherman of Halicarnassus.
Historic image of Bodrum Castle. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
In Bodrum, Kabaağaçlı thrived as a writer, fisherman, and farmer. His stories earned him national fame, and he actively engaged in the community by improving fishing methods and planting public trees that still stand tall today. Indeed, the picturesque boulevard in Bodrum town is lined with palm trees that are said to have been planted by Kabaağaçlı himself. He is often regarded as Türkiye's first ecologist and he strove hard to enhance Bodrum’s natural beauty. He ordered seeds from all over the world and planted them all around the Peninsula. In the 1950s and 1960s, his literary and artistic friends joined him for the first Mavi Tur, or "Blue Voyages" along the Gulf of Gökova and the Carian and Lycian coasts, adventures that brought Bodrum international attention and the first wave of tourists.
The Aegean and Mediterranean seas converge along this coast, where the Taurus mountains meet the water, creating a landscape rich in flora and classical ruins. Bodrum, historically known as Halicarnassus, was a significant city in Caria, famous for the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The region's rich archaeological heritage includes fifty-seven sites in the Muğla province alone, offering a glimpse into the ancient Greco-Roman world.
Kabaağaçlı's voyages and observations led him to believe that Anatolia was the cradle of Western civilization. Indeed, Kabaağaçlı became the leading figure of the Blue Anatolians, a group of writers and artists who argued that the cultural heritage of Anatolia, especially its Hellenic legacy, belonged to the current inhabitants of the region. They saw Turkish culture as a fusion of various influences, including the Ottoman and Seljuk legacies, and believed that civilization emerged from the Mediterranean and its hinterland as a shared legacy. The Blue Anatolians sought to reconcile Türkiye's Westernization with its rich cultural heritage, countering the nationalist cultural policies and the "Turkish history thesis" prevalent at the time. He authored numerous essays on mythology, humanism, and maritime subjects, as well as historical novels about famous Ottoman pirates and captains. Kabaağaçlı's writings on Anatolia synthesised classical literature, nature, and a belief in the wisdom of common folk, forming the philosophy of "Blue Anatolian Humanism."
He eventually settled in Izmir, where he became Türkiye's first professional tour guide, often referencing his hero, Homer, who was likely born there. Even before his life's extraordinary events, Kabaağaçlı's features reflected both joy and sorrow. His sister, Fahrelnissa Zeid described his face as a blend of comedy and tragedy. He aged gracefully and his engaging conversations about Homer and other topics left a lasting impression on those he met.
While Kabaağaçlı's work remains highly regarded in Türkiye, his writings are less known in English-speaking regions. In 1993, Erden Kıral directed "Mavi Sürgün" (Blue Exile), a film based on Kabaağaçlı's story of his banishment to Bodrum.
Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı passed away from bone cancer on October 13, 1973, in İzmir and was buried in Bodrum as per his wishes, on top of the “Turbe” hill in Gümbet. His legacy remains visible throughout the Peninsula and was commemorated by a small museum near his grave.
Halikarnas Balıkçısı Müzesi /The Fisherman of Halicarnassus Museum
Address: Cevat Şakir, Sabırlık Sk. No:25, 48400 Bodrum/Muğla, Türkiye