The Marine Biology Museum, located in the Gulf of Antalya, where most living creatures are displayed deformed in glass jars with chemical water, was opened by municipal employee Dr. It was founded by Elif Özgür.
The museum was opened in Kaleiçi Marina in 2014, during the term of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, and it contained dead specimen of endangered sea creatures such as Mediterranean monk seal, grouper and green sea turtle.
As a result of visitors’ children finding the deformed appearance of some creatures frightening, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism decided that it did not qualify as a museum and that it did not comply with the regulations and removed the phrase “museum”.
As a result of the disagreement between Dr. Elif Özgür and Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, the municipality sent a notice to Özgür to vacate her museum, but Özgür received a stay of execution from the court.
While Antalya 5th Administrative Court rejected the request for stay of execution, the request for stay of execution was also rejected in the upper court review upon Özgür’s objection.
| Decision | Situation |
|---|---|
| Antalya 5th Administrative Court Decision | The request for stay of execution was rejected. |
| Konya Regional Administrative Court Decision | Özgür’s objection was rejected and his request for a stay of execution was not accepted. |
Özgür’s struggle continues after the decision that he must evacuate his private collection from the building.
