İstanbul - Rumelihisar Museum, Yedikulehisar Museum, Anadoluhisar Museum

RUMELIHISAR MUSEUM-YEDIKULEHISAR MUSEUM-ANADOLUHISAR MUSEUM

The establishment purpose of Directorate of Hisarlar Museum in 1968 was to maintain and introduce Rumelihisar museum which was mainly repaired during 1952-1958 and Yedikulehisarı museum which was mainly repaired during 1962-1968 as monument-museum, and also to repair Anadoluhisarı in the same way and take it into service.

Anadoluhisarı

The castle covering seven acre area and giving its name to the location was built by Sultan Beyazid I (Yıldırım) as the front military station of Ottoman in 1395. The building was added "Hisarpençe", storehouse and some residental buildings by Mehmed II. In 1928 some repair works were done by kandilli Municipality. Some repairs were done by Ministry of Culture in 1991-1993. Today Anadolu Hisarı is within borders of Beykoz Municipality. There are no movable cultural assets in the castle. It has not been opened for visits.

Rumelihisarı

Located within borders of Sarıyer district and gave its name to the location, covering 30.000 m² areas. There is a monument-art built in the narrowest part and flowing (600m) section of the Istanbul Bosphoreus just opposite Anadoluhisarı. Although it is known that the region was called "Hermaion" in ancient ages, historian Dukas does not mention this and indicates the location of the castle hill side of mountain known as Fonea down "Sostenion (İstinye). The names of Rumelihisar are: Kulle-i Cedide in Fatih Charities; Yenice Hisar in Neşri period history; Boğazkesen Castle in Kemalpaşazade, Aşıkpşazade and Nişancı histories. Although Dukas confused about the names and used as Kefalokoptis, no one else except him used this name.

According to two inscriptions in Büyük Zağanos Tower and Küçük Zağanos Pasha Tower, the castle was built in about four month period which is a considerably short period. In the art book called "Şerh-i Tecriiyd-i Ataik" in süleymaniye Library, it is said that the building had been completed in (139) days.
The timbers used in building were from İzmit and Black sea Ereğli; the stones were from various plces of Anatolia and spolis are from destroyed Byzantine buildings located around.

In some histories it has been stated that 1000 masters, 2000 workers and many transporters were employed in building but Architect E.H. Ayverdi states that approximately 300 masters, 700-800 workers and 200 transporters, boats, vehicles etc were employed.

Mortary volume of the building covering 60.000 m² areas is about 57.700 m². Mountain Gate, Dizdar Gate, Hisarpençe Gate and Sel Gate are four main gates and it also has a secondary gate called Mezarlık Gate.

It has Saruca Pasha, Halil Pasha and Zağanos Pasha, three old and junior Zağanas Pasha, one small and four towers in total; 13 castles in various sizes.
It has two water ducts, one is blocked, three fountains two of which are lost. Only one destroyed minarette from the mosque remained until the present time.
The building was considerably damaged from 1509 earthquake but repaired promptly. It is known that it was also repaired during Selim 3 (1789-1807). But essential repair was made by architect Mrs Cahide Tamer, Mrs. Selma Emler and Mrs. Mualla Arhegger-Eyüboğlu upon directive of President Mr. Celal Bayar in 1953.

Open exhibition is made in the museum, but there is no exhibition hall and store house. Artilleries, shot and the chains which were claimed to be used in blocking of Haliç (Golden Horn) are exhibited in the garden.

Rumelihisarı Museum

Open between 09.00-16.30 everyday except Wednesdays.

Yahya Kemal cad. No: 42 80830 Rumelihisarı-Istanbul

Tel: 0-212-2635305

Fax: 0-212-2650410



Yedikule hisarı

Yedikule hisarı or shortly Yedikule, being one of important architectural arts of Istanbul is on the south of city land water and under authority of Directorate of Hisarlar Museum in the same town.

The land part of Hisar was built during reign of Theodosios II (408-450) as the most important entrance of the city walls and also an additional construction was made behind Porta Aurea having an important place in Byzantine history. 4 years after conquer of Istanbul, an inner castle was built by Sultan Mehmet II in 1457-1458. Thus Byzantine and Ottoman Period buildings combined.

The walls of Yedikulehisar are in shape of stars.

There is one door on city side. No building was made adjacent to walls.

There one disdar (castle guard), dizdar assistant, 6 officer and 50 soldiers. There was a disdar's house and 12 guards' houses. Even the traces of shelters and store houses not reaching today can be seen at present. Only a minaret of the mescid remained until 1905 located in the centre of the courtyard and fountain in the front can be seen. The mescid had a quarter which was pictured in a picture of the 17th century, and the time of destruction of the quarter is not known either.
There are stone artillery shot, marble column head, column part and baked soil cubic, in total 17 pieces are now exhibited in open exhibition.

Yedikulehisarı Museum

Open between 9.00-16.30 everyday except Wednesdays.

Kule Meydanı No:4 Yedikule-ISTANBUL

Tel: 0-212-5858933

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İstanbul St. Irene

İstanbul St. Irene



St. Irene, which is located on the 1st courtyard of Topkapı Palace, was constructed by the Emperor Lustiniaus in the 6th century. It consists of atrium, narthex, naos with three nephs and apse. It is a typical Byzantine structure with its material and architecture.

There have not been many changes in the building, as the church was not turned to a mosque after conquest of İstanbul in 1453. It was used as a booty and weapon warehouse for a long time. Son-in-law Ahmed Fethi Pasha, one of Field Marshal of Tophane, exhibited his works here in 1846. St. Irene was renamed as Müze-i Hümayun (Empire Museum) in 1869. The works exhibited here were moved to Çinili Köşk (Pavilion with painted tiles) in 1875, as the exhibition areas were insufficient. St. Irene was used as a Military Museum since 1908. The building, which was empty for a while, was restored and made a unit of Directorate of St. Sofia Museum

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İstanbul - Small St. Sofia

İstanbul - Small St. Sofia



RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS

Small St.Sofia Mosque - Ss. Sergius and Bacchus Church

Small St. Sofia Mosque is located between Cankurtaran and Kadırga quarters in Eminönü District, 20 km away from the southern seaside of Mediterranean ramparts. Although it is stated in some sources that there was a pavilion of Big Palace, which is known as Hormidas Palace, and a basically planned church established for Apostle Petrous and Pavlos near Small St. Sofia Mosque, there is no proof which determines their exact locations.

Small St. Sofia Mosque or St. Sergius and Bacchus church with its former name, which is the useable oldest structure of İstanbul today, was constructed between the years 527-536. According to the legends stated in the sources about the construction of the building (Millingen 1912), at the 1st Anastasyus Period, 1st Justiniaunus and his uncle 1st Justinos were condemned to death due to an allegation that they had a rebellion against the Emperor Anastasyus. One night before the execution, the Emperor Anastasyus sees the saints St. Sergius and Bacchus in his dream and the saints testifies in favour of 1st Justiniaunus and 1st Justinos. The emperor, who is affected by this dream, forgives them. When 1st Justiniaunus becomes emperor, he establishes St. Sergius and Bacchus church as a vow church in order to show his gratitude to these saints.

After the conquer of İstanbul, the building, which was used as a church for nearly 1000 years, was changed to a mosque by Hüseyin Agha, the Kapu Agha, in 1504 during the 2nd Bayezid period.

Architectural Description

The building is one of typical samples of central planned, first period Byzantine churches in the capital Constantinople. Narthex lies at the west and semi-hexagonal shaped apsis lies at the east side of the irregular, rectangular planned church. The octagonal planned centre area, which was placed in the irregular rectangle, was enlarged with semi-circle shaped niches called exedra. The location integrity has been ensured between the centre area and apsis by placing polygonal shaped pillars to the corners of this centre area and two each column among these pillars. In terms of plan, the building has the similar characteristics with Ravenna - St. Vitale, Aachen - Aix Le Chapella and Basra - Bacchus churches; but it is completely different in third dimension.

On the centre area, there is 16 sectioned dome carried by eight big pillars on its corners. Eight of these sections are plain and eight of them are concave. Arch shaped windows have been opened on the plain sections. The upper surface of the corridors providing passage from the centre area to rectangular form takes shape of a gallery at the upper floor. At the gallery floor, the upper surface of the exedras is furnished with semi - domes carried by three arches.

It is being supposed that the inner walls were ornamented with mosaics during construction, as seen in the buildings of the same period. But today there is no proof verifying this supposition; the inner surface of the building is fully plastered. The only ornament in the building belonging to Byzantine Period is an architrave formed with bunch of grapes and leaves having a slender workmanship at the gallery floor level, around the centre area. It is being asserted that the building was constructed on the area of a tempest made on behalf of Bakus, the God of wine, in idolatry period and the name Bacchus came accordingly.

Building Material
The building material used for St. Sergius and Bacchus church is stone, brick and plaster. Except the restored parts, the walls on northern, western and eastern fronts are made by reinforcement of bricks with stones arranged in wide intervals. The bricks of 70 x 35 x 5 cm are adhered together with plaster of 4 - 5 cm. On the southern front which is a 19th century structure there are irregular laid stones and bricks. Various lime types have been used for stone lines made for reinforcement of bricks. In the building, for the pillars, shelled limestone adhered with 4 cm plaster was used on the ground floor and brick was used on the gallery floor. Bricks were used as material for the vaults of the corridors and the gallery floor and for the central dome, and the bricks are laid in a manner to form radial pointing united at the centre of the vault.

The columns between the pillars are made of red and green serpatine, the head of columns and the architrave at the gallery floor level are made of Mediterranean marble. After the building was changed to a mosque, the pulpit muezzin gallery added to the building are also made of marble.

The Changes in the Building

According to the sources, the first damage and thus the first restoration in the building had been done after the Iconoclasm movements in the 9th century (Müller - Weiner 1977). And after the Latin invasion, the inner ornament needed to be restored (Paolesi 1961).

In 1054, Hüseyin Agha, the Kapu Agha, changed the building to a mosque and during this changing works all inner ornaments of the building were changed and some parts specific to a mosque were added to the building. These parts were a pulpit to south - east, a muezzin gallery to north - west in the inner side and a congregation area in front of the western wall in the outer side. Many windows at various dimensions were opened with ottoman architectural characteristics; and some of the existing windows were closed.

An independent minaret was established to the south - west corner of the building. The characteristic of the first minaret is not being known. It is being stated in the sources that a new minaret with Baroque style was made in the 18th century (S. Eyice 1978). The body of the Baroque style minaret was placed on an octagonal pulpit; the body climbs on the Baroque profile arches and joined to a minaret balcony with a bracelet part. The banister of the minaret balcony having baroque style ornaments was made of plain plates. The minaret having a lead coated classical spire was destroyed up to its pulpit in 1936 due to unknown reasons. The minaret, which remained ruined for a few years, was rebuilt in 1955.

Since 1600, 89 earthquakes with intensity bigger than 6, were observed in İstanbul, which is located on an important seismic zone. Thus, it is certain that Small St. Irene Mosque lived more earthquakes (N. Çamlıbel 1991). It was stated that in Hüseyin Agha's foundations (the Kapu Agha), the plasters fell and the windows at north and south were broken in the earthquake of 1968 and most part of the building was damaged in the earthquake of 1763; and the restoration works of the building were given to Ahmet Agha (S. Eyice, 1978).

In 1870 - 1871, a railway was established in the region between the building and the northern sea ramparts in a manner to pass 5 km away from the building. The railway, which is at an altitude of 1 m. from the ground level, served as single line for nearly 50 years. According to the sources, as the stones of the southern walls fell at each pass of the train, a wall in the Ottoman style was laid in 1877 (Mathews 1971). At the beginning of the 20th century, the railway was made double lined by increasing 3 m from the ground level.

The building, which was used as a sheltering place during Balkan War by the people who escaped from the war, was restored twice in 1937 and 1955, in the Republic Period (S. Eyice, 1978). The front of the building, which was known to be plastered and whitewashed, was restored after 1955 and brick and stone lays were made to be visible at all fronts except the drum of cupola.

There are some cracks at north - east and south - east sides, especially at exedras of the building, which is today used as a mosque. These continuous cracks begin from the cupola, pass the gallery vaults and go up to the outer walls of the building. The necessary activities should be carried out in order to find the occurring reason of these cracks and to repair them.

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İstanbul - Small St. Sofia

İstanbul - Small St. Sofia



RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS

Small St.Sofia Mosque - Ss. Sergius and Bacchus Church

Small St. Sofia Mosque is located between Cankurtaran and Kadırga quarters in Eminönü District, 20 km away from the southern seaside of Mediterranean ramparts. Although it is stated in some sources that there was a pavilion of Big Palace, which is known as Hormidas Palace, and a basically planned church established for Apostle Petrous and Pavlos near Small St. Sofia Mosque, there is no proof which determines their exact locations.

Small St. Sofia Mosque or St. Sergius and Bacchus church with its former name, which is the useable oldest structure of İstanbul today, was constructed between the years 527-536. According to the legends stated in the sources about the construction of the building (Millingen 1912), at the 1st Anastasyus Period, 1st Justiniaunus and his uncle 1st Justinos were condemned to death due to an allegation that they had a rebellion against the Emperor Anastasyus. One night before the execution, the Emperor Anastasyus sees the saints St. Sergius and Bacchus in his dream and the saints testifies in favour of 1st Justiniaunus and 1st Justinos. The emperor, who is affected by this dream, forgives them. When 1st Justiniaunus becomes emperor, he establishes St. Sergius and Bacchus church as a vow church in order to show his gratitude to these saints.

After the conquer of İstanbul, the building, which was used as a church for nearly 1000 years, was changed to a mosque by Hüseyin Agha, the Kapu Agha, in 1504 during the 2nd Bayezid period.

Architectural Description

The building is one of typical samples of central planned, first period Byzantine churches in the capital Constantinople. Narthex lies at the west and semi-hexagonal shaped apsis lies at the east side of the irregular, rectangular planned church. The octagonal planned centre area, which was placed in the irregular rectangle, was enlarged with semi-circle shaped niches called exedra. The location integrity has been ensured between the centre area and apsis by placing polygonal shaped pillars to the corners of this centre area and two each column among these pillars. In terms of plan, the building has the similar characteristics with Ravenna - St. Vitale, Aachen - Aix Le Chapella and Basra - Bacchus churches; but it is completely different in third dimension.

On the centre area, there is 16 sectioned dome carried by eight big pillars on its corners. Eight of these sections are plain and eight of them are concave. Arch shaped windows have been opened on the plain sections. The upper surface of the corridors providing passage from the centre area to rectangular form takes shape of a gallery at the upper floor. At the gallery floor, the upper surface of the exedras is furnished with semi - domes carried by three arches.

It is being supposed that the inner walls were ornamented with mosaics during construction, as seen in the buildings of the same period. But today there is no proof verifying this supposition; the inner surface of the building is fully plastered. The only ornament in the building belonging to Byzantine Period is an architrave formed with bunch of grapes and leaves having a slender workmanship at the gallery floor level, around the centre area. It is being asserted that the building was constructed on the area of a tempest made on behalf of Bakus, the God of wine, in idolatry period and the name Bacchus came accordingly.

Building Material
The building material used for St. Sergius and Bacchus church is stone, brick and plaster. Except the restored parts, the walls on northern, western and eastern fronts are made by reinforcement of bricks with stones arranged in wide intervals. The bricks of 70 x 35 x 5 cm are adhered together with plaster of 4 - 5 cm. On the southern front which is a 19th century structure there are irregular laid stones and bricks. Various lime types have been used for stone lines made for reinforcement of bricks. In the building, for the pillars, shelled limestone adhered with 4 cm plaster was used on the ground floor and brick was used on the gallery floor. Bricks were used as material for the vaults of the corridors and the gallery floor and for the central dome, and the bricks are laid in a manner to form radial pointing united at the centre of the vault.

The columns between the pillars are made of red and green serpatine, the head of columns and the architrave at the gallery floor level are made of Mediterranean marble. After the building was changed to a mosque, the pulpit muezzin gallery added to the building are also made of marble.

The Changes in the Building

According to the sources, the first damage and thus the first restoration in the building had been done after the Iconoclasm movements in the 9th century (Müller - Weiner 1977). And after the Latin invasion, the inner ornament needed to be restored (Paolesi 1961).

In 1054, Hüseyin Agha, the Kapu Agha, changed the building to a mosque and during this changing works all inner ornaments of the building were changed and some parts specific to a mosque were added to the building. These parts were a pulpit to south - east, a muezzin gallery to north - west in the inner side and a congregation area in front of the western wall in the outer side. Many windows at various dimensions were opened with ottoman architectural characteristics; and some of the existing windows were closed.

An independent minaret was established to the south - west corner of the building. The characteristic of the first minaret is not being known. It is being stated in the sources that a new minaret with Baroque style was made in the 18th century (S. Eyice 1978). The body of the Baroque style minaret was placed on an octagonal pulpit; the body climbs on the Baroque profile arches and joined to a minaret balcony with a bracelet part. The banister of the minaret balcony having baroque style ornaments was made of plain plates. The minaret having a lead coated classical spire was destroyed up to its pulpit in 1936 due to unknown reasons. The minaret, which remained ruined for a few years, was rebuilt in 1955.

Since 1600, 89 earthquakes with intensity bigger than 6, were observed in İstanbul, which is located on an important seismic zone. Thus, it is certain that Small St. Irene Mosque lived more earthquakes (N. Çamlıbel 1991). It was stated that in Hüseyin Agha's foundations (the Kapu Agha), the plasters fell and the windows at north and south were broken in the earthquake of 1968 and most part of the building was damaged in the earthquake of 1763; and the restoration works of the building were given to Ahmet Agha (S. Eyice, 1978).

In 1870 - 1871, a railway was established in the region between the building and the northern sea ramparts in a manner to pass 5 km away from the building. The railway, which is at an altitude of 1 m. from the ground level, served as single line for nearly 50 years. According to the sources, as the stones of the southern walls fell at each pass of the train, a wall in the Ottoman style was laid in 1877 (Mathews 1971). At the beginning of the 20th century, the railway was made double lined by increasing 3 m from the ground level.

The building, which was used as a sheltering place during Balkan War by the people who escaped from the war, was restored twice in 1937 and 1955, in the Republic Period (S. Eyice, 1978). The front of the building, which was known to be plastered and whitewashed, was restored after 1955 and brick and stone lays were made to be visible at all fronts except the drum of cupola.

There are some cracks at north - east and south - east sides, especially at exedras of the building, which is today used as a mosque. These continuous cracks begin from the cupola, pass the gallery vaults and go up to the outer walls of the building. The necessary activities should be carried out in order to find the occurring reason of these cracks and to repair them.

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İstanbul Tekfur Palace

İstanbul Tekfur Palace
The palace was built adjacent to the land ramparts of İstanbul between Edirnekapı and Haliç. According to the researches, it was determined that the palace belonged to the 13th century. It was used for various aims after the conquest of İstanbul in 1453.
It was restored between the years 1955 - 1970. Tekfur Palace is the only sample that remained from the Byzantine Period.

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İstanbul - The Great Palace Mosaic Museum

İstanbul - The Great Palace Mosaic Museum



In ancient times, the palatial hill from the Sea of Marmara to the Hippodrome. The palatial district extended from Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome to the cost line, where the sea wall acted as a mighty boundary of great military value. Its basic layout, first determined by Emperor Constantine, soon housed a collection of state buildings with courtvards, throne rooms and auidience rooms, churces and chappels gardens and fountains, libraries, assembly buildings, thermal baths and stadiums. Throughout the centuries palaces decayed due to fires, earthquakes, and other reasons. Finally, whatever remained was covered by earth.

British scientists from the University of St. Andrews in Edinburg made extensive excavations at the Arasta Bazaar in Sultan Ahmet square (1935-38) and (1951-54). This partly opened up one of the south-western buildings, so called “Great Palace”. The Great Palace had got a big courtyart with perisyle (1872 m²). It was decorated with mosaics. It was at this point that the Austrian Academy of Sciences undertook to rescue, (Supervised by Prof. Dr. Werner Jobst) study and preserve the famous palace mosaic and to carry out additional archaeological examinations (1983-1997) within the scape of a cooperation project with the Directorate General of Monuments and Museums in Turkey.

When the peristylle of The Great Palace was redone under Justinian I. (527-565), The Great Palace mosaic was the largest and the most beautiful landscape in antiqity (the 6th century A.D). No where in the world of late antiquity can we find a building with a tessellated pavement of similar size and perfection of workmanship. It was probably made by an imperial workshop that surely has employed the best craftmen gathered from all corners of the Empire, guided by a master artist. It is this circumstance which makes it difficult to compare the piece with creations, and thus to date it by means of typological and stilistic methods.Composing the tessalated pavement, with its many coloured lime, terracotta and glass cubes of 5 mm. One square metre of floor space consumed about 40.000 cubes, which makes for 80.000.000 tesserae for entire area. The mosaic was brought to light only in fragments and sections, which together make-up about one seventieth of the original expance, but these suffice to convice us that it is one of the most magnificent compositions known to us from antique mosaic art.

In The Great Palace Mosaic the main field of the composition was 6 metres in width. On either side of its edge it is accompained by an exquisitely arranged border of folliage each 1.50 metres wide, sufficient to cover the entire hall 9 metres deep with a tesselleted pavement. The frame is dominated by a highly naturalistic acantus scroll. Acantus are filled with masked heads, exotic fruit and animals.The frame which symbolize a garden of eden. After frame when looking at the scenes we find a movement from left to right in the notheastern hall. The pictures describe open-air scenes, the life of herdsmen the labour of peasants and the prowess of huntsmen. Scenes of children playing with Wilde beast and grazing animals alternate with mythological motifs animal fables and fabulous creatures from exotic countries, animals, hunting, games, bucolic scenes nature and myths are the leading themes in the succession of pictures. On surviving parts of the mosaic we still count 90 different themes populated by some 150 human and animal figures.

Adres: Büyük Saray Mozaikleri Müzesi

Torun Sok. Arasta Çarşısı Sultanahmet - İSTANBUL

Tel: 0212 518 12 05

Fax: 0212 512 54 74

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İstanbul - Topkapı Palace Museum

İstanbul - Topkapı Palace Museum



It is located on the promontory of the historical peninsula in İstanbul which overlooks both the Marmara Sea and the Bosphorus. The walls enclosing the palace grounds, the main gate on the land side and the first buildings were constructed during the time of Fatih Sultan Mehmet (the Conqueror) (1451 - 81). The palace has taken its present layout with the addition of new structures in the later centuries. Topkapı Palace was the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans, starting with Fatih Sultan Mehmet until 1856, when Abdülmecid moved to the Dolmabahçe palace, functioned as the administrative centre of the state. The Enderun section also gained importance as a school.

The main exterior gate of the Topkapı Palace is the Imperial Gate (Bab-ı Hümayun) which opens up to the Ayasofya Square. This gate leads to a garden known as the First Court. This court has the Aya Irini Church which was once used as an ammunition depot and behind the Church there is the mint. In the past various pavillions allocated to different services of the palace were located in the First Court. In later years these have been replaced with public buildings and schools. Some of these still exist. At the end of the 19th century Archaeology Museum and School of Fine Arts (now Oriental Works Museum) were built in the large garden which is to the northwest of the First Court. The oldest structure in this section is the Çinili Köşk built by Fatih, which is now used as the Museum of Turkish Tiles and Ceramics. On the walls of this outer garden facing Bab-ı ali (the Imperial Gate), there is Alay Köşkü (procession Pavillion) where the Sultans used to watch the marching ceremonies. A section of the outer garden was planned by the municipality at the beginning of the 20th century and opened to the public. Known today as the Gülhane Park, the enterance has one of the largerst gates of the palace. After the First Court, there is the Second Court which contains the palace buildings. It is entered through a monumental gate called Bab'us-Selam or the Middle Gate. The buildings in this court form the outer section of the palace which is called Birun. On the right there are the instantly noticed palace kitchens with their domes and chimneys and the dormitories of those who worked there. The most important of the buildings on the left side of the court are the Kubbealtı and the Inner Treasury. Behind Kubbealtı rises the Justice Tower, which is one of the symbols of the Topkapı Palace. The Harem section, which comes all the way to the back of these buildings, is entered from the Third Court. Third Court is entered through the gate called Bab'üs Sa'ade (Gate of the White Eunuiches). This section of the palace is called Enderun, and it is the section where the sultans live with their extended families. Hence it is specially protected. The barracks of the Akağalar, which guard Bab'üs Sa'ade are on both sides of the gate. There are two structures. The first which is immediately opposite the gate is the Throne Room or the Audience Hall. Here the sultans receive the ambassadors and high ranking state officials such as Grand Visier or the Visiers. Right behind the Throne Room there is the library built by Ahmet III (1703 - 30). On the right side of the Third Court, there is the barracks of the Enderun and the Privy Treasury which is also known as the Mehmet the Conqueror Pavilion. On the side facing the Fourth Court, there is the Larder Barracks of the Enderun, the Treasury Chamber and the Chamber of the Sacred Relics. The left side starts with the Harem. The harem which covers a large part of the Palace consists of about 60 spaces of varying sizes. The main structures which are located in front of the Harem, facing the Third Court are Akağalar Mosque, Sultan Ahmet Mosque, Barracks of the Sacred Relics Guards and Chambers of the Sacred Relics. Here, the sacred relics brought back by Sultan Yavuz Selim from Egypt in 1517 are kept. The Fourth Court is entered from a covered path going from both sides of the Treasury Room. Here the buildings are located in the first part of the court, which has two sections of different levels. On the left side of this section called Lala Garden or Lale Garden there is Mabeyn which is the beginning point of Harem's access to the garden, terrace for the ladies with removable glass enclosure, Circumcission Room, Sultan İbrahim Patio and another one of the symbols of Topkapı palace, the İftariye (or Kameriye) and Baghdat Pavilion. This pavillion was built by Murad IV in 1640 to commemorate the Baghdat Campaign. At the centre of the first section of the Fourth Court, there is the Big Pool and Ravan Pavillion next to it. This pavillion was also built by Murad IV in 1629, to commemorate the Revan Campaign. The side facing the second section has Sofa Pavilion (Koca Mustafa Pasha Pavilion), Başbala Tower and Hekimbaşı (Chief Physician) Room. The Sofa Mosque and Esvap Chamber and the latest built Mecidye Pavilion are on the right hand side of the Fourth Court. Out of the pavillions built on the shore of the Marmara Sea, only Sepetciler Mansion has survived until the present.

During the 18th century when the Topkapı palace took its final shape, it was sheltering a population of more than 10.000 in its outer (Birun) and inner (Enderun) and Harem sections. It shows no archirectural unity as new parts were added in every period according to the needs. However, this enables us to follow the stages Ottoman Architecture went through from the 15th to the middle of the 19th century at the Topkapı Palace. The buildings of the 15th - 17th centuries are simpler and those of the 18th - 19th centuries, particularly in terms of exterior and interior ornamentation are more complex.

Topkapı Palace was converted to a museum in 1924. Parts of the Palace such as the Harem, Baghdat Pavilion, Revan Pavilion, Sofa Pavilion, and the Audiance Chamber distinguish themselves with their architectural assets,while in other sections artefacts are displayed which reflect the palace life. The museum also has collections from various donations and a library.

Telephone and Fax Numbers of Topkapı Palace Museum

Tel : (0212) 522 44 22 / 512 04 80-5 lines

Fax : (0212) 528 59 91

• Visions of Topkapı Palace Museum

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İstanbul - Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum

İstanbul - Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum



Turkish and Islamic Works Museum is the first Turkish museum covering the Turkish and Islamic art works wholly. The establishment works that have been started at the end of the 19th century have been completed in 1913 and the museum has been opened for visit in the soup kitchen building located in Süleymaniye Mosque complex, which is one of the most important works of Mimar Sinan, with the name of "Evkaf - ı İslamiyet Müzesi" (Islamic Foundations Museum). After the announcement of the republic, it has taken the name "Turkish and Islamic Works Museum".

The museum has been moved to İbrahim Pasha Palace from the soup kitchen building in 1983. Ibrahim Pasha Palace, which is one of the most important samples of the 16th century Ottoman civil architecture samples is on the stages of the historical hippodrome, the history of which goes back to the Roman Period. This building, the precise construction reason and date are not known, has been presented to İbrahim Pasha by Kanuni Sultan Süleyman in 1520, who would be his grand vizier for 13 years.

İbrahim Pasha Palace, which is claimed to be bigger and more magnificent than Topkapı Palace by the history has been the stage of many weddings, feasts and celebrations as well as rebellions and turmoil and called with the name of İbrahim Pasha after the death of this person in 1536. It has been used by other grand viziers, and had functions such as barracks, embassy palace, register office, Janissary band house, sewing workshop and prison.

The palace located around four big internal courtyards has been made of stone in contrast with many Ottoman civil buildings, most of which are wooden, therefore it could reach today and has been repaired between the years 1966 - 1983 and has been born again as the new building of Turkish and Islamic Works Museum. The section, which is used as a museum today, is the big ceremony hall of the palace and the 2nd courtyard surrounding it, which have been the subject of all Ottoman miniatures of the palace and the gravures and tables of Western artists.
Turkish and Islamic Works Museum has been awarded with the Special Jury Award of Museum of the Year Competition of the European Council in 1984 and with the prize given by European Council - Unesco for its studies for making the children love the culture inheritance.
Turkish and Islamic Works Museum, that is among the important museums of the world in its class has works from almost all periods and all types of Islamic art with its collection exceeding forty thousand works.

Carpet Section
The carpet section forming the richest collection of carpet art in the world had a separate importance and caused the museum's being famous as a "Carpet Museum" for long years. The museum has the richest carpet collection of not only Turkey, but also the world. Besides rare Seljuk carpets, prayer rugs and animal figured carpets belonging to the 15th centuries and the carpets produced in Anatolia between the 15th - 17th centuries and called as "Holbein Carpet" in the West inspired by the geometrically figures or kufi writing are the most valuable parts of this section.
Turkish and Islamic Works Museum carpet collection that became richer with Iranian and Caucasian carpets and famous Uşak and palace carpet samples is a reference, which the ones carrying out a serious research on the carpet art in the world must apply to.
Hand Writings and Calligraphy Section

Koran - ı Kerims constituting a big part of the writing collection of Turkish and Islamic Works Museum from the 7th century to the 20th century come from a large geographical region where Islam has spread over.

It is one of the rare collections, where Emevi, Abbasi, Egypt and Syria Tulunoğulları, Fatımi, Eyyubi, Memluk, Moğol, Türkmen, Seljuk, Timuri, Safavi, Kaçar and Anatolian Principalities and Ottoman calligraphy creations can be observed all together.

Among the hand writings, except Korans, there are books (some of them with pictures) written about various subjects and these draw attention both in terms of their writing styles and their coatings.

Imperial edicts, warrants bearing the signatures of Ottoman sultans, the sultan's signatures each of which is a work of art, Turkish and Iranian miniature writings make Turkish and Islamic Works Museum one of the most important museums of the world.

Section of Wooden Works
The most important parts of this collection are the samples of Anatolian Wood art of the 9th - 10th century. Besides the unique parts that remained from the Anatolian Seljuks and principalities, mother - of - pearl, ivory, tortoiseshell ornamented wooden works of the Ottoman Period, unique samples of inlaying art, Koran part cases, bookrests, drawers are the interesting parts of this rich collection.

Stone Art Section

Stone works belonging to Emevi, Abbasi, Memluk, Seljuk, Ottoman periods, some of which have motifs and some of which have figures, but all of which have writings have been gathered in Turkish and Islamic Works Museum. Unique and elite samples of stone art of Seljuk Period, grave stones on which hunting scenes, fairy creatures such as sphinx, griphon, dragon, early - period stone works with kufi writings, inscriptions written in different methods that are projections of Ottoman calligraphy art are important both in quality and in quantity.
Section of Ceramic and Glass

In this collection consisting mostly of the ceramic works found in the excavations made between 1908 - 14, the ones from Samarra, Rakka, Tel Halep, Keşan are in the first ranks.

It is possible to see the stages of Early - Islamic Period ceramic art in the collection of Turkish and Islamic Works Museum. The mosaic, mihrab and wall encaustic tile samples belonging to the Anatolian Principalities and Seljuk Periods and the plaster ornaments of Konya Kılıçaslan Palace constitute another important part of the collection. Ottoman encaustic tile and ceramic art samples end with near - period Kütahya and Çanakkale ceramics.

The glass collection starts with the 9th century Islamic glass art samples and includes the 15th century Memluk candles, Ottoman period glass art samples.

Metal Art Section
Turkish and Islamic Works Museum Metal Art Collection starting with the unique samples belonging to the Great Seljuk Empire period and mortar, censer, long - spouted ewer, mirror and dirhems constitute an important collection with the door knockers of Cizre Ulu Mosque and the 14th century candelabrums ornamented with constellation and planet symbols, which have an important place in Islamic metal art.
Among the Ottoman metal art samples starting from the 16th century and reaching the 19th century, there are silver, brass, tombac (ornamented with valuable stones) crests, candles, rose water cans, censers, washtub / ewer sets.

Ethnography Section

Ethnographic parts collected for long years have found the possibility of being exhibited with the transfer of Turkish and Islamic Works Museum to İbrahim Pasha Palace.

The youngest part of the museum is exhibited in this collection, consisting of carpet - kilim looms collected from various regions of Anatolia, wool painting techniques, public weaaving and ornamenting art samples, clothes in their regional enhancements, house goods, hand arts, hand art instruments, nomad tents exhibited in places special to them.

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İzmir - Agora Museum

İzmir - Agora Museum



Etymologically, agora means Public Square and shopping district. Agora, which has commercial, judicial and political functions, is a place where the art activities increase, the background of philosophy is laid out and where the stoas, monuments, altars and statues exist.

Agora located in Namazgah district of İzmir remained from Rome Period (AD the 2nd century) and it was built according to Hippodamos city plan, on three floors, close to the centre. İzmir agora is the one which is the biggest and best protected of the Ion agoras.

Most part of İzmir agora was found with the digs carried out by Rudolf Naumann, Professor F. Miltner and Selahattin Kantar, the director of İzmir Ephesus museums between the years 1932 - 1941 and it was figured out that it is a three - floor compound structure in rectangular form with stairs in the front, built on columns and arches around a large courtyard (120 x 180 m) in the middle of the building.

Recent digs in agora begun on August 5th, 1996 with the approval of Ministry of Culture and cooperation of İzmir Governor Office and the Directorate of

Archaeology Museum.

At south east side of the agora, the area agora covered increased to 16.590 m² after the surrounding wall of Misak-ı Milli Primary School, which was burnt in 1980s, was jointed to agora. The agora studies are being carried out with the sponsorship of İzmir Municipality as digging, restoration, archaeological cleaning and environmental arrangement at five places such as agora area, northern gate basilica bottom, stoa and ancient shopping centre.

At the above-mentioned studies, the most important work has been carried out by finding the northern gate of agora. It was figured out that the Goddess Vesta embossments found in these digs were the continuation of embossments of Zeus altar extracted during the first digs. Beside God Hermes, Dionysus, Eros, Herakles statues; many man-woman-animal statues, heads, embossments, figurines and monuments made of marble, stone, bone, glass, metal and cooked soil were found. The inscriptions found here give us information about the people who aided to İzmir during İzmir earthquake in AD 178. • Return to General Directorate of Monuments and Museums • Return to İzmir Province.

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İzmir - Archaeology Museum

İzmir - Archaeology Museum



The first archaeology museum in İzmir was opened to the public in 1927 at Ayavukla (Gözlü) Church in Tepecik after the work collection activities of three years. The second archaeology museum was founded in 1951 at Culture Park.

A new museum was required due to excessive works brought from the neighbour ancient cities.

A new and modern museum was established on a 5000 m² area in Bahribaba Park in Konak and the museum was opened to the public on February 11th, 1984.
The museum was established to meet any kind of needs with its museum exhibition halls, laboratories, warehouses, photography-rooms, libraries, and conference halls. The number of monuments located in the museum building and garden is more than 1500.

In this three-floor museum, the exhibition is organised in sections.

Upper Floor Hall

The archaeological works of ancient cities such as Iasos, Çandarlı (Pitane), Bergama, Bayraklı (Former İzmir); ceramic findings made of cooked soil found in İasos dig in BC III. thousand of prehistoric period; Western Anatolia ceramics of Protogeometric and Geometric Period; Western Anatolia vases with black and red figures belonging to Archaic Period; hydrias of Hellenistic Period; various vessels, glass vases, bottles, masks, statues, Myrina (Aliağa) Eros statues are all exhibited in this hall. Gold, silver and precious stone ornaments, glass materials and coins of Archaic, Hellenistic, Rome and Byzantine Period and bronze Demetre ornaments, glass materials, coins and bronze Demetre statue are exhibited in Treasury Hall on this floor.

Marble works are being exhibited on the middle floor, which is the entrance floor of the museum. Big statues, busts, portraits and masks of the period between archaic times and Roman Times are also exhibited on this floor

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İzmir - Atatürk Museum

İzmir - Atatürk Museum



The building is situated in Izmir, I. Kordon (Atatürk Boulevard) was built in between 1875-1880 by a resident carpet merchant,Takfor. It was nationalized after being abandoned by its owner on 9 September 1922. After entering Izmir, the Turkish Army used the building as its headquarters. During Izmir Economy Congress Meeting, which started on 17 February 1923, Atatürk carried out his private studies in this building. After the Congress, headquarters were moved from this building and the Treasury leased it to Naim Bey to be used as a hotel. During their visit to Izmir on 16 June 1926, Atatürk and Ismet Pasha stayed in this hotel named as Naim Palas. On 13 October 1926 Izmir Municipality purchased the building and after refurbishing it presented it to Atatürk as a gift. During his visits to Izmir between 1930 and 1934, Atatürk always stayed in this residence. After Atatürk's death on 10 November 1938, the building was inherited by his sister Makbule Baysan. On 25 September 1940 Izmir Municipality expropriated the building in order to convert it to a museum. On 11 September 1941, on the 19th Anniversary of Atatürk's arrival in Izmir, the museum was opened to public with an official ceremony. After 5 October 1962, the museum has been named "Atatürk Provincial Public Library and City of Izmir Atatürk Museum". On 25 December 1972, by the decree No. 12088 of the Undersecretary of Cultural Affairs of the Prime Minister's Office, the proprietorship of the building transferred to Izmir Archaeological Museum. After restorations and refurbishment, it was reopened on 29 October 1978 as "Atatürk and Ethnographical Museum". On 13 May 1988, the ethnographical items that were on display in the building were moved to the new Ethnographical Museum. After that it was renamed as "Atatürk Museum".

The building is a neoclassic style, a mixture of Ottoman and Levantine architectures. A four-storey masonry building, including the basement floor and the attic, has a rectangular plan and covers 852 square metres. It has a courtyard and a porch at the rear, and bay windows on the first floor at the front.

The ground floor is paved by large marble tiles and the hall is covered by a 34.5 square metres carpet from Usak. In the left and right niches there are marble statues, a large crystal mirror and, an Atatürk bust. In the rooms at both sides and in the small living room beautiful the 19th century style fireplaces are quite eye-catching. Two bronze knight figurine appliques are on the wall at the head of the staircase leading to the upper floor. A big size Atatürk portrait is hanged in the stair hall.

The first floor was for Atatürk's private use; meeting room, study room, bedroom, guest room, barber's room, guard's room, waiting and reception room, library, dining room and the bathroom. In the meeting room, a roulette table with green broadcloth and 12 Cosmos brand chairs around it, are placed in the middle. Ten small mahogany chairs all along the walls have china plates at their backs with scenes from Shakespear's works depicted on them. A mahogany bedstead, two commodes, two velvet armchairs, one couch, one chaise longue, one marquisette and three wardrobes are in the bedroom. The bedroom is furnished with the fashion of its time. There is a French encyclopaedia in the library. An oak veneered study table, with Atatürk's writing set on it, is in the study room. All the rooms are decorated with twisted bronze statues, vases and oil paintings. The floors are covered with precious carpets from Isparta and Usak provinces.

Address: Atatürk Avenue No. 24, Alsancak, Izmir

Telephone: +90 (232) 421 70 26

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İzmir - Bergama Museum

İzmir - Bergama Museum



As the result of the archaeological excavations that started in Bergama in 1878 under the direction of Carl Humman and Alexander Conze, a depot museum has been constructed near the German Excavation House of today during the excavations made in the acropolis between the years 1900 - 1913. This depot is one of the two archaeological opus depots that existed in Turkey at that time. The excavations in Bergama, which were interrupted because of the 1st World War, were re - started under the direction of Theodor Wiegand. In the same year, with the start of the excavations in Asklepieion in addition to the acropolis excavations, the number of opuses has increased and a new museum building was needed.

Marshall Fevzi Çakmak, who came to Bergama in 1932 has closely interested with the issue and ordered the foundation of a new museum after his visit. For the new building that was planned to be constructed with Turkish - German cooperation, the location of today which is an old cemetrey has been found appropriate. The project that was prepared by the architects Bruno Meyer and Harold Hanson was completed at the end of 1932 and the works for base excavation were started in 1933 with the formal request of the governor of İzmir, Kazım Dirik. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who visited Asklepieion, which was a health centre, during his visit to Bergama on April 13th 1934, has seen that the construction of the museum building was continuing.

Bergama museum, whose construction has been completed, was opened for visit on October 30th 1936 by the governor of İzmir, Fazlı Güleç. The museum building consisted of a large rectangular courtyard surrounded with galleries, and a rectangular exhibition hall behind this courtyard. Since the galleries of the courtyard were suitable for open - air museum, the opuses were exhibited there. When Ethnography and Archaeology Museum was taken into operation in Bergama Public House building in 1924, the archaeological opuses were taken to the new museum building. The ethnographic opuses were taken into the museum building of today in 1979 after the construction of the additional building. The additional building has a rectangular plan placed beside the part, in which the courtyard and exhibition hall exist, its entrance is provided via a door opening from the courtyard to the hall. Units such as depot, laboratory, photograph room, archive have been added to the other side of the museum which was left empty and to its rear part.

Most of the archaeological opuses in the museum, which belong to various periods from early bronze era to the Byzantine Period, have been found in the excavations made in Bergama and its surrounding. Among the finds found in the archaic residences around, samples belonging to Pergfamon sculpture school, Archaic Period finds coming from Pitane and Gryneion, Myrina terracotta draw attention. In the ethnography section, carpets, kilims of the region (Yuntdağ, Yağcıbedir, Kozak, Bergama weavings), cloth weaving samples, hand works and other hand made opuses belonging to other regions of Anatolia are exhibited

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İzmir - Birgi Çakırağa Mansion

İzmir - Birgi Çakırağa Mansion



It is one of the rare mansions, whose architectural style special to the Aegean region could be protected until today. The construction of the mansion is known to be started in 1761 by Şerif Aliağa. Furthermore, the rich, colorful and ornamented style of the mansion show that it has been constructed in the first half of the 19th century.

The ground floor walls of the mansion having three floors, external sofa, double large wooden house rooms are made with stone building and the mid and upper floor walls are made with fill in wooden framework technique.

Entrance to the mansion having an internal garden is provided via two separate large, wooden doors. In the ground floor covered with stone plates, the locations for the service personnel, guard, guest acceptance, stable and hayloft are located. Access from the ground floor to the upstairs is provided by a wooden stair having rails. In the intermediate floor, having a lower ceiling in comparison with other floors, which is used in winter, there are five rooms and a toilet. From the hall of the intermediate floor, the upper floor having a high ceiling, which is used in summer, is reached again with a wooden, internal staircase. The upper floor has a long, rectangular plan with an open sofa, as is the case for the intermediate floor. It has two doorsteps, two projections, two large wooden house rooms. The ceilings and walls of the upper floor are ornamented with rich plant and fruit motifs and city panoramas. The windows provide illumination in the form of two rows, being flat in the lower part and arched stained glass in the upper part.

The mansion, which has been constructed in the second half of the 18th century and the restoration of which is understood to be made in the first half of the 19th century draws attention with the wood workmanship and panoramas. These ornaments have reached today without any deterioration.

The mansion, which has been used as a residence until recent times (1950), has been transferred to the Ministry of Culture. The repair of the mansion has been started in 1977 and some houses around the mansion have been nationalized in 1983. After the completion of works for the internal arrangement and exhibition, the mansion has been opened for visit in 1995. Another place that is open for visit is the oriental house just beside the mansion.

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İzmir - Çeşme Museum

İzmir - Çeşme Museum



History of Çeşme Museum

One of the historical and cultural values of Çeşme District worth seeing is the Çeşme Fort. Çeşme Fort has been constructed in 1508, during the period of Beyazıt II. It was constructed by Aydın Governor Mir Haydar to Architect Ahmet oğlu Mehmet.

Çeşme Archaeology museum is located in the fort, which reached today being preserved in a very good way. Çeşme museum has been opened to the public for the first time in 1965 as a gun museum with the guns brought from İstanbul Topkapı Museum and continued its function in this way until 1984. Since the guns in the museum have been oxidized and begun to deform due to the excess humidity in the hall, they have been transferred to İzmir Archaeology and Ödemiş Museums. The same exhibition hall has been arranged and used for the exhibition of the works obtained from the rescue excavations made in Ildırı (Erythrai) archaic city, which have been continuing since 1964. God and goddess sculptures made of cooked earth, busts, marble sculptures, silver and bronze coins, golden frames, amphora are being exhibited.

Most important of the visible ruins in Ildırı (Erythrai) is the city walls. Besides this, acropolis and the theatre in north of it and the villa buildings found in the excavations made in the north of the acropolis, Athena temple belonging to the Archaic Period, the church constructed in Byzantine period, Roman villa and mosaics at the location called as Cennettepe, the bath building constructed in Late - Roman - Byzantine Period can be seen.

The visitors can visit the military and civil buildings found as the result of the excavations and researches carried out in Ildırı (Erythrai) archaic city, against no charge.

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İzmir - Ephesus Museum

İzmir - Ephesus Museum



GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF EFES MUSEUM

The Artisan's Bazaar
In the regions where Turkish commercial life was particularly vibrant, there were shopping districts formed by galleries of shops on the side of the bazaar that faced the street. These chiefly functioned as places in which artisans sharing the same profession could conduct their business, but at the same time, were partly devoted to the manufacture of goods. In the artisan's bazaars in old Turkish cities influenced by Ottoman tradition business was conducted according to a definite system and based or rules of ethical business practise. According to this system, every group of artisans would institute among themselves a guild that was association acting in the interests of their particular trade. Every artisan was obliged to be a member of his own guild, and to pay a certain subsidy to belong to it. Within the guild, various professional levels existed, such as young apprentice, experienced apprentice, and expert; in order to attain a higher level, it would be necessary to demonstrate a certain level of achievement. To pass through these various levels depended on permission being granted by the master. After becoming an expert, a tradesman connected to the guild would not be able to open a shop in the artisan's bazaar without securing the permission of the master, and this permit would be granted with a ceremony. The guilds also fulfilled other duties such as finding a shop for those artisans who had not yet achieved the authority to open their own, and to lend capital.

The Mill

Milling is a necessary procedure to soften grain and to bring it to a consistency appropriate for mixing with water and cooking. Primitive societies employed natural rock formations for grinding grain.

Begining in the Neolithic period, until the 5th century B.C. instead of natural rock formations, grain would be crushed between a portable bottom stone that had a hollow in its centre, and a top stone with a shape that allowed it to be held in the hand.

After the 5th century B.C., the top stone was made larger, with a hole left in its middle; it was then possible to pour the grain through it onto the bottom stone. Later, a turning rod was added to the top stone, which made the work of grinding even easier.

Mills on a larger scale, turned by draft animals such as donkeys and horses, seem to have sprung up in the Mediterranean basin in the second century B.C... It is known with certainty that mills utilizing such power were in use in the first century B.C.

Since traditional experience and physical power are of prime importance in local life in agricultural societies, their technological developments often come down to the present day basically unchanged.

The Nice Barber

Up until about fifty years ago, one could find a babershop called the "Cici Barber", the "nice barber", beside nearly every butcher shop in Anatolia. Generally, an expert barber, an experienced apprentice, and a young apprentice would work in such a shop. The expert barber would wait on respected individuals, the experienced apprentice would cut hair of young people and children, and the young apprentice would sweep away the hair that fell on the floor, heat the water, serve the customers coffee and tea when necessary, and, in his spare time, would learn the trade by watching the expert barber attentively.

The barber shop was, of course, a locale for gossip, in which people would talk about everyday affairs; but at the same time, it was a venue in which political discussions would take place. Barbers were generally refined, well dressed, wore hair gel in their hair, and were paradigms of stylish external appearance. When necessary, they would perform circumcisions or extract teeth, and for this reason, they held a position of respect in the community.

The Manufacture Of Rose Water And Attar Of Rose

The traditional method of manufacturing rose water and attar of roses in speciality workshops has not survived competition with modern factory production and has begun to die out.

The traditional workshop method is to obtain rose water and attar of rose by distilling rose petals. This procedure was undertaken once annually, since it could only be done in May, the month in which roses bloom.

The cultivation of roses originated in the third millennium B.C. with Sumerians. After this, Assyrians also cultivated roses and produced rose water and attar of roses from them.

Roses have been cultivated in Anatolia since the 12th or 13th century. The famous fourteenth-century traveller Ibn-i Batuta writes in his travel book that he himself was offered rose water in the Gölhisar (Gülhisar) district of Burdur. Some time after the 17th century, Europeans learned from the Turks to manufacture rose water and attar of roses.

At present, Turkey and Bulgaria are the most important producers of attar of rose. These two countries provide enough to satisfy the demand for rose water and attar of rose for all the world's countries that manufacture the ingriedients for cosmetics and perfume.

Our country produces the highest-quality attar of rose in the world. The location that produces the best quality roses for attar is the Göller region within Turkey's Mediterranean basin. In this area, the provinces of Isparta and Burdur continue to pursue the cultivation of roses.
The Ephesos Museum Artisan's Bazaar houses a workshop set up according to the traditional plan. With the method there displayed, one kilogram of attar of rose and one thousand kilograms of rose water would be obtained from 3500 kilograms of rose petals.

Evil-Eye Beads

The numerous evil-eye beads found in prehistoric excavations in Anatolia are the precursors of beads manufactured today in Görece and Kemalpaşa in Aegean basin. After tha glass is melted and coloured in a special kiln at 900 to 1000 degrees centigrade, the desired quantity of glass is removed with an iron dowel and shaped into a bead. Since the beads are still used a great deal as amulets, blue is the most common color. These days, however, eye beads are also produced in various colors for use as Jewellery, key chains, and worry beads.

The evil-eye bead workshop at the Ephesos Museum Artisan's Bazaar Exhibit was brought from the district of Kemalpaşa, and contains a working kiln. All of the eye beads on display are newly-made, and we bring to your attention that the workshop is not merely an exhibit, but also a store.
The Production Of Turkish Yataghan Swords

A Yatağan is a Turkish sword 50 to 100 cm. long that curves gently from handle to point. It first came into use at the beginning of the fourteenth century.

The blade is constructed from a high-quality metal dowel, and the handle from bone. The sword would be carried hanging from a thick sash at the waist.

The regions in which these swords were produced carried the general name of Yataghan. The Yataghan districts within the provinces of Denizli and Muğla manufactured swords for the Ottoman army for hundreds of years.

The Saadet Hatun Bath

The Turkish bath finds its origins in the Roman bath system. In these eras, the baths were not merely places for physical cleansing, but also served as locations for massage and exercise, and for conversation.

The influence of the bathing culture that had such an important place in the Roman period lasted on into the middle of the Byzantine period, and was then forgotten both in Europe and the Mediterranean countries, but later emerged again among the Turks in an even more vivid fashion. During the Seljuk and Ottoman empire in Anatolia, a huge number of baths of high cultural and functional value were constructed.

Until about fifty years ago, the baths were places that were respected by rich and poor a like, and were tradition-bound social institutions with special regulations. Traditionally, one part of the wedding ceremony would take place in the baths. On the last day of the wedding, the bride would be taken to the bath, and would be bathed to the accompaniment of music and singing; after this finished, while leaving the bath, the bride would kiss the hands of her elders and receive their blessing. Male attendants would bathe the men, and female attendants the women.

In the baths, utensils such as soap, facial clay, and depilatory agents would be employed; according to traditinal bathing practise, they would be employed after steaming oneself and being rubbed down with a towel. Rich people would be bathed with finely perfumed pure soap, and the poor with normal soap and clay. Depilatory agents would be applied to remove unwanted body hair.

With the district of Selçuk, there are seven old Turkish baths known to date. One of these baths, according to its inscription, is called the Saadet Hatun Bath. Although it is not clear exactly who Saadet Hatun is, it is believed that she was a prominent individual from the clan of the Aydınoğlu rulers. The sixteenth-century bath exhibits several special features in regard to the archaeological conventions of traditional Turkish baths. It has three sections, for cold, lukewarm, and hot temperatures. In 1972, the Ephesos Museum finished restoration of the bath, which had lain in ruins until 1970. Along with the caravansaray and the mosque on Ayasuluk, it formed a complex of buildings.

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İzmir - Ethnography Museum

İzmir - Ethnography Museum



History of Museum Building

The building has been constructed in the 19th century in neoclassical style, on a sloped terrace. This building is known to be used as a hospital in 1831 (St. Roch Hospital) and to be converted into a care house for poor Christian families by being repaired by the French in 1845. The same building has been used as the Sanitation Institution and health directorate later. On December 2nd, 1984, it has been transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for being arranged as ethnography museum.

Historical Past and Establishment of the Museum

In İzmir, the ethnographic works were exhibited in the lower floor of İzmir Atatürk and Ethnography Museum since October 29th 1978. After that date, the old health directorate, which has been restored between the years 1985 - 1987, has been opened to service as ethnography museum.

Exhibition Arrangement

Ethnographic works are exhibited and arranged together with the works in the warehouses that are not exhibited and the ethnographic works transferred from the museum directorates of the neighboring locations.

The museum building is constructed on three floors over the ground floor. The 1st and 2nd floors are used as exhibition halls and the 3rd floor is used as warehouse, laboratory, photograph studio and office.

In the exhibition, giving sections from the social life of İzmir and its surroundings in the 19th century is targeted. For this reason, our hand arts such as tin processing, bath clog production, pottery, blue bead production, wooden printing, carpet weaving, ropery, felt production and leather processing, which are about to disappear today due to industrialization are exhibited and introduced.

Exhibition on the 1st Floor:

On the right side, in the 1st section, the 19th century guest room hand ornaments, bath sets and in the 2nd section, blue bead furnace and samples, first Turkish pharmacy of İzmir Province (İttihat Pharmacy), felt processing, bath clog production and tin processing are exhibited. The famous sherbet maker of İzmir (Demirhindi) is exhibited to the visitors from the century it existed. In the 3rd section, Menemen pottery gear and products, leather processing, camel and camel fights, public games, Aegean men and their clothes are exhibited. In the embedded showcases in the internal parts of the halls, money bags, mother - of - pearl inlaid goods, glass and hand made ornaments are exhibited.

2nd Floor Exhibition

In the 1st section, the 19th century bride room, wedding dress showcase, living room, Sunna room and kitchen goods are exhibited. In the 2nd section, Aegean Region bride heads, ornamental goods of women, Ottoman period coins, hand - written books and writing sets are exhibited.

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İzmir - Ödemiş Museum

İzmir - Ödemiş Museum



The idea of establishing a museum in Ödemiş, which is located on a fertile valley lying among the mountains Bozdağlar in the north and Aydın in the south is irrigated with Küçük Menderes river, first emerged in 1974. The first concrete step towards that end was taken when during the 1975 - 1976 period Mutahhar Başoğlu, a collector himself, donated two plots of land totalling 2772 square metres to the Treasury, to be used as a museum building.

This land was allocated to the General Directorate of Ancient Works and Museums of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on 4.1.1977 by the Ministry of Finance. The General Directorate started the construction of the museum within the same year and it was completed in 1983. Before Ödemiş Museum came into being, the items from the area were being kept and cared for at İzmir Archaeology Museum and the Tire Museum. They were later transfered back from both museums. In order to achieve chronological unity, the missing and needed archaeological and ethnographic items and coin samples were selected from various museums and transferred to the Ödemiş Museum.

The museum, which is designed in a tent form, has a basement and only one floor above it, and consists of a single hall. In the building which was originally conceived as an ethnographical museum, archaeological items from the environs are also displayed in addition to ethnographic material. The displays of the archaeological section are mostly from Old Bronze Age (3000 B.C) and Archaic (700 - 480 B.C), Classic (480 330 B.C), Hellenistic (330 - 30 B.C), Roman (30 B.C - 395) and Byzantine (395 -1453) periods. There are ceramics, idols, blades and axes, oil lamps, bronze pieces, glass pieces, ornaments, baked earth statuettes, and marble statuettes. There are also a total of 2545 coins in the archaeological section from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman periods. The ethnography section contains various weapons, copper and silver items, glass pieces, ornaments, embroderies, and costume samples, mostly belonging to the Ottoman period. There are also examples of handicrafts from the Republican period of Turkey.

There is a total of 4458 items at the Ödemiş Museum. A group of archaeological and ethnographic material was donated by the collector Muhtar Başoğlu, some were purchased and other confiscated items.

İzmir - Tire Museum Directorate

The movable cultural assets are exhibited in two halls in the museum. In the Archaeology hall, sculptures, grave steles, marble table legs, marble and cooked earth sarcophagi, glass works, cooked earth oil candles belonging to the period between 3500 BC and 1100 AD, coins in chronological order, bronze oil candles, electron and silver coins and cooked earth small sculpture parts and child sculptures are exhibited. In the ethnography section, hand - written Koran - ı Kerims, writing sets, man and woman jackets, bed covers (ornamented with thread and silver), trousseau chests, bath clogs, bath and recovery cups, silver woman Jewellery, ceramics having European roots used in the Ottoman Period, war instruments of various terms, dervish and dervish lodge goods, Çanakkale ceramics, tables, carpets, kilims and stained glass windows are exhibited.

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İzmir - Tire Museum Directorate

İzmir - Tire Museum Directorate



TİRE MUSEUM DIRECTORATE

The movable cultural assets are exhibited in two halls in the museum. In the archeology hall, sculptures, grave stels, marble table legs, marble and cooked earth sarcophaguses, glass works, cooked earth oil candles belonging to the period between 3500 BC and 1100 AD, coins in chronological order, bronze oil candles, electron and silver coins and cooked earth small sculpture parts and child sculptures are exhibited. In the ethnography section, hand - written Koran - ı Kerims, writing sets, man and woman jackets, bed covers (ornamented with thread and silver), trousseau chests, bath clogs, bath and recovery cups, silver woman jewelry, ceramics having European roots used in the Ottoman Period, war instruments of various terms, dervish and dervish lodge goods, Çanakkale ceramics, tables, carpets, kilims and stained glass windows are exhibited.

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İzmir - Virgin Mary Museum

İzmir - Virgin Mary Museum



The declaration of the Third Council gathered in Constantinople reads as follows:

“Cum in Ephesiorum civitatem pervenisest, in qua Yoanses Theologus et daipera Vergo Sancta Maria” – “Details of the life and death of the holy Virgin Mary are uncertain despite her two friends St. Luke and St. John, because the two men related different stories about her life.” In the Holy Bible, St. Luke describes the Virgin Mary as a figure facing the future with great hope. All the apostles, especially St. Paul, had a strong belief in Jesus and contributed to the spread of the new religion. St. John, on the other hand, had a different view of the matter. He thought that the beginning of a new age and the growth of the new religion would be painful. And yet the new faith managed to reach many people within a short period of time, despite numerous threats of pain, violence and death for the believers. In the midst of this turmoil it was Mary who witnessed the blood seeping from the wounds of the crucified Jesus. This was the holy birthday of a new community. The Virgin Mary and Jesus were both appreciated by the church, but still she suffered from great pain. She went away to a lonely place. There, God created a shelter for her. St. John, who knew the Virgin Mary, never left her alone and always stood with here. There was no point in her remaining in Jerusalem after her son was crucified. In leaving the town, she made a decision that shook all Christians to the core. However, she did manage to find peace in the place she settled in Panayu-Kapulu, an area near Ephesus. Her house was situated in a valley surrounded by forests. At that time people would gather together once a year to climb Mr. Salmisos and perform ceremonies to honour the Greek goddess Artemis, but they failed to realize that it was Mary they should have visited. One commonly accepted tradition relates that St. John knew about Mary’s exile. In an article in the German church journal Schweizerissche Kirchenzeitung, Mr. F. Stricher says, “Pay your respects to the Holy Mary in Ephesus, not Rome.”

THE CHURCH OF VIRGIN MARY IN EPHESUS

For the first 300 years, Mary’s misfortune and death remained a secret. Perhaps this was the will of God. The ancient world never recognized who she was. On the other hand, the city of Ephesus respected her fully. The first Christian church with a huge courtyard and classical columns was built in a beautiful, astonishing style. No visitor to Ephesus can leave without seeing the ruins of this church, which has both a divine and architectural significance. Some older guides mention two churches on the site, but this is not certain. As the destiny of the city turned, the church changed with it, three times. The classic rectangular church was a basilica surrounded by rows of columns, fully 260 metres long with a baptismal room inside. A Christian council which convened in 449 declared this place to be the centre of Christianity. The western part of the church was restored as a basilica with a dome. Its baptismal room is the best preserved specimen in all Anatolia. This place has importance for history, archaeology and religion and it is visited by many people.
“This place reminds us of the Christian leaders like St. John, St. Timothy and especially the Virgin Mary, who lived her life in meditation and even more, it instills Christian doctrine into the minds of today’s people of faith.” This small, modest monastery of Mary on Mountain Panaya-Kapulu is the best natural site one could ever imagine.

PANAYA-KAPULU

Or the House of Mary in Ephesus

For many years, there have been two differing accounts of Mary’s death and final resting place within the Christian community:
Some historians say “Dormito Hietosoymitana” meaning, “She died in Jerusalem where Jesus was born and died.”

Still other sources say “Dormito Ephesian” meaning “She passed away in Ephesus.” She died right in front of St. John’s eyes. (Gospel of John 19:26-27 ) As for the Romans, John mentioned that he stayed with his congregation in the same house. So, apparently he lived, became a bishop and died there.

St. John’s tomb was placed on a huge basilica under orders of the Roman Emperor Justinian and stands there still. In this period until the seventh century, important writers such as Cornelius, Lapide, Serri, Tillemont, Baillet and Benoit lived in Ephesus. Pope [Benedict XIV] (1740-58 ) issued a statement saying, “St. John fulfilled his duty in the best possible way.” Many theologians agreed that Mary had lived out her last days in Ephesus.

Lipsius says that he has no doubt Mary came to Ephesus after John. The theologian Ernst Gurius goes further and writes, “St. Mary was buried in Ephesus in the first century A.D.” He reads out this report in front of a group of gentlemen who gathered in Berlin to attend a session on Ephesus on March 7, 1874. Many things can be said about her death and final resting place. The first official Christian worship services took place here and the first church and basilica were built in Ephesus. The Spiritual Council first gathered on the magnificent ruins. For many years, there has been an annual celebration on August 15, and the Panaya-Kapulu Easter is celebrated near the Holy Fountain. Catherine Emmerich of Barvaria claimed one Easter that Mary had died in Ephesus, not in Jerusalem, and that the ruins of her grave might be seen 500 metres beneath the ground. This divinely inspired message caused many discussions. In 1982 researchers Poulain and Young came to the area to investigate the woman’s vision. They started from Mountain Nightingale and searched everywhere they could think of. But this woman had neither received any education nor traveled abroad in her life time. The researchers did not know which direction they should follow. There wasn’t even a path leading to the mountain. They even looked into the bushes thoroughly. Finally, on the third day of their search, they discovered the place Emmerich had meant. In the chimney of the house of Mary at Panaya-Kapulu, they found divine ash, which had been mentioned. Both the house and the ruins were then recognized by the Christian world. Unfortunately, they were unable to locate the gravesite which Emmerich had spoken of. Further research concerning this grave should be conducted by theologians and archaeologists in an informed, scientific manner. Such an undertaking would be a tall order. But identification and exploration of the gravesite is a project in the interests of Christians and Muslims alike, both of whom have a deep respect for St. Mary. Many suras (chapters) in the Holy Koran speak of the Virgin Mary, and of the miraculo.

Address: Kuşadası Cad. Selçuk/İzmir

Tel: (232) 892 60 10

Fax: (232) 892 70 02

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Kahramanmaraş Museum

Kahramanmaraş Museum



History of the Museum

The first museum in Kahramanmaraş has been established in the building known as Taş Madrasa belonging to the 16th century that is located on Belediye Street of Ekmekçi Quarter in the city centre, in 1947. Colonel H. Nuri Yurdakul has expressed the idea of establishing the museum for the first time and had an important role in its establishment. The museum consisted of pictures belonging to the February 12th independence heroes and Atatürk and some other works at the beginning.

After 1957, archaeological and ethnographic works have been taken into the scope of the museum and it has been enlarged. Until 1961, the museum provided service in Taş Madrasa, but then moved to the building in the fort that is in the centre of Kahramanmaraş. On November 29th, 1975, it has been moved to its new modern building on Azerbaycan Boulevard in Yenişehir Quarter of the Central District and is still providing service in that building.
There are four exhibition sections in Kahramanmaraş Museum:

1- Archaeology Hall

2- Stone Works Hall

3- Ethnography Hall

4- Garden and Porch

1- Archaeology Hall

In two showcases at the door entrance, the works of Kahramanmaraş Province, Pazarcık District, Kelibişler Village Domuztepe ruin place excavation and the works of Kahramanmaraş Province, Central District, Hopaz Tumulus excavation are exhibited. Behind these two showcases and in the showcase numbered 1, two archaic elephant (mammoth) skeletons found in Kahramanmaraş Province Türkoğlu District Gavur Lake are exhibited.

In the showcase numbered II, various prehistoric works found in the excavation made in Döngel Cave in the city centre are exhibited, while the showcase numbered III is reserved for the exhibition of bronze and stone works belonging to the Late Hittite Period.

In the showcase numbered IV, various ceramic works from the Iron Period to the Hellenistic Period, bronze arch belonging to Urartu, glasses belonging to
the Phonecians, bronze pots are displayed.

In the showcase numbered V, glass, bronze, ceramic works belonging to the Hellenistic Period are displayed.

In the showcase numbered VI, glass, bronze and ceramic works of the same type belonging to the Roman Period, are exhibited.

In the showcase numbered VII, bronze and stone works belonging to the Roman Period, are displayed.

In the showcase numbered VIII, various works belonging to the Byzantine period are exhibited. In two wall showcases, golden Jewellery of Roman Period, in another one wall showcase golden Venice coins, in two table showcases bronze, silver and golden coins belonging to the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Periods, in another three table showcases seals, necklaces, rings and ring stones are exhibited.

2- Stone Works Hall

Generally stone steles belonging to the Late Hittite Period and Roman Period sculpturing and grave steles are found.

3- Ethnography Hall

The 18th - 19th century man and woman clothes, bindallı clothes, shalwars, ediks, rawhide sandals, clogs, woman ornamental goods, man accessories, kilims, war instruments, rare samples of wood carving, goods belonging to the heroes of Independence War, rich Islamic and Ottoman coin collection are exhibited here.


4- Garden and Porc

Sarcophagi, altars, grave stones, columns, column heads, architectural elements, pithoses belonging to the Roman period and stone lion sculpture belonging to the Hittite Period and bull sculpture having a hieroglyph inscription which also belongs to the Hittite Period, mill stones belonging to various periods are exhibited in the garden. In the porch, rich samples of stone steles belonging to the Late Hittite Period are located.

Totally 24470 movable cultural assets are recorded in the inventories of the museum. 15965 of these are coins. The works consist of 8469 pieces, 5744 of which are archaeological, 2248 of which are ethnographic and 477 of which are seals.

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Karaman Museum

Karaman Museum




The museum is located at the city centre on the former Hastahane Caddesi now named as the Turgut Özal Caddesi and behind the Hatuniye Medresse which is one of the best examples of the architecture of the Karamanoğulları Principality Era.

In Karaman and its environs traces of a large number of civilizations both from the pre-historic and historic periods are evident. Today both Karaman and the nearby region display a large number of mounds and historical sites. However as museum activity had a late start in Karaman, many of the portable works discovered at these sites were removed to other museums.

Motivated by the notion that this rich arhaeological and ethnographic heritage should be protected at its place of origin, the first museum was established in 1961 at the Tourism Association and Library with the support of some local administrators and prominent members of the Karaman community. In 1963 it was moved to a building in the market area, in 1966 to Imaret (alm house) of İbrahim Bey, in 1968 to a rented house and was finally opened to public in its present building in 1971.

The museum is a two storey building where each floor has a usable floor space of 550 m². At the lower floor there is a second exhibition hall which can be opened to the publicors in the future, storage areas, a photograhy laboratory, workshop and the library.
The exhibition hall on the upper floor consists of two sections and the material is exhibited in 33 cases. In the archaeological section there are works from the Neolothic Age to the late Byzantine. In the ethnograpic section there are material from the Seljuk, Anatolian principalities, Ottoman and the Republican periods.

In the museum garden stone works belonging to the Byzantine and the Turkish - Islamic period are arranged on grass with Roman tomb steles making up the bulk of the material displayed.

Among the material exhibited, the Neolithic - Chalcolithic Age findings from the Canhasan Mound excavations are particularly interesting. Canhasan Chalcolithic age findings displayed in cases numbered 1, 2, 3, 14 and 17 consist of baked earth cups and pots, human and animal figurines, stone axes, obsidian arrow heads, scrapers made of bones, bracelets and necklases, sea shells ornaments, necklaces made with blue apatit stone and grinding stones from basilite.

In case no. 4 where material from the Bronze Age are exhibited, besides the pottery found at the Sisanın Mound and the Gökçe village, there are also black and dark grey coloured polished pottery belonging to the Western Anatolia Yortan culture.

In case no. 5, the exhibited Hellenistic Period findings are from Mersin - Gelindere, Muğla Iasos, Adıyaman regions and from around Karaman. Most of them are lekistos and plates.

The majority of the Roman Period material exhibited in case no.6 is collected from Karaman - Taşkale, Bayır, Karacaören and Kazımkarabekir area. They include human and animal figurines from baked earth, oil lamps, small pitchers and plates.

In case no. 7 lachrymatories and parfume bottles from the Roman and Byzantine periods are exhibited. Some of these are plain and without any motifs while others are very colourful and richly decorated.

In cases no. 8 and 9 wood lids, box sections, cosmetic boxes, bronze Rosses, gold Jewellery, bronze oil lamps from the Byzantine period and samples of Byzantine ceramics are exhibited.

In cases no. 12, 13, 18 and 19 coins are displayed from the Greek, Venetian, Roman, Byzantine, Princedom, Karaman Dynasty, Ottoman and the Republican periods, respectively.

In case no. 15, Urartian bronze bracelets, figurines and offering plates are displayed. These materials were generally obtained through purchases and added to the museum collection

In case no. 16 there are stone stamp seals and cylindrical seals from the early and late Hittite periods and the case also contains the photographs of the inscriptions made with the seals on display.

In case no. 20 in the Ethnographical seciton there are tiles and mosaics, enameled and over and under glazed tiles, plaster reliefs, and tiles from Çanakkale and Kütahya from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods.

In cases no. 21 and 22 cauldron, tray, plates, medicine cups, mortar, lunch box and ewer with geometrical design and plant decorations from the 14th and 19th century Seljuk and Ottoman periods are exhibited which were collected from the vicinity of Karaman.

In cases no. 24 and 25 among the wood work displayed there is mother of pearl inlayed coffer, clogs, spinning wheel, hand mill for grinding coffe, coffee coolers, mirror cases, spoon container, measuring cups, mortat stone, musical instruments and similar objects.
In cases no. 28 and 29 there are gold inlayed Korans from the Karaman Dynasty and Ottoman periods, decrees written in the courtly style, religious court decisions and Ahi Evran Fütüvetnamesi, the document which defines the rules which governed the guilds.

Case no. 30 has various samples of oil lamps in different forms.

Case no. 30 holds samples of silver Jewellery, hair ornaments, kıstı, şildir, coined fez and pocket watches

In case no. 32 there are examples of hand knitted socks and gloves which are still reproduced in the region.

In case no. 33 there are samples of bells of various size used for different animals.
Apart from these, in two table cases there are examples of objects such as weapons, gunpowder containers, candle cutters, spoons, door handles, whips, seals, cigarette holders and worry beads.
The museum also displays rug and kilim samples which are hung as panels between the display cases, a Asclepius statute in the Archaeological Materials Hall, one facade of a Sidemara type sarcophagus and a mummified female body from the Byzantine period.

In the lower floor section of the museum the restoration of which started last year there are cupboards, doors, shelves and fireplaces removed from Karaman houses and they are all mounted onto the walls. This section also contains some agricultural tools. However this part of the museum is not yet opened to the publicors.

In the upper floor, besides the administrative offices, there is a gallery where the artistic works of the students and the citizens of Karaman are exhibited periodically. The material and visitor status of the Museum as of the end of 1997 is as follows.

1- Number of archeologcal materials: 3911

2- Number of ethnographic materials: 2067

3- Number of coins: 6079

4- Number of visitors: 10637

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Kars - Museum

Kars - Museum



KARS MUSEUM AND ITS HISTORY

Kars has a vast surrounding and many nations and civilizations have established, lived and developed on it from 25.000 BC till now. For this reason, its need for a museum had increased day by day. In the Republic Period, some stone works have been collected from some places and as a result of this a museum was opened in Kars for the first time, forming the base of the Kars Museum in 1959 in one of the rooms of the old province government house by Dr. Budak DEMİRAL, the President of the People’s House of that period and by Hasan KARTARİ, the Director General of Public Education with the name of “Protecting Old Works of Art and Museum Directorate”. With this meaningful attempt, the studies of collecting old works have increased and the collected works were registered within the existing opportunities.

The museum that has been established in 1959 has gained many works of art by either collecting or purchasing. After many works of art have been obtained as a result of this, it gained a museum identity where displays were made, after making the necessary studies in the place known as Kümbet Mosque (Havariler Church) on December 20, 1964.

Kars Museum has been transformed into Museum Directorate on June 24, 1969 and it has increasingly continued its activities.
The tourism potential of Kars is almost the same as Ani Ören region of our museum. Besides these, the development of the museum was completed with the works of art that Prof. Dr. İ. Kılıç KÖKTEN had found during the researches he made in the Kağızman Camuşlu Yazılıkaya and Kurban Ağa caves in between 1965-1971. The place of the museum, which continued its activities in Kümbet mosque, started to become insufficient because of the works of art gained either by the engravings or by other ways.

Our museum that present the works of art received from the engravings and by other ways, to the public with restricted opportunities has become an education and culture establishment that address the society from every angel.

The place, which was established in honour of 12 Apostles in 932-937 AC by Abbas Takvar, king of Bağaratlı dependent on Abbasi Califs and which is used as museum building, that is known as Kümbet Mosque today, with four leaves clover plan and covered with a long-hoop frame that ends with conical shape dome called tent style by the Old Oguz Turks, began to be insufficient in the course of time. For this reason the construction of today’s modern building was planned. This place of 4500m2 was exchanged with a place of 3200m2 in 1971 that was allocated for it on the side of Kars rivulet in Kaleiçi Quarter Müstakem region in the real reconstruction plan, which is in front of the Gas store according to the road and Taşlı Harman region, Cumhuriyet Road. Its foundation was laid down on an area of 3100m2 and was completed in 1978. Within this period, the Headquarter building of Gazi Ahmet Muhtar Pasha, the Commander of 1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War (93 War), was used as the museum and the place in Kümbet Mosque was used for display.
The move to the new Museum Building was started in 1978 and display and arrangement studies started in 1979. The new museum was opened to the public on April 22, 1981.

The museum is formed of 3 (three) storeys with the underground chamber and 7 (seven) main parts. From the point of usage in service, it is formed of the following parts:

1. On the underground chamber:

a) Central Heating Room,

b) Depots,

2. On the ground floor:

a) Old Works of Art Depot,

b) Bureaus,

c) Archaeological Works Depot,

3. On the first floor:

a) Ethnographic Exhibition Saloon,

b) Lodging Departments.

Besides these, there are garden display and arrangement and entrance parts on the side facing the road, the Historical White Wagon on the special railway system separated from it and attached to the building wall on the north part, given by the Russians as a goodwill gesture during the Kars Agreement in 1921 to the Rescuer of the East, Great Commander Kazım Karabekir Pasha.

Kars Museum is a general museum from the aspect of museum generalizations and their varieties, with various Archaeological and Ethnographical Culture Possessions. The display organization is formed of two main parts.

In the archaeological works saloon where products of our historical wealth, which are very much in our country, are displayed.There are 18 showcases in total, 12 of them are big wall showcases, 4 of them are hall showcases and 2 of them are table type showcases.

The works of art in the Archaeology department generally belong to the Calceolitic, Old Bronze Age, Urartues, Roman Age, Byzantium Age, Seljuks and Ottomans respectively from the Prehistoric Age. They are stone grain grinding miles, Opsidien cutting materials, terracotta pots and pans, various bone-glass, bead and bronze ornament jewelery, tear drop glasses, religious tools, axes, spears, arrows, seals, wool spinning tools, oil-lamps, bronze needles, bronze make-up materials and money and medallions belonging to various ages from past to now.Besides the showcases, there are two wooden doors with four wings, examples from the Late Christian period, whose semi-circular parts are pieces that form the arcade part, written tablets that belong to the Seljuk and Ottoman period and a mythological portraying belonging to the Seljuk period, made of stone that holds two lions in its arms.

In the ethnographic works saloon, which is up the stairs from the Archaeology saloon, there are 16 wall showcases, 8 of them big and 18 showcases, 2 of them are table showcases.

The works of art in the ethnography part are usually the followings: carpets, rugs, saddlebags, horse clothes, pillow-cases, prayer rugs collected from Kars region and kitchen material such as copper and bronze cauldrons, round metal trays, cups, ewers, small cauldrons and auxiliary cups, frying pots, skimmers, basins, coppers, mortars and spoons, weapons such as golden and silver decorated daggers, food dishes and sword short guns, flintstone and revolver weapons, iron and bronze axes and gun powder flasks, written and printed works such as hand and formal printed old book documents, newspapers, bag and writing sets, tent laths designed as a rug by rolling thread with different colors on sticks to form parts in the tents, daily clothes such as caftans belonging to the region, stout jackets, three skirts, belts, head scarves, breast harness, temple of the head, hair ribbons, shawls and socks, silver embroidered saddle sets, wooden walking sticks, sticks and silver whips, phaeton lanterns, silver embroidered watches and silver watch chains, silver amulet holders, silver tobacco boxes, silver amber, oltu stones, corals, mother-of-pearl prayer beads and cigarette holders, narghites, candle sticks, lamps, samovers, milk sets, candy bowls, tongs, silver belts, silver bracelets, headgear, necklaces and caps.

Moreover, three pillows and a sofa carpet out of the show cases and weaving tools such as terşi, kırman and spinning wheel and a half-weaned regional carpet on the loom and materials used in weaving carpets decorate our ethnography saloon.

Except from these, there are tombstones of rams, sheep and lambs used by the old Oguz Turks and other tribes, which are continuities of them, in Kars and around it and written tablets and architectural parts belonging to the Seljuks and Ottomans are displayed and arranged in the garden of the museum.

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