The Gökçe Gemile team

Ask any member of the Gökçe Gemile team to describe how they feel about working together and they’ll all say the same: “The Gökçe Gemile team is like one big, happy family!”

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Ayşegül (23 years), Mustafa (18 years), Gülay (16 years) and Süleyman (16 years) have been working with Malik the longest, while Sevinç joined the team 10 years ago. Sevinç says: “One of the best things about our team is the respect, loyalty and friendship we feel for each other, along with sharing responsibilities and helping each other out. Also, Malik may be our boss but he’s also part of the team. He works alongside us, doing whatever’s necessary for everything to go smoothly.”

Ayşegül explains how the Gökçe Gemile team works: “We all have our own job descriptions, of course, but we all share responsibilities too. For example, if our wonderful cooks, Banu, Yeliz, Dilber and Gülay are busy doing something else, you’ll find me, Malik, Taner, Rıfat or Sevinç in the kitchen cooking lunch, as we enjoy cooking too.” [And the food they prepare is delicious!]

Taner and Rıfat have, on the other hand, only recently joined the team but they have known Malik for more than 30 years. Of their friendship, Rifat says: We, that is Taner, Malik and I, have known each other since we were all youngsters in Ölüdeniz, back in those carefree days of the 80s and early 90s when the tourists were generally backpackers!”

Even those who are comparatively new to the team, such as Nuri, Banu and Güven, have been with the team for more than a year. Güven loves his job: “I come from a small village in the yayla (highlands above Fethiye) and for me, being part of a small team and working in nature, is the best feeling.”

Zafer-Kaya, who together with his wife, Dilber, have been part of the team for a year, loves his job too: “I adore the dark and the silence of the night time and here you can hear the sounds of nature and see the stars so clearly.”

Perhaps the words that best sum up the team’s feelings about Gökçe Gemile are those of Yeliz, who together with Banu, Dilber and Gülay are the Gökçe Gemile House Helpers: “It’s great to see guests coming to Gökçe Gemile, adoring the houses, falling in love with the whole place, and really enjoying the delicious food we cook for them. This is what motivates us… makes us all happy.”

• Malik Şahin – Proprietor
• Ayşegül Şişman – Operations manager (23 years)
• Sevinç Erkan – Accounts Manager (10 years)
• Taner Tavukcu – Yacht skipper (30 years)
• Rıfat Dosdoğru – Water sports instructor (30 years)
• Zafer-Kaya Karlı – Night watchman (1 year)
• Nuri Eriş – Maintenance (2 years)
• Mustafa Gürsoy – Chauffeur (18 years)
• Süleyman Palta – Groundskeeper (16 years)
• Güven Bayat – Groundskeeper (2 years)
• Gülay Güneş – House Helper (16 years)
• Yeliz Erşan – House Helper (1 year)
• Dilber Karlı – House Helper (1 year)
• Banu Özsavrangil – House Helper (4 years)
• Jane Akatay – Website content

Gökçe Gemile: a story carved in wood and stone

This story one of faith, vision, passion and resolute determination. Each of these qualities are present in the carved boulders and every rock, stone, pebble, piece of timber and iron used in the creation of Gökçe Gemile.

It is no exaggeration to say that not only the land itself, but every single element that has been used in Gökçe Gemile, is the culmination of Malik Şahin’s long-held, far-sighted and completely unprecedented dream. While it would be simple enough to depict him as the man with the imagination, drive and passion behind the concept and creation of Gökçe Gemile and its philosophy, he would say it is much more complicated than that.

Certainly, the path Malik has travelled to complete this unique architectural and conceptual tour de force, has been no less complex, dynamic and demanding than the design and construction of Gökçe Gemile itself.

Always ahead of the pack, Malik had been searching for a new tourism opportunity for a while. When he bought his yacht in 2012, as well as honing his sailing skills (a passion he has to this day), he was also able to begin exploring the coastline around the Southwest Mediterranean in earnest, looking for the perfect location… But it was kismet, a chance conversation, which led him to Gökçe Gemile.

Malik concedes it was love at first sight. Gökçe Gemile had everything he was looking for: astounding beauty, seclusion and an abundance of nature. Better still, the land was registered, had access and was for sale; a unique opportunity on this part of the coastline, which is a highly protected area.

Acquiring the land, let alone getting permission to accomplish such an innovative project, was no easy feat. Many would have given up, but Malik instinctively knew that it was the right place for him to create a place that could express his love for Turkey and his passion for his country’s authentic culture.

By 2014 the time had come for Malik to make real the vision that he had been imagining for so long. It was then that he had an unexpected break – a small window of opportunity that lasted for just six months – to build at Gökçe Gemile on the scale he had always dreamed of but had scarcely dared to imagine. Malik is still full of awe when discussing this, as, no sooner had he got the permission in his hand, the “window” promptly closed again.

Blood, sweat and a few tears

With the building of the three houses underway, to fulfil his vision Malik required a team of skilled craftsmen – a stone mason, a carpenter and a blacksmith – and the perfect natural materials – wood and stone. The walls at Gökçe Gemile and some of the mosaics in Gemile Villa, would be made from the stones and pebbles collected on site. But the stone he used to build the houses –  the amazing rocks used to make the hand carved basins, the huge egg-shaped boulders used to make the jacuzzies and the river stones and pebbles used in the swimming pools – these come from all over Turkey; places as far afield as Eşen, Afyonkarahisar, Aydın, İzmir, Marmara Island, Bodrum, Gaziantep, Elmalı, Aliağa, and Alaçatı.

Likewise, the reclaimed wood – cedar, chestnut and oak – he used in the fabric of the building – for beams and rafters – and the pieces used to make the unique tables, come from places like Artvin, Bursa and Rize.

As well as spending many days (and nights) travelling around Turkey, looking for the perfect stone and wood, Malik also researched techniques, such as traditional wall plastering customarily used in villages and in regions like Cappadocia. The wrought iron work, on the other hand, was based on his ethnographic research of the country’s Turkish and Greek heritage.

All this, Malik had been planning for many years. Unlike his chance encounter with the land, nothing about the creation of the houses at Gökçe Gemile was left to chance; he knew exactly what he wanted, even down to the furniture, beds and lampshades.

According to Nicky, his wife of 25 years, Malik has a rare gift for seeing things in his imagination three-dimensionally. He is a “doer” and also a perfectionist; if he feels something isn’t right, it has to be done again and again, until it meets his standards. He is also determined… he says he is like an arrow, never deflecting from his set course.

Finally, in 2015, he received permission to build the inclined lift, a feat of engineering and stalwart human effort. Then, in 2016, work started on and make main beach and clubhouse. This involved bringing all the equipment by sea, something he now admits must have looked rather crazy…

Gökçe Gemile opened to guests in mid-June 2018. It’s been a tough four years, says Malik, but despite the stressful times and problems, Gökçe Gemile is now a living testimony to his faith and the hard work of everyone involved. He hopes at last he’ll have some free time to relax, read and spend quality time with his family.

Trust in God, but tie your camel

Gökçe Gemile was always going to be a huge investment, a new direction for Malik… one in which he has combined with his, love of Turkey and passion for nature. A successful business man, he describes himself as a logical, someone who has gut feelings, trusts his instincts but never takes unnecessary risks. He is someone, he says, who considers everything, from every conceivable angle and his faith is his guiding light. He recalls a saying, “Trust in God, but tie your camel.”

Malik is certain when he says what has been accomplished at Gökçe Gemile is not about him, Fethiye, or even Muğla. This visionary project is for the benefit of Turkey and world-class tourism. It is also a homage to his love of nature. He hopes that when you visit Gökçe Gemile you will agree with him.

Meanwhile, Malik has plans to live in Gökçe Gemile too, some day. But for him, he says, he only needs a small house, something modest and simple.