Fisherman of Halicarnassus remembered in Bodrum

Contributions made to the western province of Muğla's Bodrum district by writer Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, known as the Fisherman of Halicarnassus, are highly appreciated by locals.

Born in Crete on April 17, 1890, Kabaağaçlı spent the first years of his childhood in Athens, where his father served as a governor. He went to primary school in Büyükada, and secondary and high school in Robert College. He wanted to study marine in England but graduated from Oxford University's history department because of the insistence from his family. 

Getting married in 1913 in Italy, Kabaağaçlı lived there for some time and received painting education. 

Kabaağaçlı started publishing articles in newspapers and magazines when he returned to Istanbul. In 1925, he was found guilty for one of his articles and exiled to Bodrum. 

He completed half of his three-year punishment in Bodrum and the other half in Istanbul. 

Then Kabaağaçlı returned to Bodrum, where he socialized with people and lived for some 25 years. 

During those years, Bodrum was a small fisherman town and Kabaağaçlı planted dozens of seeds in various spots of the town. 

These trees, which were planted by him nearly a century ago, are now drawing attention in Bodrum's city center. 

The Turkish and English note written by the fisherman greets local and foreign guests, saying "When you reach the top of the hill, you will see Bodrum. Don't assume that you'll leave as you came. The others before you were the same, too. As they departed, they all left their souls behind."

Due to his contributions to Bodrum, Kabaağaçlı is remembered with a bust in the Bodrum Municipality Square.

April 17 was his 127th birthday and he was commemorated in the...