2004 · Urla
Foundation year and base stated by the association and repeated in the 2017 İzmir award record.
URLA · EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY
360 Derece makes history move.
An Urla-based multidisciplinary association that reconstructs ancient vessels and technologies so they can be used, tested, questioned and taught—not merely viewed.
01 — PROFILE
WHO THEY ARE
A workshop where an archaeological question becomes a voyage.
According to its official history, 360 Derece was founded in Urla in 2004 by archaeologists, historians, engineers, seafarers, boatbuilders and volunteers. The group calls its method experimental archaeology: reconstructing an object under period-informed conditions and then testing how it behaves.
AT A GLANCE
What the evidence supports.
Counts and operating details are kept within their source and date. Association statements are attributed; changing access information should always be confirmed directly.
Experimental archaeology
Period-informed reconstruction followed by use, observation and documentation.
Many hands, one question
Archaeology, history, engineering, navigation, boatbuilding, craft and volunteering.
2017 Jury Award
Kybele received the Jury Special Award in İzmir's Tarihe Saygı local-conservation programme.
SELECTED WORK
Built to be tested.
These are selected examples, not a complete catalogue. Distances and dates below follow the cited institutional sources.
A Bronze Age question afloat
The association reports that its Urla-built replica used mortise-and-tenon and wooden-peg construction, launched in 2005 and travelled about 3,000 nautical miles around Turkish coasts, the Mediterranean and Cyprus.
Source: association project page. Route and distance remain attributed claims.Foça to Marseille
Kybele followed a 2009 route of approximately 1,700 nautical miles from the Aegean toward Marseille, reconnecting ancient Phocaean maritime exchange with a contemporary public journey.
Duration differs by source: 54 and 64 days. GO URLA therefore says approximately two months.A wider field of practice
Hippoi, İzmir boats, Cycladic boats, reed vessels, reconstructed anchors, museum interpretation and underwater archaeoparks extend the method beyond a single ship.
Source: association project index and project pages. Superlatives are not adopted without separate verification.URLA MARITIME CENTRE
A real public process—still not an open centre.
The municipal record shows institutional intent and authority. It also shows a site problem and a revised process. A timeline is more truthful than a launch announcement.
Planning meeting
TINA reports a meeting in Urla with the association, municipality, TINA representatives, academics and Caroline Koç for a proposed centre.
Protocol authority
Council decision 256 authorized the mayor to form a cooperation protocol with 360 Derece, TINA and Vehbi Koç Foundation.
Earlier area cancelled
Decision 519 cancelled the earlier decision because its specified area was unsuitable and authorized a protocol for a more appropriate area.
Education area added
Decision 25 authorized a protocol for an additional area for experimental-archaeology experience, production and education activities connected to the centre.
WHAT IS NOT YET PROVEN
The reviewed public documents do not establish a final site, signed final protocol, approved design, secured budget, construction start, opening date, operating model or visitor readiness. GO URLA will update this record when newer primary evidence exists.
VISIT & VERIFY
Go to the authoritative channel.
The association's site says visits are possible at its Urla İskele workshop but asks visitors to email before arriving. Hours, access, capacity and programme should be confirmed directly.
Supported in public sources
- Urla base and 2004 foundation year
- Experimental-archaeology practice and selected projects
- Kybele's 1,700-nautical-mile Marseille route
- 2017 İzmir Jury Special Award
- Municipal authorization sequence through January 2026
Direct confirmation still needed
- Current visiting hours and accessibility
- Current vessel and archive condition
- Current project calendar and completed 2025 route
- Latest Maritime Centre site and protocol state
- Permission for logos, photographs and supplied media
SOURCES · 09.09.2026
Sources stay attached.
Institutional claims are attributed. Municipal decisions establish authorization, not delivery. The YouTube interview informed research but is not used as the sole support for contested figures.
- 360 Derece · HikâyemizIdentity, method, visit guidance
- 360 Derece · Canlandırma projeleriOfficial project index
- 360 Derece · Uluburun BatığıReplica construction and reported voyages
- 360 Derece · Foça–MarsilyaKybele route and association account
- İzmir Tarihe Saygı · 2017 awardsIndependent award and Kybele record
- TINA Bulletin · 2024/1Maritime Centre planning meeting
- Urla Municipality · Decision 519Earlier area cancelled; revised authority
- Urla Municipality · Decision 25Additional experimental-archaeology area authority