Mersin Naval Museum

While it may not sound like much of a crowd-pleaser, this museum near the landmark Muğdat Mosque has some fine exhibits (both display case and multimedia ones) tracing Turkey's presence on the seas, starting in the 11th century. Much is made of the 15th-century admiral and explorer Piri Reis as well as such familiar battles as Lepanto (1571), when the Spanish-led Holy League defeated the Ottomans, and Çanakkale (1915–16), better known to the rest of the world as the Battle of Gallipoli.