Kastamonu - Archaeological Museum - Atatürk Hall

Kastamonu - Archaeological Museum - Atatürk Hall



The museum building that was drawn by the Architect Kemalettin Bey was first used on 1910 as the Union and Progress Society building, and later on, on 1921 it was given to the service of the Independence Tribunal.

Until 1940’s the building was used by various institutions and societies such as Turkish Nationalist Club, People’s Party, Kastamonu Youth Organization, in 1945 it was taken over by the Office of the National Education and transformed into a museum.

In 1952 the building was designated as the museum directorate. Various glasses, fired clays, statues, tombs and tomb covers are exhibited in the museum from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantium periods that are found in Kastamonu and its regions. Also, a part of the display was arranged as the Atatürk Room, where various goods used by Atatürk during his visit to Kastamonu in 1925 and photographs are exhibited.

A tomb - At the front side of the Roman tomb two wreaths, in the middle a head of a bull and at the top the warrior Dioscur can be seen. At the rear side two wreaths, a medusa head, above the wreath a lion and eagle reliefs can be seen.

A satyr - A marble statue of a nude male from the Roman period. It stands on a base and holds a pouch that is placed between his shoulders.

A small statue of a woman - The small fired clay statue is from the Hellenistic period. She is sitting on a throne and with her right hand holding her hair. A lion under her right arm and a crown on her head can be seen. The curls on her dress look extremely natural.

A tomb - It is from Roman period and is made of hard white marble. It is in very good condition. The box and the lid hold each other with a metal clamp. The lid looks like a high pointed roof and there are acroteriums in the corners. A half wreath, a flower above the wreath, again, a half wreath at right and above it a head (can be Eros) and inscriptions in the middle can be seen on the tomb.

An obelisk - (A gravestone) It was pierced in the middle and made of pale limestone. There is an inscription on the top front part of the obelisk, and below the inscription there are certain objects and tools such as a knife, a comb, a basket, a legged pot can be seen. And on the bottom part of the obelisk a vase, grapevine and grapes, an adze, a hook appears. And at the bottom some cutting tools can be seen.

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Kastamonu Museums

Kastamonu Museums



Liva Pasha Mansion Ethnography Museum

The Liva Pasha Mansion which is an example of civic architecture was especially constructed in 1870 by Mir Liva Sadık Pasha. The mansion was expropriated in 1979 by the Ministry of Culture.

The repair and restoration work started in 1985 and was completed in April 1997. On 2 May 1997 Liva Pasha Mansion was opened to public as an Ethnography Museum with a ceremony attended by Mr. Ismail Kahraman, as the Minister of Culture.

The Lay-Out

Middle Floor: Samples of wood works, weaving, garments and weapons, print works, shoemaking, packsaddle and reins, rope making, copper work reflecting Kastamonu Handicrafts are displayed in rooms as products of various artizan groups.

Upper Floor: Is arranged as a museum home with a bridal bed room, living room, main room, daily room (men), guest room, daily room (women). Ethnographic works are exhibited at the upper floor halls.

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Kayseri - Historical Ruins

Kayseri - Historical Ruins



Kültepe Ruins

Located at the 20km of Kayseri-Sıvas highway and 2 km to the north of the road, it consists of a 22 m high mound with a diametre of 50 metres and the lower city called "Karum" which circles it.

It is being excavated systematically since 1948 by a team led by Prof. Dr. Tahsin Özgüç. Tumulus has revealed that the oldest settlement in the area was from the Late Chalcolithic Age (300 - 2500 B.C) which was followed by Old Bronze, Hittite, Phrygian, Hellenistic and Roman Ages.

Karum area surrounds the eastern and sotheastern fringes of the tumulus. It was settled by the Assyraian merchants during 1950 -1650 B.C who came to Anatolia for trading. Sections from large pubic and religious buildings, houses, shops and workshops revealed at the tumulus and the karum are displayed as an open air museum.

Soğanlı Site

It is located in the Soğanlı village which is 15 km away from Yeşilhisar District on Kayseri - Adana highway.
It is a settlement where natural formations similar to those seen at Ürgüp, Göreme, Ihlara and Zelve valleys and rock graves and caves are fully integrated with the current village houses.

It was one of the centres of Christianity in Cappadocia since the 4th century and sustained its importance in the 7th and 8th centuries.
The existence of nearly fifty rock churches is known, but only Balıklı, Gök, Tokalı, Karabaş, Yılanlı, Kubbeli, Geyikli and St. Barbe churches can be visited. In all these churches there are frescoes of Jesus Christ and his apostles as their theme.

Among the Churches - chapels and monasteries built between 8th and 13th centuries, those with the most interesting plans and appearances were those built at Soğanlı. The ancient folk of Soğanlı lived in houses and shelters which were carved into the rocks.
Today there are thousands of rock-cuts of a religious nature and civic rock settlements in Cappadocia. About 600 of these rock-cuts are in the villages of Soğanlı and Erdemli.

Soğanlı is at a distance of 80 km to Kayseri, 70 km to Göreme and Ürgüp and 35 km to the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Doğanli.

Soğanlı experienced cave-ins during earthquakes and the caved in areas were further sunk by flood waters producing deep valleys with steep precipices.
The most interesting natural sight appearing as a result of the earthquakes and erosion are the table -shaped mountains. Table shaped hills and domed rock churches are local cultural and natural assets which cannot be encountered anywhere else in Cappodocia and in any other region of the world.
At the rock churches of Soğanlı there are multi-coloured wall paintings and frescoes. Furthermore inside these churches and in some rockcuts there are monochrome geometrical motifs and crosses from the Iconoclassic period when religious pictures were forbidden.

The themes of the frescoes are from the Bible. There are frescoes depicting the birth of Christ, his baptism, trial, miracles, crucification, those showing the incidents Virgin Mary encountered, her horse-back trip to Jerusalem and those which are about the saints.
Among the Soğanlı churches the most popular and the most visited are Tokalı, Gök, Karabaş, Canavar, Meryem Ana, St. Barbe churches and the church with the deer (Geyikli)

Kültepe-Kaniş-Karum Historical Site

Kültepe, or Kaniş as it was formerly known, which represents the origin of the material at the Kayseri Museum is 21 km northeast of Kayseri on the old Kayseri - Sivas and Kayseri - Malatya main highway. Kültepe consists of the mound where the native folk were settled and the lower city or the Karum area where the Assyrian traders were settled. The mound has a diametre of 500 metres and it rises 20 m. above the ground level of the plain. The mound is surrounded on four sides by the lower city / karum. Karum looks to be of the same level as the plain in its three sides but is about 1.5 - 2.5 higher in the east. Karum, with its diametre of nearly 2 kilometres, the mound and the citadel at its centre are all surrounded by strong walls.

Kültepe caught the attention of the researchers after 1981. Until that time there was a fast flow of hieroglyph inscripted tablets towards the museums. E. Chantre in 1893 and 1894, H. Wickler H. Grothe in 1906 carried out excavations but failed to locate the source of the tablets. B.Brozny in 1925 by pure luck discovered the location from which the tablets were beeing recovered and thus found the Centre / Karum of the Assyrian Trading Colonies.
Systematic excavations which were started in 1948 at the Mound and the Karum on behalf of the Turkish History Association and the General Directorate of Historical Works and Museums have been continued since then.

At the Karum Kaniş, the well known trading centre of the ancient world, there are four building layers (I-IV), last one having two stages (Ia-b). During this period of international trade relations of four thousand years ago, which was established in Anatolia by the Northern Mezopotomian / Assyrian traders and lasted more or less for a hundred and fifty years, Anatolia gained acces to the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia, learned how to write from them and raised its cultural level. The hieroglyph inscription tablets in the Assyrian language discovered in layers II and I give detailed information about the trade between the Assyrians and Anatolia and also provide lively informaton about borrowing and lending transactions, interest rates, marriages and divorces, inheritance, slave trading, court decisions and correspondence with the local lords. Among these, but fewer in number texts of literature and texts of school work can be found. These are the documents which enabled Anatolia to grasp the light of history and they are the oldest written documents of this land. The Anatolian history strated here and this is the most important characteristic of Kaniş. Kültepe / Kaniş was the capital of this trading system in Anatolia. It is also the centre of the kingdom of Kanish. Layers I and II are the richest and the most important layers in terms of archaeology, philology and city planning. The large neigbourhoods of these two cites which are separated by stone paved streets are now reveiled with their total plans. The representatives of these two countries of the ancient world, speaking different languages had managed to coexist in these cities. Their houses with their plans intact, their archives, workshops, depots and shops are discovered. In most of the fully equiped two storey houses living rooms, archives, pantry / storage areas were separated. Both cities were destroyed with fires. After these disasters the people were merely able to save their lives and abondened all their fire-resistant goods to us and to our times. Hittite culture and art is an art which was jelled from the intermixing of the Assyrians representing the ancient Babylion art, with the locals. The number of stamp seals, female and male goddess and god statuettes made from zinc, bronze, ivory and silver in the Hittite style of the later ages are too numerous to be ignored and prove that The Hittite art style had developed before the establishment of the ancient Hittite kingdom (1650). Most of these objects were poured into moulds which were discovered at the workshops. Among them tile statuettes imported from northern Syria can be seen besides the statuettes reflecting the influence of ancient Babylon. This is a characteristic which would naturally be expected from an international commercial centre.

Hittite ceramic art reached its peak in terms of technique and form at Kültepe. Some of the seramic objects are not suitable for everyday use and were probably used during ceremonies and on special days.

The craftsmen of Kültepe were masters of making earthenware animal shaped rythons (drinking cups). Besides these rythons which were given standing, lying, kneeling positions, there are also other shaped like animal heads. These sacred animals of the gods are the copies of those made from precious metals. The most common rythons discovered, were the ones in the shape of bull, lion, antilope and eagel.


Thousands of stamp sealed envelopes made from baked earth were found for inserting the tablets. Stamps and selas differ in style, reflecting the social structure. In both layers it is possible to follow the development of the styles and to put them in a chronological order.
Most of the cylindrical seals are at the second layer. The close relations established with Mesapotamia at that age has increased cylindrical seal use in Anatolia. The seals of this age are divided into the styles of 1.Old Babylion, 2.Old Assyrian, 3.Old Syrian, 4. Old Anatolia. The majority of the cylindrical seal imprints found at layer II are in the Old Assyrian style.

The Old Anatolian style reached maturity after the settlement of the Mesapotamian way of thinking in Anatolia. The first 25 yars of the 80 year life span of layer II should be set aside for this transition. This style which forms the basic source of the Hittite art consists of religious, battle and hunting scenes. In mythological scenes the Mesapotomian and Anatolian features are seen side by side.

The changes seen in the hieroglyph tablets in layer I can also be observed in the seals. The styles of this age are different than those at layer II. Furthermore, the tablets were also started to be sealed.

The seals which were incorporated into the Anatolian style are divided into two styles: 1. those loyal to the layer II tradition and 2- Old Hittite seals. The subjects of old Hittite seals which are in the shape of stamps are religious scenes, mixed creatures, heraldic eagles, animals and astral symbols. At that period, the commercial ties with Assyria were extremely weak, local characteristics were becoming more prominent and the new kings had become stronger. Anatolia was obviously on its way towards unification.

Layer II is dated to 1920 - 1840 BC and layer I to 1798- 1740. There is a gap of 50-60 years between layers II and I. It is seen that Kültepe Mound preserved its importance as a city of Roman- Hellenistic and Greco-Persian Ages and particularly as a city of the Tabal country during the Late-Hittite period. The palace of the Kanish King Varshama was discovered in the citadel. Despite the fact that a major part of the palace was destroyed, 50 rooms of the ground floor and part of the archive documents were revealed. The palace is a contemporary of layer. It was built on the ruins of the palace underneath it in layer II. and along the lines of the Old- Babylonian fashion.

At the hill, the late and middle stages of the Old Bronze Age which were underneath this layer were studied over a large area. This age of Kültepe coincides with the Sumerian, Acad, and Post- Acad periods. The typical ceramics and gold jewellery of the region were imported from Northern Syria and Mesopotomia and the cylindrical seals were imported from the Post-Acad. These all prove that Anatolia - Mesopotomia relations had started long before the Age of Assyrian Trading Colonies

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Kayseri Museum

Kayseri Museum



KAYSERİ MUSEUM

It was first established in 1930 in the Hunat Hatun Medrese and moved to its present building built on Kışla Street in Gültepe section of the city in 1969. The collection is displayed in two large halls and the garden, in a chronological order.

The display in the first hall starts with samples of the plain and coloured ceramics of the Old Bronze Age and alabaster idols. These are followed by items from Kültepe excavations which belong to the Assyrian merchantilist Colonies Age which are given typologically.They include inscribed tablets, round, beak and clover mouthed jugs, bowls, vases, fruit cups, animal shaped drink cups (Rython), moulds, metal items, syclindirical seals and seal presses. In the narrow south section of the same hall there are the stone statues of the Late Hittite age and hieroglyph inscribed steles.

In the second hall; after the plain and coloured ceramics from Phrygian Age in the passage corridor, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine pieces collected from the vicinity of Kayseri, and tomb offerings from the Beştepeler and Garipler tumuli. In the garden; Hellenistic and Roman and Byzantine age marble statues, tomb stellar, sarcophagi and large jars from baked earth are displayed in open air.

The Archaeological Museum of Kayseri

It is located in the Centre Melikgazi District of the Kayseri province at no. 2 Kışla Caddesi in Gültepe neighbourhood, in a building on plot no. 17 in block no. 1200. The construction of the museum building was started in 1965 and it started to function in 1969 following the completion of exhibition and display works.

The two storey museum in a 8704 m² garden, has a usable space of 580 m². The building consists of two large halls, a corridor and offices and storage area.

The museum collection which has only archaeological material is exhibited and displayed in a chronological order as far as possible in the two large halls and the garden. At the entrance of hall no. 1 there are examples of painted and monochrome pottery and marble (alabastron) idols from the early Bronze Age. Further on, there are the findings from Kültepe, which belong to the Assyrian Trading Colonies exhibited in a typological order. Among these, tablets with hieroglyph inscriptions, round beak and clove shaped sprouted baked earth jugs, pots, vases, fruit plates, cylindric and stamp seals, animal shaped rythons, metal objects and moulds are prominent. In the narrow southern section of the same hall, stone statues and stellar with hieroglyph insriptions dating from the late- Hittite period are exhibited.

In the corridor which leads to the second hall, there are samples of painted and monochrome ceramics of the Phrygian period. In hall no. 2, material from Hellenistic - Roman and Byzantine period scollected from the vicinity of Kayseri, grave offerings discovered at the Beştepeler - Garipler tumuli and the Heracles sarcophagus and umas are exhibited.

In the garden, marble statues of the Hellenistic and Roman periods, grave stellar, sarcophagi and large baked earth jugs are displayed in the open air.

TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Director: (0 352) 232 48 12

Switchboard: (0 352) 222 21 49

Ethnography Museum

It is located in Kağnıpazarı section of the Kayseri centre, in the medrese built by Hunat Hatun, the wife of Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad. The building is one of the best examples of open court and double anti chamber type Seljuk architecture. On each side of the antichamber at the end, there is a large room, and on the sides there is a total of 16 equal sized rooms, eight to each side. Displays are in these rooms.

Examples of tiles, weapons, woodwork, metalwork, manuscripts, rugs, kilims and man and women's costumes from the Turkish Islamic culture which reflect the local characteristics of Kayseri region are displayed at the museum. In addition to these the coins from the Turkish - Islamic period made from gold, silver and bronze are shown in a chronological order.

Museum is located in the males section (selamlık) of the Güpgüpoğlu Mansion and leans onto the walls of the outer citadel in the east. It has a two-storey dense mass. The ground floor which originally was for the animals is currently renovated as an exhibition hall.

The upper floor is reached with an exterior staircase. The rooms are arranged around a central hall. In the large room to the east of the hall glass, tile and wood - metal works from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods are displayed while the entrance corridor to the second room displays fire arms, sharp weapons and male garments. Female garments and ornaments are exhibited in the small room

In the larger of the two rooms to the south of the hall there are coins belonging to the Turkish - Islamic states and the other room have manuscripts. The large room in the west holds a collection of copper household goods, rugs and kilims.

In the semi - enclosed pavillion in the north there is a Türkmen tent. Tombstones from the Islamic period are displayed in the garden

Telephone: (0 352) 222 95 16

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Atatürk Museum

Atatürk Museum



The building, located at Tennuri Street in Cumhuriyet Mahalles section of the central Kayseri was built as a house by Raşit Ağa at the end of the 19th century.

It is two stroreyed building and is constructed from cut stones. Atatürk stayed in this building when he came to Kayseri on 20.12.1919 as the Leader of the Delegation of Representatives. To commemorate the event, the building was restored and documents and pictures were displayed in one of the upstairs rooms.

Güpgüpoğlu Mansion

It is located in Kayseri province, Centre Melikgazi District, Cumhuriyet Neighbourhood on Tennuri Street covering plots no. 46, 47, 93 and 95 in block no. 193. It was built in between 1417 - 1419 and consists of two parts devoted to the women (harem) and the men (selamlık).

The selamlık section was a later additon and is currently used as the Ethnographical Museum

The harem section was designed as the harem room, hall, bride's room, kitchen, servants' room, guest room, daily room and the room for the bride and the groom.

The hall is illuminated only through the door and the windows on the door. With no other windows opening to the outside world, it is a space which is shadowy, dramatic and mysterious. Its dimensions are 10 m. x 5 m. and have a ceilng height of 7 m. From the door one enters a section called "seki altı". There is a stone called "çağ taşı" in the centre of this space. From the seki altı, two steps lead to the wooden upper section. The three sides of this space are defined by a settee which is 30 cm. high and has a width of 70 cm. There are built-in cupboards and niches in the side walls of the hall. These large cupboards which are called "yüklük" (storage) are used to store the matresses. In the hall, mannequins are used to represent the host and the guests.
The bride's room is to the south of the hall. It is a private section where strangers are not welcome. It is used as a multi-purpose space with its settees and sunken cupboards.

Through a door to the west of the hall, front kitchen area is through it, the large main kitchen (Tokana) is reached. The stove built for cooking is the major characteristic feature of the tokana. Here, mannequins are used again, to represent the ladies carrying out the daily household chores at the kitchen.
To the north of tokana, there is a reception (guest) room which was added to the house at a later stage. There is a small room opposite the guest room which was assigned to the maids who managed the daily housework.

From above the servants' room the second floor is reached with a wooden staircase. In the second floor there is the room of the bride and the groom and a daily room.

The summer pavillion section is in the west of the mansion. It rises over wooden columns and is a later addition. It has a decorated ceiling and there is a pool built with fancy stones at the front

History of The House

As the history of Kayseri says, in 1419 Zülkadiroğulları state was established with the help and support of the Egyptian king El Müeyeddin. At that time the Memlüks were reigning in Egypt. If the mosques built in Cairo during the Memlük era are studied, it will be seen that the columns used at the mansion on the sides of the windows inside the hall are the same as those built at that period. Furthermore, it is possible to trace an Arabesque effect from the arch built with black and white stones over the door and from the small niches carved into the stone at the sides of the doors.

Mehmet the Conqueror turned this area into an Ottoman State in 1468. Hence it will be appropriate to look for the Ottoman influence from that date on. At the time the Kayseri Bedesten (bazaar) was built, the marble inscription above the door which opened up to the old Cotton Market in the north was put up in 1497 by its benefactor the Emir of Kayseri, Mustafa Bey bin Abdullah Bey. The court registers and the information related to his foundation indicate that this person was from Bursa. From this we can surmise that craftsman from Bursa worked in Kayseri and as this house was one of those belonging to a wealthy members of the Kayseri community, it is very likely that craftsmen from Bursa were involved in its construction.
The date of construction of the house: in Between 1419 - 1497

Çifte Medrese, Kayseri

(Gevher Nesibe History of Medicine Museum)

The building which is known in Kayseri as the Çifte Medrese (The Double Medresse) consists of two adjecent buildings with open courtyards. Both buildings have the typical medresse lay-outs. The only difference is in the fact that one of the buildings is wider than the other. However, the similarity observed in form does not extend to a similarity in function as the western building is a hospital while the eastern one is a medical school of the old order. In other words one is a health and the other is an educational institution.

Both the hospital and the medresse are arranged according to the scheme which has four vaulted antechambers around an open court yard. The hospital is a rectangular shaped building whose outer dimensions are 41 m. x 32.30 m. One side of its rectangular courtyard is 12.50 m. and its three sides are defined by triple arched porticoes. The fourth portico which is at the front of the main antichamber (eyvan) is built with a single span. The vaulted antechambers are located behind the central arches with large spans. Rooms are placed on both sides of the main antechamber and these are arranged as a small room in the west and two inter-connecting rectangular rooms in the east. The portal does not coincide with the lengthwise axis of the building but is located on the axis of the portico at the west side of the courtyard. The medresse which is connected to the hospital with a barrel vaulted narrow passage is pushed back about a metre from the hospital, accentuating the existence of two buildings. If this small diffrence is ignored, it is possible to say that the depth of the hospital is equal to the depth of the medresse. However, it is narrower with its 27.50 m. width. Hence the courtyard is not a square, but a rectangle of 14.00 m. x 8.00 m. dimensions. Like the hospital, here also a portico defines the four sides of the court yard. At the long side of the rectangular court the portico is triple arched and the side antechambers (eyvans) are behind the middle span. The narrow side of the courtyard has a single arch at the north side, in front of the main antechamber and has two arches in the south. This has made it necessary to move the building south from its axis and to place it behind the western arch. The main antechamber (eyvan) of the medresse is narrower than the main antechamber of the hospital and less deep (9.70 m. x 7.50 m.) and this antechamber also has two rooms on sides, one larger and the other smaller.

The mausoleum (Türbe) which is located between the room in the north-west corner of the building and the eastern antechamber and who’s upper and lower grave cellar and mesjid doors face the courtyard, is a typical Seljuk tomb with its octagonal exterior and its octagonal prismatic hat. The interior of the mesjid is cylindrical. Eight niches are opened on its walls. One is rectangular shaped and the other is semi-circular. The semi-circular niche in the south east is the "mihrab" - the niche which indicates the direction of Mecca. The roof or "hat", which looks octagonal from the outside, also rises octagonally on the inside. Thus, this mausoleum is an exception as the interiors of the hats are always domes in Anatolian Seljuk architecture. The portal of the mausoleum is on the axis of the western portico, like the hospital, that is, on the left.

Only the inscription on the portal of the hospital at the double building complex has managed to survive so far. From this inscription it is understood that the hospital was built according to the will of Gevher Nesibe Hatun, the sister of Giyaseddin Kerhüsrev the First and the daughter of Kılıç Aslan the IInd in 602 (Islamic calendar) (1205) The medical school adjacent to the hospital is known as the Gıyasiye Medresse and is assumed to be built by Gıyaseddin Keyhüsreev (1192 - 1196, 1204 - 1210) However, there is no definite documentation that shows that the medical school was built by him. It is not uncommon to have two adjacent buildings with different functions to be built by different people during the Seljuk era. Divriği Grand Mosque and the Orphanage is such an example. However the opposite is also true, such as the Hadjı Kılıç Mosque and Medresse in Kayseri or Mahperi Huand Hatun Complex. Hence, it is possible that both buildings of the Çifte Medrese were built by the same person.

As a general rule, it is true that the patrons of the institutions occupy the mausoleums (türbe) which are located at Medresses and hospitals. For example son of I. Keyhüsrev, İ. İzzedddin Keykavus (1210 - 1219) is buried at the mausoleum of the Hospital he built in Sivas. There is indeed a mausoleum at this building known as Gıyasiye Medresse but we know that it does not belong to Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev as this Sultan is buried at the tomb located in the Konya Alaaddin Mosque. This being the case, we can surmise that the tomb here belongs to Gevher Nesibe Hatun. This assumption brings forth a new question. Why is the tomb not located at the Hospital section which was built by Gevher Nesibe Hatun as its inscription states but in the medresse section? Here, we might find two answers. Either the hospital was originally the building where the tomb is located and the inscription was later taken from the portal of that building and moved to the portal of the building currently known as the Hospital or both buildings were built by the same person and the tomb of its patron was placed at a suitable point of the complex. We tend to belive that the later of this assumption is correct and Çifte Medresse as a whole was built according to the will of Gevher Nesibe Hatun and the mausoleum is occupied by the sultan.
Today Çifte Medresse is in the Sinan park and used as a Medical Museum under the Erciyes University

Telephones

(0 352) 437 42 72

(0 352) 231 35 65

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Kırşehir Museum

Kırşehir Museum



The research and excavations of the recent years have shown that human settlements in Kırşehir started in 3000 B.C. Ceramic pieces from that period are found in the tumuli of Kırşehir. The archaeological excavations undertaken at Hashöyük, a village of the central district of Kırşehir, in 1930 by Turkish and Italian archaeologists revealed pieces of pottery from 3000 B.C.

In 2000 B.C we see the start of Assyrian Trade Colonies period and the Hittite period. Two altars with cow head protoms from Old Hittite Period brought to the Hirfanlı Dam Operations from the shores of the Kızılırmak River, Malkayası with hieroglyph inscriptions and known as Hitite road inscription located between the villages of Sevdiğin and Kale, also the seals, ceramic kitchen utensils, public buildings with walls etc found at Kaman Kale Tumulus are important traces of the Hittite period.

Current archaeological excavations and surface investigations also reveal that, after the Old and Late Hittite Periods, the Old and Late Phrygian Periods were also lived in a most dense fashion. In 550 B.C, Anatolia was completely under Persian dominance. Within this period, Kırşehir was part of the Central Anatolia history, a region which became well known as Cappadocia (Beautiful Horses). As Persians sufficed with only military invasion of Anatolia, significant ruins or remains cannot be found in Kırşehir, but Persian seals were found at excavations of the Kaman Kale tumulus. Persian dominance came to end in 334 BC when the armies of Alexander the Great came to Anatolia and defeated the Persians. Kırşehir and environs experienced severe pressures due to lack of authority during the period of the Cappadocia Kingdom which was established in 333 BC. In the year 18, Roman Emperor Tiberius officially annexed Cappadocia to the Roman Empire and converted it into a provincial status.

Roman period was a period of strong paganism as well as a period where Christianity was fast expanding. About 15 underground cities of varying size are known to exist from that period in Kırşehir, which were built as places of worship and sanctuary for the Christians.

Historical research shows that Kırşehir was for a while an important political centre during the Roman period and even functioned as the provincial capital.
There is not much information about the Byzantine period of this area, but ruins and remains indicate that a Byzantine period did exist. Üç Ayak church from the 10th century at Taburoğlu village of the provincial centre, which is one of the first big village churces in Anatolia, was a church where Protestants and Catholics worshipped together, and the church ruins at Fakıl village and Temirli are interesting.

Seljuk period is significant for Kırşehir as it is for Anatolian Turkish history as a whole, and worth investigating.

Urbanization of Kırşehir during the Seljuk period started in the early years of the 13th century. Kırşehir was given to one of the Emirs of the Mengücük dynasty, Melik Muzaffererüddin Muhammed as a fief, who was defeated in battle by Seljuks at Erzincan, for his outstanding performance. During his stay in Kırşehir, Melik Muzaffererüddin Muhammed built the Melik Gazi Medrese (old theological school) in 1230.

Mongolians which invaded whole of Anatolia in 1240 after the Kösedağ defeat converted Kırşehir into a rest stop for winter (kışlak) and a summer place in the plateau (yaylak). The long lasting military presence of Mongolians in Kırşehir turned it into an important political and military centre.

Nureddin Cibril Bin Cacabey, who was appointed as Emir to Kırşehir in 1260's, started the first significant construction activites of the Turkish period, thanks to the good relations he established with the Mongolians. Cacabey Medrese which was one of the first schools of astronomy and Cacabey Inn near Kızılırmak as well as numerous big and small buildings were all realized during his times.

In the 13th century, Ahi Evran which organized the Anatolian Turkish union in general and the organization and unification of the trade and craftsmen in particular, came to Kırşehir after Denizli, Konya and Kayseri and carried out his mission there, turning Kırşehir into the centre of the Ahi movement. After the leader Ahi Evran, Kırşehir sustained its position as the centre of the Ahi. The decisions taken at the lodge in Kırşehir were influential from Azerbaijan to Bosnia-Herzagovina.

In 1293, Mevalan's son Sultan Veled sent ambassadors to certain centres in Anatolia, with the aim of spreading the Mevlevi belief. The person assigned to Kırşehir was Şeyh Süleyman Türkmani. Süleyman Türkmani established a lodge in Kırşehir and spread Mevlevi belief from this base. His close relationship to Mevlana and Mevlana's appreciation of him are apparent from his letters.

It is also known that Mevlana's son Alaaddin fled to Kırşehir after his name got involved in the case of Şemsi Tebrizi murder in Konya. All this show Kırşehir was one of the important centres of the Mevlevis in Anatolia.

Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli, who came to Suluca Karahöyük, recieved a great number of people there, who had a leaning towards his ideas. Kırşehir continued to be one of the most important political, social and cultural centres of Anatolia from 13th to the middle of the 15th century. In the beginning of the 14th century, Famous Sufi Aşık Pasha who was one of the prominant people which brought progresto Anatolia wrote his "Garibname" of 12 thousand couplets. After Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey who wanted to establish Turkish as the official language, Aşık Pasha became the most important advocate of the Turkish culture and brought it into the language of literature in the most successful way. Great Sufi scholar Ahmet Gülşehri who translated "Mantık-ut Tayr" by Ferideddin Attar who lived in Kırşehir into Turkish, is known as the greatest poet after Yunus Emre. In addition to all these, it is also speculated that Yunus Emre had lived in Kırşehir, died there and his grave is on the Ziyaret (Visit) Hill in the Ulupınar District of Kırşehir.


Kırşehir Museum

The initial studies for the establishment of the Kırşehir Museum started in 1936. This was the period of Post - Republic Turkey when initiatives for new museums were strong. In Kırşehir museum storage was formed by collecting certain stone works and ethnographic pieces at Alaaddin Mosque situated on a mound at the city centre called the “castle” by people). This initiative was soon forgotten until the establishment of a Commission for Historical Heritage by the Governor in 1975 and the Kırşehir Museum Directorate was established in 1980. The first listing of the coins was undertaken in 1981 and field work was started for the listing of in situ items of the future collection.

In 1985, the material collected so far was put on display in a 100 m² space at the premises of the Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate and storage of 20 m² was arranged. With the start of the Kaman Kale tumulus archaeological excavations, the growth of the museum accelerated and in the same year first listing of the archaeological items was started.

In 1993 the materials of the museum were put into storage at the Kırşehir Cultural centre.

The work aimed at opening the museum to public accelerated in 1996. Kırşehir Museum which is now open to visits has more than 3300 items consisting of coins and ethnographic and archaeological materials.

Furthermore, the field work carried out by Kırşehir Museum Directorate has revealed 136 items of immobile cultural heritage and these were registered and taken under protection.

Museum Display

The lower floor of what formerly was Fine Arts Gallery within the Cultural Centre was opened to the publics in 1997 as Archaeological Museum and a large section of the upper floor as the Ethnography Museum.

The major part of the archaeological material is from the excavations and surface investigations carried out in the region and from Kaman - Kale Tumulus and Malkaya in particular. In the Archaeology section the findings of the Kaman Kale Tumulus excavations are exhibited, which cover a period range in chronological order from the period of Assyrian Trade Colonies to the Ottomans period.

In one corner of the hall, marble works from Roman period are grouped.Islam period starts with sarcophagi of children and grave stones and goes up to the Ottoman period with window displays.

The major part of the second floor is arrranged as an ethnography museum. There are three display windows devoted to the Ahi institution which emerged from Kırşehir and various items related to Ahis or about them, including a head gear which is claimed to belong to Ali Evran, the Ahi flag and various official documents and registers are displayed in them.

There is a rug loom in a corner, representing the rug making tradition in Kırşehir and a mannequin with local costumes weaving in front of the loom. In another corner there is an exhibition of daily life at a typical Kırşehir house.

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Kocaeli Museums and Ruins

Kocaeli Museums and Ruins



Osman Hamdi Bey Museum

It is at a distance of 2200 m to İzmit, Gebze, Eskihisar village station and 5 km to Gebze.

Osman Hamdi Bey has become familiar with Eskihisar from his father's mansion in Gebze. In 1884, he had his mansion, painting house and boathouse and other outbuildings built on the western shore of the village and has spent his summers there for 26 years.
Each of the very beautiful flower paintings he made on the tables of the wooden doors of the ground floor in between 1901 - 1903 is at the level of the value of the tables of today.

The mansion has been assigned to the headquarters commander during the 1st World War, İsmet Pasha (İnönü) has spent a few days here while going to the Independence war, in 1933, Atatürk has visited the mansion and the garden. In 1945, a fire has taken place in the painting house and the wooden upper floor has burnt.

The forest and the buildings have been registered in 1966 and the museum building, its outbuildings and land have been nationalized by the Ancient Works and Museums General Directorate of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 1982.
In order to be able to construct a museum worthy of the founder of our museums, the relief and application projects have been prepared by İstanbul Directorate of Reliefs and Monuments of General Directorate of Ancient Works and Museums of Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the works for the restoration of the main building, the painting house and other buildings in compliance with their originals and for the garden arrangement have been started in 1985.

After the repair works that continued for two years, the goods used by the great museum man and painter Osman Hamdi Bey that could reach today, photographs belonging to himself and his family and various tables painted by him have been exhibited in the building and the building has been arranged as Osman Hamdi Bey House and Museum.

Osman Hamdi Bey

(December 30th 1842 - February 24th 1910)

He is the eldest son of Grand Vizier İbrahim Edhem Pasha, who was a technical and political man educated with Ottoman and western cultures. He was born in 1842 in İstanbul. Osman Hamdi, who completed his primary school education in a school in Beşiktaş, started Maarif - i Adliye School in 1856. He has been sent to Paris for law education in 1860. When he returned to his country in 1869, he undertook the mission of Bağdat Province Foreign Affairs Director at a young age. When he came back to İstanbul in 1871, he has been assigned as the Palace Protocol Director Assistant.

Osman Hamdi Bey, who performed various duties at high levels of the state, has been assigned to the Empire Museum (Müze - i Hümayun) Directorate on September 11th 1881. With this assignment, a new and productive term has been opened not only in his life, but also in Turkish museum activity. In 1883, he founded Sanayi - i Nefise Mekteb - i Ali (Fine Arts School) and became the director of this school.

He issued and put into application Asar - ı Atika Regulation prohibiting to take ancient works abroad, which was a big step in terms of Turkish museum activity and protection of ancient works, in 1884.

Osman Hamdi Bey made excavations at Nemrud Mountain, Lagina Temple and Sayda. For the exhibition of the sarcophagi and other works including the Alexander Sarcophagus he found in Sayda excavation, which are accepted as the masterpieces of Archaeology world, he laid the foundations of today's İstanbul Archaeology Museum in 1881, which is the first Turkish museum building and he opened this museum to service in 1891.
Osman Hamdi Bey, who continued his painting works together with the museum activities, has been a successful representative of Turkish painting art with his figured compositions painted with eastern understanding. His paintings are included in many domestic and foreign museums and collections.
Osman Hamdi Bey has shut his eyes to life on February 24th 1910 in his shore house in İstanbul Kuruçeşme.

Eskihisar Fort

It has been constructed in the Byzantine period at the sea shore, in northeastern of the village, on a hill having a steep slope in order to protect the harbor. The walls of the fort are covered with bricks. It has been left careless for long years, which accelerated its destruction. In recent years, some parts have been restored by Ministry of Culture.

Fatih Sultan Mehmet's Pavilion

In 1481, Fatih Sultan Mehmet erects his flag in Üsküdar and announces that a campaign would be made towards east; in spite of his illness, he establishes his pavilion on Hünkar Çayırı and dies there. In his memory, the fountain and open - air prayer place have been constructed in the 16th century at the same place (Gebze). The bridge has been used for the transfer of the army and for transportation purposes on Bağdat road.

Saatçi Ali Efendi Mansion - Ethnography Museum

The mansion, which has been constructed on a sloped skirt of İzmit seeing the sea, in1774 has reached today as one of our civil architecture samples reflecting its period in the best way with its plan, wooden shuttered and wrenched windows with barriers and pen - made ornaments on its external and internal walls.

The mansion, which is located on İzmit Veli Ahmet Quarter, Alaca Mosque hill, has three floors in total, namely the basement, ground floor and the upper floor. In the mansion, which has the characteristics of a museum - house, besides the arrangements such as main room, dining room, bride's room, ethnographic works reflecting the culture of the region are exhibited.
The mansion has been opened to service as Ethnography Museum on September 29th 1987, by this way one of our cultural assets has been evaluated and inherited to the future generations.

Clock Tower
The characteristic clock tower of the city, located between the hunting mansion and Atatürk Sculpture has been had constructed by İzmit governor Musa Kazım Bey, for the 25th anniversary of Sultan Abdülhamit II's ascending the throne. It has been constructed in neoclassical method and is made of Hereke Tavşancıl and travertine stones.

Sırrıpaşa Mansion

It is at İzmit Hacı Hasan Quarter, Yeni Çeşme Street. It has been constructed by İzmit governor Sırrıpaşa in the second half of the 19th century. The garden wall of the mansion is ornamented with archaic sculptures and architectural parts. The building is an important historical treasure of our city with its being a civil architecture sample belonging to the 19th century, which could survive until today, the archaeological works on the garden wall and the pen - made ornaments in it.

Üçtepeler Large Tumulus

A rescuing excavation has been made by İzmit Museum Directorate on the old İstanbul road at three km distance to İzmit centre. No findings could reach today from the grave, which is understood to be subject to theft in its own period. But in terms of dating, the grave architecture has shown that it is a tumulus grave belonging to Late Hellenistic - Early Roman Period.

Büyüktepe Necropolis Area

It is near the highway in İzmit Gültepe Quarter. The Archaic Period necropolis and the holy building ruin belonging to the Byzantine Period have been found during the road work carried out by the directorate of highways. The findings found in the archaeological works carried out in the region by İzmit Museum directorate in the region, such as large earthenware jar, tear bottle, mirror have been provided to the museum.

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Konya - Akşehir Museums

Konya - Akşehir Museums



AKŞEHİR MUSEUMS

The first settling findings of Akşehir, which has always been a settlement centre in the history, have been found in the Neolithic Age as a result of the surface researches. From that period to now, it has always been settled on and as it is on important passages, it has always been damaged. Akşehir, which is situated in Phrygia Parrore region, is known as Philomelion. The word “Philomelion” is written on silt stone found in a place near to today’s Centre. This silt stone, which is the only written document, can be seen in the Archaeology Museum.

Akşehir is one of the most important districts in the Inner Anatolia with its commercial, civic and natural side areas. This city that takes its part in the past and near history is a city worth to be seen with its religious architectural examples that have remained whole from the civil and Seljuks to now.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM (OTTOMAN SCHOOL MADE OF STONE)

The museum work in Akşehir starts with an official being charged by the Public Instruction Institution in 1946 to arrange and protect the old works of art. The arranged works were collected in the İmaret Mosque that wasn’t being used at those times. When the mosque was opened to worship in 1950, the works of art were transferred to Ottoman School made from stone. The museum business started in 1960 when a museum official was attended to the museum that was used as a depot. After the restorations and arrangements, the museum was opened to the public on June 8, 1965.

The Stone School was constructed as a collection of small mosque, tomb, khan, cultivation and fountain. The school has been founded by Fahreddin Ali, son of Chief Vizier Emirdad Sahipta in 1250 in the period of 2nd Keykubat, the son of 2nd Keyhüsrev, Sultan of the Anatolian Seljuks.

Only the small mosque and tomb and school that are built together have remained complete from the collection to now. The school is planned as open-façade and with four exedras. The main door and main exedra is in the south-north direction and two exedras are made vertically. In restorations made in different times, the exedra in the south has been made a room. There are porches made with gathered material on both sides of the façade. There are five rooms on the right side of the main door. The tomb is to the left of the entrance door. There is the script under the square-planned tomb. There are ornament belts made with enamel ware mosaic technique forming from geometric examples similar to cufic script on the skirt of the dome that only a few have remained to now. There is enamel ware in the middle of the dome.

There are many works in the museum, from the Neolithic Age to the end of the 19th century that the individual needs from birth to death. The richest collection among these works is the tombstones belonging to the Seljuk and Ottoman Period. The figured tombstones from the Seljuk period have an important place in the museum. These works of art are collected from Akşehir and its surroundings. These tombstones in the museum draw attention with the calligraphy tablets.

YALBURT HITTITE POOL

This pool is situated in the Yalburt arable field that is in 23km northeast of Ilgın village. It was found at the end of the engravings made by a group in 1972, 1973 and 1975 under the chairmanship of Raci Temizer, the Director General of Anatolian Civilizations Museum.
The pool is rectangular. There are 22 limestone block stones with hieroglyphics on a range of stone blocks. On one of these blocks, which represent the richest calligraphy in the Middle Anatolia, the name of Great King 4th Tuthalia is written. On these blocks, there are important information about Hittite history and the activities of 4th Tuthalia in this region.

This pool is a cultural monument made by the Great King of the Hittite State, which was a theocratic state.

AKŞEHİR WEST FRONT HEADQUARTER MUSEUM

As the enemy directed towards the east of Afyon-Eskişehir line after the victory of Sakarya Pitched Battle the west front headquarters in the Alagöz village moves to Akşehir. The headquarter that comes to Akşehir on November 18, 1921 settles down in the Municipality building. They worked in this building until they moved to the front for the Final Attack on August 24, 1922. During the nine and a half months period, the preparations for the Final Attack were directed from there, the plans were made and decisions were taken there. Within this period, Mustafa Kemal comes to Akşehir many times and inspects the studies, directs the plans. The building was constructed as the Municipality Building in the period of Lord Mayor Bostan Bey, in 1904-1905. The two-storey building is of stone foundation and the materials are brick, lath and plaster. The fronts of the shops in the east and west part of the ground floor of the building were closed and a pane was made with agraphyto technique to make the Final Attack preparations.

The headquarter building, which is the document of hope and struggle days, was donated to the Ministry on condition that it would be a museum, as the municipality had moved to another building in 1965. After great restorations, it was opened to the public on July 5, 1966 as “Atatürk and Ethnography Museum”. After the restoration and arrangement made in 1981, it takes its current name due to its function.

There is the administrative department on the ground floor of the museum. The upper floor is the room in the south corner in which Atatürk studied and great decisions were taken and which remained with its original materials from the headquarter period to now. The rooms on both sides of this room are the studying rooms of Headquarter Chief İsmet İNÖNÜ and Chief of the Staff Asım GÜNDÜZ. The wax statue of İsmet Pasha is put on his studying table. In the showcases in the room that is in the north corner, the materials presented to Atatürk and those were used by him and his weapons are displayed.
In the other four rooms, the bibliographies of the officers working in the headquarter quotations from “Nutuk”, tablets, photographs, maps, documents and weapons are displayed.

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Konya - Kilistra

Konya - Kilistra



DETAILS OF KONYA

KILISTRA

WHERE IS KILISTRA?

Archaic city Kilistra is located 49 km south-west of Gökyurt / Hatunsaray.

BRIEF HISTORY

The settlement in Kilistra is believed to be established first during the Hellenistik and Roman Times (BC the 2nd century - AD the 3rd century) according to result of the archaeological works.

During the excavation the name "Kilistra" was found inscribed on a Roman epitaph from the eastern grave being used as a threshhold stone. Kilistra, during the Byzantine age (BC the 8th century - AD the 13th century), also appears to have a rock-carved settlement similar to the ones in Cappadocia. Lystra, one of the Anatolian cities, is one the way between Ikonion (Konya) and Pisda Antiocheia (Yalvaç). It is on the famous King's Road. St. Paulos, whose name is mentioned in the Bible, is believed to have stopped by on his journey. Timotoes, to whom the messenger Paulos sent his letters, is also from Lystra.

The name given to the region, today "Paulönü", where the "Sümbül"ini church is located, is the evidence that his name is still being remembered.
The people of Lystra, who accepted Christianity during the Roman times, are believed to have chosen the mountainous terrain to protect themselves against assaults from the Paganish masses and looters. One of the most important hidden cities that are being explored is Kilistra.

Today the people of Gökyurt are settled on the archaic city of Kilistra. The excavations reveal that during the Byzantium period, Turks lived together with the natives of the Kilistra. There is also evidence that the nomadic tribes who raised mainly animals were forced to live there during the Ottoman period.

DAILY LIFE

Agriculture and stock raising are the main activities of the people of Gökyurt village. Because of the geological features of the land, agriculture in some areas has to be carried out by animal power. Horses, donkeys and mules are used for this purpose. Squash is an important vegetable grown in the village, and it is an important wedding tradition to serve squash at the women's table.
Pickled azarole and wild plum, stewed wild pear, and a special drink made from wild grapes are typical ingredients for the cuisine of the vicinity. Viniculture is very common, and there is plenty of Pekmez (thick syrup made by boiling down the saccharine juice of any kind of fruit) production. Honey production using classical methods is of importance in the village economy. Women also contribute to the work in the field, stock rising, and stable works. The handicrafts and weaving have its traditional roots.

HOW TO GO TO KILISTRA?

You can reach to Kilistra (Gökyurt) from the 15 km asphalt road by driving towards the southeastern of the Konya - Hakunsaray road which is about 34 km
It is also possible to go to Kilistra from the 15 km stabilized road by driving towards south from the 34th km of Konya - Antalya Highway.

HOW TO VISIT KILISTRA?

You can reach the ancient city of Kilistra coming from the direction of Lystra (Hatunsaray) by following the King's route located in the east of Hatunsaray. Following the King's route allows you to view the undamaged stone flooring of that route. This route will lead you to the Devrek location with the observation tower and police station building controlling the city entrance. If you follow the antique road to the city centre, you can explore the meeting hall, typical caves, antique tombs and a number of other public buildings.

The cross - shaped chapel, Sandıkkay, in the south is an unique and interesting building with the interior and exterior carved from one piece of rock. Around the chapel are complementary buildings.

The other entrance of the King's route going over to the west also has an observation tower and police station. There is also a cistern where you'll find "Kapçı cave" which was used in pottery making in the latest periods. There is also village mension nearby in the village centre where you can get things such as food, drinks, etc.

The next main site is the Sümbül church, called the "Paulönü Location" by the villagers. It is south - west of the village mansion. To the west of the village mansion you can visit the cistern (Katirini), double - wine houses (must - house) in the söğütlü stream bed and irrigation trenches. In the Paulönü location one can view all the tones of green and see nature and history side by side in the valley.

While going to the grand cistern on the northern of the Ardıçlı Hill, you can see the monumental rocky tombs in the nekropal area.
The grand cistern (Katirini) is a three - naved, magnificent rock, one of the most attractive assets of the site. Turkish grape - houses along the stream bed and their water - channels on the western side of the cistern are also worth seeing as the buildings.

ARCHITECTURE

Kilistra archaic city was set up during early Byzantium ages on five different places in accordance with the natural rock formation in the region. Concealment is the main goal in the establishment costruction of the rock carved city. From the exterior, the settlement appears to be a natural rock but in interior there are large carved spaces. Illumination and ventilation had been provided by hidden loopholes. In the site there are religious buildings (i.e., chapels and churches), public buildings (i.e., houses, cisterns, fountains, wine - houses, etc.), and buildings for defence and security purposes (i.e., watch towers, garrison and shelters).

The living urbanized structure is slope style houses suitable to the topographic structures. While the people carry on using the ready - made old spaces in the architect carved in the rocks by changing their functions, they use the stones cut from the rocks as the main materials and shaped the buildings. The buildings are in stone from the bottom to the top, and have large rooms and flat roofs.

NATURAL BEAUTY

The rock formation, resembling fairy chimneys, formed by the volcanic tuff capped rocks still continues through the valley where the village is located. The valley is seen as if it were a forest of rocks, and gives panoramic views from the watching places in the settlement area. All tones of green are seen in the vicinity which is covered with vegetation that has local characteristics in the four seasons. The vegetation structure is scrub species mostly seen at tye foot of Taurus Mountains. The oak forests consisting of ash tree, Mediterranean medlar, wild pear, wild plum, oleaster and rose hip trees with walnut, almond trees give wonderful natural view.The wild life in the forest structure coutinues in full variety.

The scrub plant growing like a squat tree having wild grape - like fruit in bunches named by the villagers as "Gılabba" (Gilabori - Viburnum opulus) is consumed for health care purposes.

ACCOMODATIONS

Gökyurt is a small lovely village that keeps traditional Turkish hospitality alive. The village mansion is suitable for accommodating groups. The mansion was a public building previously and has been restored, modernized and enlarged by adding another storey to the building.

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Konya - Mevlana Museum

Konya - Mevlana Museum



Mevlana Dergahı (Dervish Lodge) which is presently used as a museum formerly the Rose Garden of the Seljuks Palace it was given as a gift to Mevlana's father Sultanü'l-Ulema Bahaaeddin Veled by Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad

When Sultanü'l-Ulema died on 12 January 1231, he was buried in the present grave which is in the mausoleum. This was the first burial ever to take place in the Rose Garden.

After the death of Sultanü'l-Ulema, his friends and disciples approached Mevlana and expressed their wish to build a maussoleum over his grave. Mevlana refused this request remarking "How could there be a better mausoleum than the sky itself?).However when he died on 17 December 1273, his son Sultan Veled accepted the request of those who wanted to build a maussoleum over Mevlana's grave.The mausoleum called "Kubbe-i Hadra" (Green mausoleum) was built by the architect Bedrettin from Tebriz for 130.000 Seljuk dirhem (currency) on four elephant feet (thick columns). After this date, the construction activities never ceased and continued in stages up to the end of the 19th century.

Mevlevi Derhgahı (Dervish Lodge) and the mausoleum started to function as a museum in 1926 under the name of Konya Museum of Historical Works. In 1954 the display pattern of the museum was once more taken up and it was renamed as the Mevlevi Museum.

While the Museum originally covered an area of 6.500m² together with its garden, with the section expropriated later and designed as a rose garden, it has today reached a size of 18.000m²

The courtyard of the museum is entered from "Dervişan Kapısı" (The gate of the Dervishes). There are dervish cells along the north and west sides of the courtyard. The south side, after Matbah and Hürrem Pasha Mausoleums, terminates with the gate of Hamuşan (Sealed Lips) which opens to Üçler cemetrey. On the eastern side of the courtyard there are mausoleums of Sinan Pasha, Fatma Hatun and Hasan Pasha, the Samahane (Ritual Prayer Hall) next to them and the small mosque (mesjidt) section and the main building where the graves of Mevlana and his family members are also housed.

The courtyard is given a special flavor with the roofed washing fountain (şadırvan) built by Sultan Yavuz Sultan Selim in 1512 and the "Şeb-i Arus" (means nuptial night or the night Mevlana passed away) pool and the fountain which is located in the northern part of the court and called Selsebil.

"Tilavet" Chamber (Quran Reading And Chanting)

"Tilavet" is an Arabic word which means reading the quran with a beautiful voice and the correct rhythm. The room takes its name from its function in the past. At present it is used as the Calligraphy Department.

The calligraphy section contains the framed works of famous calliagraphs of their time such as Mahmud Celaleddin, Mustafa Rakım, Hulusi, Yesarizade as well as a gilt relief frame done by Sultan Mahmut II. The couplet in Farsi engraved on the silver door with the calligraphy of Yesarizade Mustafa İzzet Efendi says:

Kabetü'l-uşşâk bâşed in mekam

Her ki nakıs amed incâ şod temam

(Let this be the Kaaba of the minstrels. Who ever enters here in half, finds himself whole)

Huzur-ı Pir (Mausoleum)

The hall of the mausoleum is entered from a silver door which was donated in 1599 by Hasan Pasha, who is the son of Sokollu Mehmet Pasha. Here, the oldest copies of the famous works of Mevlana the "Mesnevi" and "Divan-ı Kebir" are displayed in two glass fronted cabinets. The mausoleum hall is roofed with three small domes The third dome which is also called the skin dome joins, the green dome in the north.

The hall is bordered with a platform on its east, south and north sides. In the north where there is a two level platform, the sarcophagi of 6 Sacred horasan men are placed. Right at the feet of these, the Target Stone, made for İlhanlı King Ebu said Bahadır Khan.

There are also two framed inscriptions which are important as they reflect the thoughts and philosophy of Mevlana. The first frame is in Turkish and says:
"Either seem as you are

Or be as you seem"

Hz. Mevlâna

Second frame is a quatrain of Mevlana in Persian. In translation it reads:
"Come, Come who or whatever you are
Should you be an unbeliever, a Magian or a pagan still come
Our lodge is not a lodge of despair
With hundred repentions unheeded you may be,still, come"

Hz. Mevlana


On the high platform bordering the mausoleum hall on the east and south there are 55 graves, ten of which belong to ladies and the whole group belongs to the family members of Mevlana, and his father. There are ten other graves which belong to people such as Hüsameddin Çelebi, Selahaddin Zerkubi and Sheyh Kerimüddin who had reached high ranks in the sect of Mevlevi.

Right under the Green Dome there are the graves of Mevlana and his son Sultan Veled. The double hunched marble sarcophagus over the graves was donated in 1565 by Süleyman the Magnificent.The quilt embrodieried with gold thread placed over the sarcophagus is a Seljuk masterpiece and was made for Mevlana in 1274. When Süleyman the Magnificent had a new marble sarcophagus made over the graves of Mevlana and son, the original wood one was removed and put over the grave of Mevlana's father.

Semâ-Hâne (Ritual Hall)

The Semahane section together with the small mosque was built by Süleyman the Magnificent in the XVIth century. Semah ceromonies were continued at this ritual hall until 1926, when the Dergah (Dervish lodge) was converted to a museum. The Naat Pew in the Hall, the place where the musicians set (Mutrib cells) and the sections for men and women are preserved in their original state, while metal and glass objects and musical instruments of the Mevlevi are displayed in glassed cabinets and rugs of historical value are hung on appropriate walls of the Semahane.

Mosque

The small mosque or the mesjidt is entered from the Çerağ (apprentice) Gate. There are additional small entrances from the Semahane and the Huzur - Pir, the cemetrey. The place for the müezzin and the Mesnevihan Pew are kept in their original state.
Extremely valuable rug and wooden door samples are displayed on the south wall of the mosque and in 10 glassed cabinets put around this space, significant examples of binding, calligrapy and gilding are exhibited.

Rug And Fabric Section - Dervish Cells

There are 17 small cells, each with a small dome and chimney around the west and north sides of the front court of the Mevlana Lodge. These cells were built in 1584 by Sultan Murat III to house the dervishes.

Four cells to the right of the entrance gate are at present used as a ticket window and administration offices . The first two of the 13 cells to the left of the gate used as "Postnişin" and "Mesnevi-han" cells are kept in their origanal form and presented to the public.
The last two cells at the end are allocated to the very valuable book collections donated by Abdülbaki Gölpınarlı and Dr. Mehmed Önder, and they are used as a library.
The partition walls of the remaining 9 cells were removed providing two interconnected large corridors. In one of these corridors old rugs of historical value from regions famous for their rugs such as Kula, Gördes, Uşak and Kırşehir are displayed while the other has old rugs from districts of Konya such as Ladik, Karaman, Karapınar and Sille which are centres of rug weaving. Display windows built in the window and door sills of these cells display artefacts of Mevlevi ethnography such as "Pazarcı maşası", "Mütteka", "Nefir" which were transferred to the museum from the Lodge, and the extremely valuable Bursa fabrics from the museum collection

Matbah (Kitchen) Section

The kitchen is on the south west corner of the museum. It was built by Sultan Murat II in 1548. Until the lodge was converted to a museum in 1926 the meals were being provided from here.

This section was restored in 1990 and the display was rearranged with mannequins. Cooking, the basic function of the kitchen and the "somat" the special table routine is demonstrated with mannequins. Another such illustration was attempted, to show the other function of the kitchen which is related to the initiations of the novice, called "Nev-ni-yaz", and involves practice of Semah.

Continuar leyendo

Ocultar articulo

Konya Museums and Ruins

Konya Museums and Ruins




Address: Boyacıali Mahallesi

Bulvar Caddesi No: 16

Telephone - Fax: 713 45 92

Ereğli / KONYA

In Ereğli Museum, which has been established in 1968, 8096 cultural assets are exhibited. Annual average visitor number is 10900. The museum has a large open exhibition, but closed exhibition is made in a hall.

Ereğli Museum is the synthesis of all civilizations starting from 7000 BC since Neolithic Period without interruption. Herakleia archaic city and the cultural assets found around are exhibited in Ereğli Museum. The hand axes found in Can Hasan belonging to the Neolithic Period, wall frescos, hand mills, digging tools and cooked earthenware pots, polichrome cooked earthenware pots belonging to the Calcolithic Period, animal and human figures belonging to the Old Bronze Age, arrow ends, stamp seals, hand axes, water jugs with bulle belonging to Asyrrian Commercial Colony Period, idols, cooked earthenware fruit plates, cooked earthenware salt cups, cylindrical and stamp seals belonging to the Hittite Period, carabeuses, hieroglyph and nail written sculpture bases, fibulas belonging to the Phrygian Era, beak mouthed water jugs, phiales, lekythos belonging to the Hellenistic Period, silver Athena coins called as Herakleia treasure, golden frames, architectural parts belonging to the Roman Period, grave steles, human and animal figures, architectural parts belonging to the Byzantine Period, golden christograms, glazed pots belonging to Seljuk and Karamanoğlu Periods, plaster ornaments, trousseau chest belonging to the Ottoman Period made of rye stem, hand - written Korans with golden prayer beads, guns, hand - woven carpets and kilims are the most important movable cultural assets present in our museum.

Furthermore, İvriz Rock Monument is belonging to the late Hittite Period, golden coated wooden sarcophagus parts belonging to Hellenistic Period, which are found in Göztepe Tumulus and golden Ephesus coin, are among the rarest works in the world.

Archaeology Museum

The Archaeology museum has been opened for the first time in the building that is at the southwestern corner of Karma Secondary School in 1901. In 1927, the works have been moved to Mevlana Museum and in 1953 to İplikçi Mosque for exhibition. In 1962, today's museum has been established and given to service.

Our museum exhibits works belonging to Old Bronze, Mid Bronze (Asyrrian Trade Colonies), Iron (Phrygian, Urartu), Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Periods, starting from the Neolithic Period.

I. Hall of Prehistoric Works

1- Neolithic Period Works (6500 - 5300 BC)

Besides the Neolithic Period works found in Erbaba, Süberde, Çatalhöyük excavations, hand - cooked earthenware pots, arrow and spear ends made of obsidian and flint are present.

2- Old Bronze Period Works (3000 - 1950 BC)

The works belonging to this period have generally been obtained from Sızma and Karahöyük excavations. Furthermore, cooked earthenware pots having grooves on them and bearing the characteristics of Lakes Region, which are brought from the surroundings of Beyşehir Lake are exhibited.
3- Mid Bronze (Asyrrian Commercial Colonies) Period Works (1950 - 1750 BC)

Cooked earthenware pots in very different forms made on wheel, candles in the form of grape cluster, animal shaped pots, bronze rings, cylindrical seals obtained in the systematic excavations being made in Konya Karahöyük since 1952 are existent.

II. Iron Period Work Hall

1- Iron Period Works (the 8th, 7th, 6th century BC)

Phyrigian pot parts having figures on them, which are found at Konya Alaaddin Hill, Phyrigian Period painted pots in various forms found in Kıcıkışla, at 20 km north of Karapınar District of Konya, bronze fibulas (needle) and plates with figures belonging to Urartus are included in these works.
In Kıcıkışla, together with Phyrigian pots, there are Lidian cooked earthenware pots which are painted and in different shapes.

2- Classical Period Works (480 - 330 BC)

Important kylixes which are painted with bright black paint and which are brought from Kıcıkışla, lekythoses and one oinokhoe, which is ornamented in compliance with black figure technique are included in this class.

3- Hellenistic Period Works (330 - 30 BC)

Among these works, plates, pots that are polished and made in different forms and a deep carved pot mold part are included.

4- Roman Period Small Bronze Sculptures (30 BC - 395 AD)
In this showcase, there are Roman Period Hermes, Eros and bull sculptures made of bronze.

III. Roman Period Hall

1. Roman Period Works (30 BC - 395 AD)

From this period, Sidemara type marble Herakles Sarcophagus with columns (250 - 260 AD) marble with girland of Sidemara and Pamphylia type found in Iconium (Konya) necropolis (the 2nd and 3rd century AD) and one Poseidon sculpture, cooked earth candles belonging to the same period in horizontal showcases, essence pots, glass tear bottles, perfume pots, experiment tubes, glasses, decanters and glass bracelets, golden rings and earrings, ring stones made of valuable stones, ivory comb and manicure tools are exhibited.

2- Byzantine Period Works (395 - 1453 AD)

The base mosaic having dimensions of 6.30 x 3.50 m that has been obtained from Tatköy Church in the excavation made by our museum in 1990 in Sille, Tatköy and the base mosaics obtained from the excavations made in 1991 and 1992 in Çumra, Alibeyhöyük, Kilise Location are exhibited. In another showcase, bronze door knockers, cauldron handles, rolickers, crosses, marks and arrow ends belonging to the Byzantine Period are exhibited.




IV. Works in the Garden

1- Works on the Porch

On the porch at the museum entrance, Byzantine period parts made of stone and marble coming from Sille and Konya centre, grave stones; and grave steles from Roman Period (the 2nd and 3rd century AD) are exhibited.

2- Works in the Front Garden

In the front garden, Roman Period (the 2nd, 3rd century AD) sculptures,grave coffins and stelae, ash boxes, grave lions, column heads made of stone and marble and inscriptions are seen. Among these inscriptions, Iconium, Derbe and Lystra inscriptions are very important.

Atatürk Museum

The two-storeyed historical building that has been built in 1912 on Atatürk Street is made of cut, rubble stone and bricks. The house, which has been registered in 1923 in the name of treasury, has been used as governor's mansion and has been assigned to Atatürk during his visits to Konya. The house, which is purchased by Konya Municipality from the treasury in 1927, has been registered in the name of Atatürk as an expression of thanks of Konya people to Atatürk and the expression "it is the gift of Konya people to Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha, the president" is included in its title deed. The house, which has been purchased by Konya Private Administration against a symbolic price in 1940, has been converted into governor's mansion again and has been used as Governor's mansion until 1963.

In 1963, the building has been transferred to Ministry of National Educatin and one year after it has been opened to the public with the name "Atatürk House - Culture Museum" on December 17th 1964.

Atatürk Museum has been restored by General Directorate of Ancient Works and Museums of Ministry of Culture and Tourism upon the demand of Provincial Celebration Committee in the 100th year of Atatürk's birth and its exhibition and arrangement have been re - made and has been opened to the public on April 17th 1982 as "Atatürk Museum". In the arrangement of the museum, the feature of the building of being used as a house has been taken into account, therefore no modifications that may deteriorate the architectural features of the house have been made.

In the museum, the role of Konya and Konya people in Independence War has been tried to be expressed with documents and photographs. In the exhibition in the lower and upper halls of the museum, integrity is tried to be provided with the panel and showcase and Atatürk's Konya visits are expressed with documents and photographs belonging to the pre- republic period in the ground floor.

In the panels, there are documents, photographs and newspaper clippings showing Atatürk's visits to Konya, the visits he made in the city and the daily notes he kept in this house are exhibited. In the showcases, some clothes belonging to Atatürk and various goods he used in that house can be seen.

Karatay (Encaustic Tile Works) Museum


Madrasa is located in Karatay District, Ferhuniye Quarter, Adliye Boulevard, in the north of Aladdin Hill.

Karatay Madrasa has been constructed by Emir Celaleddin Karatay in Sultan İzzeddin Keykavus II period, in the year 649 in accordance with Islamic calendar (1251 Gregorian). Its architect is not known. The madrasa used in the Ottoman Period has been abandoned at the end of the 19th century.
The madrasa has been constructed from Sille stone in "Closed Madrasa" type for providing education about hadith and Koran commenting in Seljuk Period. It is single - floored. Entrance is provided from the eastern side via a door made of sky and white marble. The door is a masterpiece of Seljuk Period stone workmanship. It is ornamented with inscriptions and motifs. There are inscriptions relating to the construction of the madrasa on the door. Selected verses of Koran and hadiths are written in the form of reliefs on other surfaces of the door.

Through the door, a courtyard, which was covered with a dome before (now open), is entered and from there passage to the madrasa is provided through a door. On the door rim, in the borders on the upper parts of the walls and on the panel over the cell doors, verses of Koran are written.

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim and Ayet - el Kürsi are written on the arch of the liwan with cradle vault which is in the western side of the building. On the triangles, which are elements of transition to the dome, the names of Mohammed, Christ, Moses and David prophets and the names of four caliphs (Ebu Bekir, Ömer, Osman, Ali) are written. The domed cell on the left side of the liwan is the tomb of Celaleddin Karatay.
A big part of the mosaic encaustic tiles on the walls of the madrasa have been shed. The colors used in the encaustic tiles are turquoise, indigo and black.
Karatay Madrasa, having an important place in Anatolian Seljuk Period encaustic tile workmanship has been opened to the public as "Museum of Encaustic Tile Works" in 1955.

The exhibited works belong to Anatolian Seljuk and Ottoman Periods. In the cell, where Celaleddin Karatay Tomb is located and in the student cells in the south, Kubad - Abad Palace encaustic tiles, plaster ornaments, encaustic tile plates, candles and non - glazed ceramics are exhibited. The encaustic tiles of Kubad - Abad Palace are in the form of cross, semi - cross, star with eight corners and square and are made with luster and under - glaze technique. Kubad - Abad Palace, which has been constructed upon the order of Alaeddin Keykubat the 1st, has been found by Konya Museum Director Zeki Oral in 1949, after İbrahim Hakkı Konyalı and Prof. Dr. Osman Turan pointed out that it should be around Beyşehir. Kubad - Abad, which has been left to itself for a long period after the excavation studies and drilling works of Zeki Oral in 1952, Katharina Ottodorn in 1965 - 1966 and Mehmet Önder in 1967, has been re-handled by Prof. Dr. Rüçhan Arık starting from 1980 and systematic excavations have been started.

Encaustic tile ruins belonging to Seljuk Period and ceramics belonging to the Seljuk and Ottoman Period are exhibited in the liwan. In the domed hall, glass plates, encaustic tile parts belonging to the Seljuk Period, ceiling centres of Beyşehir Eşrefoğlu Mosque and ceramics belonging to the Ottoman Period are located.

Sırçalı Madrasa (Grave Monuments) Museum

Sırçalı Madrasa has been used as madrasa in Seljuk and Ottoman periods. The student rooms of the madrasa, which has been left in the 17th century, have been destroyed. In the 19th century, education has been continued in rooms made of sun - dried bricks.

The madrasa has been taken to repair and protection in 1954 and has been opened to the public as "Grave Monuments" section connected to Konya Museum in 1960. In 1969, it has been restored by the Ministry of Culture in compliance with its original.

The catacomb belonging to the Byzantine Period, which was under earth in the garden of the museum that has been re - taken into restoration between the years 1988 - 1990 and whose exhibition and arrangement have been remade, has been repaired and opened for visit. In Sırçalı Madrasa Grave Monuments Museum, grave stones belonging to Seljuk, Karamanoğlu and Ottoman periods that are valuable in terms of history and art history and that are collected from the cemetreies, most of which have disappeared by time, are being exhibited.

The upper floor of Grave Monuments Museum is still being used by "Directorate of Reliefs and Monuments".

Sırçalı Madrasa, which is one of the most important madrasas of Konya and Anatolia, is in Konya Province, Meram District, Gazialemşah Quarter.Sırçalı Madrasa, that is among the madrasas having an open courtyard, two liwans and two floors, has been constructed by Bedreddin Muslih in the Period of Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev the 2nd. In the front parts of the building cut stone is used, while in other parts rubble stone is used. It has been used as madrasa until 1924 with various changes.

The front side of the madrasa lying in east - west direction is made of cut stone. The throne door making a projection forward is ornamented with geometric and Anatolian ornaments. In the part on the entrance door, there is an inscription. At two sides of this inscription, there are ornamental workmanship samples. Furthermore, as we see in classical Seljuk throne doors, there are two niches at both sides of the door. After the entrance, cradle vaulted liwan is located.

This, in some way, is in the form of a second liwan. Due to the composition of the second floor, the vault cover in the form of Bursa arch covered with glazed bricks and encaustic tiles is low. There is a tomb on the right and the madrasa room on the left. The tomb has a dome - like vault cover and one of its windows open to the front side, while another opens to the courtyard. Its walls and cover is made in herringbone pattern with glazed bricks. The madrasa room on the left is covered with cradle vault and a window opens to the front side. The strong madrasa room, which has survived until today, is this room.
The madrasa has a rectangular courtyard and a pool in the middle of the courtyard. The courtyard is surrounded with porches in three directions. From the remaining parts of the porches, it is understood that the legs, wall surfaces are covered with glazed bricks and encaustic tiles in various shapes. There are four student cells on each of the left and right sides of the courtyard. Total number of rooms is sixteen with the rooms in the upper floor. The doors and windows of the rooms open to the courtyard.

There is one domed room on each of the right side and left side of the main liwan. These are classical winter classrooms. The main liwan, which is the most ornamented and magnificent place of the building, is very strong today. But the hexagonal encaustic tiles on the liwan arch and the encaustic tiles on the upper part of the liwan have been shed or destroyed. The liwan is separated from the courtyard with a step. Its front side is ornamented with encaustic tiles and inscriptions in various shapes and appearances. These inscriptions are suras taken from Koran. In the middle of the hexagon in the arch, the inscription of the architect of the building is located. It is written that the madrasa has been constructed by "Tuslu Mehmet Usta". The inscription borders go around the liwan's front side. The mihrab, whose encaustic tiles have been shed, is located on the southern wall of the liwan. Sırçalı Madrasa encaustic tiles have an important place in terms of encaustic tile art.

İnce Minaret (Stone and Wooden Works) Museum

It is in Konya Province, Selçuklu District, in the west of Alaeddin Hill. It has been constructed by Vizier Sahip Ata Fahreddin Ali in the term of Seljuk Sultan İzzeddin Keykavuz the 2nd, for providing hadith science education in the year 663 in Islamic calendar (1264 Gregorian). The architect of the building is Keluk bin Abdullah.

Darü-l Hadis is among the madrasas of Seljuk Period having closed courtyard. It has a single liwan. The throne door in its eastern side is among the most beautiful samples of Seljuk Period stone workmanship. Three small columns and arch box located on both sides of the entrance arch are ornamented with plant and geometric motifs.

From the throne door, the place with cross vault is accessed. This place, which is not seen when looked from the front, constitutes symmetry for the main liwan of the building.Two niches on the side walls of this place provide an aesthetic appearance for the architecture.

From the cross vaulted entrance part, audience hall is entered. Cradle vaulted and rectangular planned student cells are located in the south and north of the square planned, domed courtyard, in the middle of which, there is a pool. Passage to the dome is provided with pandantives. On the dome rim, "El - Mülkü - Lillah" "Ayet - el Kürsi" is written with kufi writing. The building provides light from the crenel and rectangular windows and the lantern in the dome.
Across the entrance, the liwan with low vault, to which access is provided via three steps, is located. There is a square - planned, domed classroom on each of the two sides of the liwan. The front side of the monumental structure is made of cut stone and the external sides of the side walls are made of rubble stone. Brick has been used in internal locations for both static and decorative purposes.

From the mosque located in the north, only the mihrab made of brick has remained today. The base part of the minaret, which has given its name to the building, is coated with regularly cut stone. The body part is completely made of brick. Its body existing today has eight corners and is in the form of bumps in various shapes. The minaret is made of turquoise coloured, white - dough bricks. While the original of the minaret had two balconies, the thunderbolt that has fallen in 1901 has destroyed one of the two balconies.

İnce Minaret Madrasa has carried out its activity until the end of the 19th century. It is known to be repaired between the years 1876 - 1899. After various repair works that were started in 1936 in the Republic Period, it was opened to service as Stone and Wooden Works Museum.
In the museum, construction and repair inscriptions written with carving technique on stone and marble belonging to Seljuk and Karamanoğlu Periods, high reliefs belonging to Konya Fort, door and window wings ornamented with geometric and plant motifs made with carving technique on various wooden materials, samples of wooden ceiling centre and tombstones made on marble and coffins are exhibited.
The most beautiful samples of double headed eagle, which was the symbol of Seljuks whose capital city was Konya, and winged angel figures are exhibited in this museum.

Ethnography Museum
The building, which has been constructed for education purposes, is opened to service as Ethnography Museum in 1975. In the basement of the three - floored building, photography section, archive, goods and study work warehouses, boiler room and the carpet - kilim section, for which the works are still being carried out and which is planned to be opened in 1998, are located.

In the ground floor, exhibition hall and Dr. Mehmet Önder Conference Hall are located; in the first floor administrative services, library and work warehouses are located.

In the exhibition hall, the ethnographic works belonging to Konya and its surroundings, which have been provided to the museum by purchase, donation and transfer from other museums, are exhibited.

Among the exhibited works, there are embroideries, sacks of various sizes and types, ornamented bundles, hand towels, drawstrings, hand painted cloth samples, samples from last period Turkish clothes, bindallı, wedding cloth, short jacket, robe, underwear and shalwar samples, woman ornamental goods, belt buckles, bracelets, fez hangers, cap samples, coffee cup and envelopes, coffee box, coffee pans, coffee mills, coffee set samples; metal, glass and porcelain kitchen pots, recovery and bath pots, candelabrum, censer, rose water cup samples; prayer bead samples made of various materials, materials used in calligraphy and writing set; drawer, bookrest, hand writings, writing plate samples; wooden mother - of - pearl inlaid hall set and drawer samples; carpet - kilim and rug samples belonging to Seljuk, Ottoman and Republic Periods; arrows, bows, arrow cases, daggers, swords and flint - pistol, capsule - pistol and rifles and their auxiliary gun materials belonging to Ottoman and Republic Periods.

Sille Aya - Elena Church

Sille is a residence unit that is 7 km to the city centre, connected to Selçuk District of Konya Province.

327 years after the birth of Christ, mother of Byzantine Emperor Helena has stopped at Konya while going to Jerusalem for pilgrimage and seen the carved temples belonging to the first periods of Christianity and decided to have a temple built in Sille for the Christians. She has been present in the base laying ceremony of this temple, on behalf of Mihail Arkhankolos. The church has been repaired for centuries and reached today.

A Turkish repair inscription written on the internal structure of the church with Greek letters provides information relating to the history of the church. This inscription is dated 1833. On the same inscription, there is an inscription of three lines indicating that the church has been repaired for the fourth time in Sultan Mecit Period.

The church has been constructed with smoothly cut Sille stone. There are rooms carved into rocks in its courtyard. The external nartex is entered from the door of the church opening towards north. Here, two - directioned stone stairs going to the women's part are located. The main dome of the church is on four elephant legs and the church has three nephs. There is a wooden preaching aisle which is ornamented with plaster in the church and the wooden plastered cage separating the abscissa and the main location is an artistic masterpiece. There are pictures of Christ, Mary and the disciples on dome transitions and bearer legs.

Eflatunpınar

It is in Konya Province, Beyşehir District and Eflatunpınar Village. The monument was introduced to the science world for the first time in 1849 by W.J. Hamilton. Thereafter F. Sarre and J. Garstang have issued books about this monument.

The monument consists of reliefs on rectangular stones near a water spring. The reliefs, which did not lose their quality, are carved on 14 stone blocks. The first plan of the monument is not known.

This monument is smaller than other open - air monuments. It is not carved into a natural rock, but formed by laying figured block stones. The first construction date of water collection pool of this monument, which is near the water spring, has not been researched yet.

Fasıllar

Fasıllar monument lays on the western skirt of a small hill that is in the south of Fasıllar Village of Beyşehir District of Konya. Ramsay has issued this monument with the name Fasıllar. It is estimated to have a weight of 70 tons and it is made of basalt. The short distance between the monument and the quarry, where it has been made, shows that this monument has been made for another place, but left at that location which is not suitable, for any reasons. There is a god, two lions and a second god, which is less important than the first god on the monument.

The God has put one of his feet on the lion and the other (left) on the mountain god. Just beside the mountain god, another lion depiction, which is similar to the other lion, is made.

Some parts of the monument are not detailed and some parts of it are very roughly made and this shows that this monument has been prepared to be put at a location that can be seen from very long distances.

Hittites generally make the monuments by smoothing a side of a natural rock and ornamenting this side with reliefs. But in Fasıllar monument, depiction is made on a single large block.

Since the figures on the monument resemble the figures in Eflatunpınar and the orthostates in Alacahöyük, it is thought that they belong to the Period of Tuthalia the 4th.

Karahöyük

One of the important historical centres of Konya, which has been searched and being searched is Karahöyük. Karahöyük has taken its name from Karahöyük Village that is close to it. The village beside the asphalt road going to Hatıp District, at 15 km northeastern of the Province centre, is in the borders of Konya Municipality today.

The scientific works in Karahöyük were started on September 17th 1953, under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Sedat Alp, with the cooperation of TTK, Ankara University, Mid Anatolia Research Station and Museums General Directorate. The excavations have been interrupted in 1959 and 1967 - 1970 and re - started thereafter.

Karahöyük has been an important crossroads where north - south and east - west roads intersect in the history, as it is today. In Hittite Empire Period, Konya region was connected to the culture of Huuassana, the goddess of Hupisna (Ereğli "Kybistra") and included in Luvi language group.
The finds obtained in Karahöyük until today provide information relating to the cultural and commercial relationships of the period to which they belong. It is the most important centre of seal art before the Hittite Empire Period in the southern part of Mid Anatolia. Graffito, pot trademarks and some seals provide aid in the research of early stages of writing in Anatolia. Among other finds, there are beak - mouthed water jugs, cups, clover - mouthed water jugs, rhytons, grape cluster shaped pots. Horse shoe shaped, stamped altars, stoves and half moon shaped lintels are characteristic works of their periods.
As the result of the researches, 27 building floors have been determined in Karahöyük and the main soil has been found at a depth of 29.10 m at the section named as C hallow. There is a silt layer of 1.5 m thickness on this main soil and the culture layers are in this silt layer.
Layering

1 - 111 Layers: have provided materials belonging to the first quarter of 2nd thousand BC. The stamp seals found in the 1st floor belong to the last phase of Period of Colonies.

IV.XI layers: Ceramics called as intermediate have been obtained. These ceramics have been found intensely in Vth and VIth layers.
XII. XXII. Layers: These layers provide ceramics of the type seen in the mid and last phases of Troia 1, which are called as "Early Aegean Ceramic" by Blegen.

XXII. XXVII Layers: Although they provide findings belonging to more ancient times than Troia 1 civilization, the characteristic works of Calcolithic Period have not been met.

In accordance with these data, Karahöyük has culture layers following each other without interruption and belonging to Early and Mid Bronze Periods. The materials obtained show that Karahöyük has been in cultural and commercial relationship with Kızılırmak region, especially Kültepe Cappadoccia Region, Alişar, Boğazköy, Acemköy, Gordion, Troia, Karataş Semahöyük, Tarsus, Tell - Açana, Cyprus, Syria, Mesopotamia and Miken residence centres. It has been claimed that at the beginning of 2nd thousand BC, there could be a Hittite ethnic group that mixed with Luvi people under the impact of Hittites in

Karahöyük.

Kubad - Abad Palace

Kubad - Abad Palace complex, which is mentioned by the famous Seljuk historian İbn Bibi in his Selçukname and which is constructed upon the order of Alaeddin Keykubad the 1st (1220 - 1236) is the only Seljuk palace building that could reach today. Kubad - Abad, around which a city with the same name has been established in Anatolian Seljuks Period has been abandoned and buried into the darkness of history.

After İbrahim Hakkı Konyalı and Prof. Dr. Osman Turan have pointed out that the palace should be around Beyşehir, Konya Museum Director Zeki Oral has found the place of Kubad - Abad in 1949. Kubad - Abad, which has been left to itself for a long period after the excavation studies and drilling works of Zeki Oral in 1952, Katharina Ottodorn in 1965 - 1966 and Mehmet Önder in 1967, has been re-handled by Prof. Dr. Rüçhan Arık starting from 1980 and systematic excavations have been started.

After excavating the perimetre of the Small Palace in Kubad - Abad Palace Complex, Prof. Dr. Rüçhan Arık has performed researches and excavations in Selçuklu Mansion in Malanda in the hinterland of Kubad - Abad and in Kız Fort that has a connection with the palace complex.
In these excavation works, the main structure in Kız Fort and in - situ encaustic tiles, the bath part and the architectural ruins around the Small Palace, that is among the important units of the palace complex at the shore have been brought to open; furthermore, with the drilling in Malanda Mansion, the plan of the existing part of the building has been shown. In the excavations, many encaustic tiles, ceramics, plasters, glasses and coins belonging to the Seljuk Period have been found. Under the Seljuk layer around the Small Palace, ruins and small finds belonging to the Ancient Period have been determined.

Konya, Hadim Bolat Area Astra Archaic City

Astra archaic city is located in Temaşalık Hill location of Bolat Area of Hadim District of Konya Province.
Upon its being subject to big illegal excavations, it has been taken under protection with a guard and has been converted into a ruin place connected to Konya Museum Directorate. But in 1955, its guard has retired.

With the asphalt road turning to west from the crossroads that is 17 km to Hadim on Konya - Hadim highway, Bolat Area is reached and from there, with a 6 km stabilized road, the location is reached. Thereafter, by walking on a steep and rough path for approximately 4 km, Temaşalık Hill, Astra can be reached.
Astra archaic city has been first found in 1885 by Sterret. Sterret has worked only on inscriptions and 7 inscriptions have been found. From these inscriptions, it has learned that the name of the city was Astra. Then Miss Hereward has found 2 inscriptions, and Mitford has found 16 new inscriptions in 1966. In 1992, in Astra city, where no scientific studies were carried out except reading a few inscriptions, cleaning and drilling works have been started by a commission under the chairmanship of Archeologist Osman Ermişler. The works were continued in 1993 and 1994. The plan of the city has been determined, its plundered appearance has been eliminated, although partially, and its structures have been completed. The church and auditorium have been brought to light as the result of the excavations made and the plans and reliefs of them have been prepared. Two typical Isaura - character graves have been opened in the necropolis. As the result of reading the inscriptions, it has been evidenced that the city had an administration special to it and it was a town connected to Isaura. The ceramic furnace found shows that ceramics were produced in Roman Period in Astra.

Astra archaic city is in the northern part of Toros Mountains, in Isaura region. It forms a triangle with other important cities of Isaura state, namely Isaura and Astanada and these cities can be seen with naked eye from Astra. An inscription relating to a donation made by a rich man from Isaura has proved its relation with Isaura. From two Antiocheia coins belonging to Roman Period, it has been understood that this place had commercial relationships with Pisidiae Antiocheia.

The city is located on the flat top of Temaşalık Hill, lying in east - west direction.This hill is situated on 1760m above the sea level. Important structures are placed on two sides of the agora lying in the form of a large area in east - west direction, in the middle of the top. On the eastern, southern and northern skirts of the hill surrounded by city walls constructed with rubble stones without mortar, a big number of civil structures and houses are grouped. There are two necropolises, one of which is in the east and the other in the west. There are many ash boxes, steles and grave lions in the necropolises. In the west of the western necropolis and on the eastern skirts of Kuralan Hill, the plateau houses of Bolat Village are located. These plateau houses having a single room, made of simple piled rubble stone without mortar and plaster were started to be constructed 80 - 100 years ago and the houses are about to be ruined.

The road starting from the Devler Gediği Plain, where western necropolis is located, reaches the mid part of the city wall from the southern skirt of Temaşalık Hill. It is a sloped and narrow road.The shoes of the entrance door of the city are in place, its upper arch and other parts are on the ground. Through the door, agora is entered. On the southern edge of Agora, the bazaar structure is located, after that, towards east, the ruins of Zeus Astragos temple is seen. In the western part of the agora, there are two heroon ruins across the door. At the western end of the agora, the high fort, which is surrounded with wall is located. The fort is reached through an arched door from the east. In the northern part of the fort, a second temple ruin is seen. This is understood to be a temple from the inscription obtained in it.

On the northern side of Agora, an auditorium belonging to the Roman Period is located. In the east of 2/3 circle planned auditorium having nine steps and eight metre diametre, a church has been constructed in the 5th - 6th century AD. The church has a three - neph basilica plan. It has been found as the result of cleaning. Auditorium must have been used as the meeting place of the church in that period. From the eastern door of the city, the eastern necropolis is reached. There is a monumental grave on the eastern side of eastern necropolis, the entrance of which is surrounded with courtyard wall. Two sarcophagus bases are seen in it. A heroon is seen on the northwestern side of the monumental grave. The ceramic furnace that has been opened in the northwest of the monumental grave has proved that ceramics have been produced here in the 2nd and 3rd century in Roman Period. The pot prints and printed pot parts found in the furnace are interesting.

The works that will be carried out in Astra archaic city may provide many other data for the Archaeology science.

Çatalhöyük

Çatalhöyük is in the borders of Çumra District of Konya and is located 10 km east of the district. The tumulus is in the form of a hill having two hill plains of different heights. It has taken the adjective fork because of these two heights. Çatalhöyük has been found by J. Mellaart in 1958 and its excavation has been performed in the years 1961 - 1963 and 1965. As the result of the researches made on the western slope of the high hill, 13 structure layers have been found. The earliest residence layer is dated to 5500 BC. This dating, performed with style critic’s method, has been verified with C14 method. With its finds special the first residence, first house architecture and first holy structures, it is a centre holding a light to the human history.

The best known period of the residence, that is urbanization in Çatalhöyük is the 7th and 11th layers. The walls of quadruple walled houses are next to each other. There are no common walls. Each house has its own individual wall. The houses are separately planned and another house is built near the existing house in case of a need. Due to the neighboring walls of the houses, there is no street in the city. Transportation is provided through plain roofs. No findings having the characteristics of city walls protecting and bordering the city could be found. The material used in the construction is sun - dried brick, trees and reeds. The base depths of the houses are small. There are wooden columns between the walls. The beams on these columns bear the flat ceiling. The upper cover of the ceiling is clay soil pressed on reed. The houses are single - floored and entrance is provided via a ladder from a hole opened on the roof. Each house consists of a room and a warehouse. There are quadruple Owens in the rooms, steps having heights varying between 10 - 30 cm from the floor base and quadruple niches in the walls. The walls are plastered. After painting the plaster in white, paintings in yellow, red and black tons are made. Holy rooms are bigger than other rooms. The trophies of original bull head, ram head and deer heads conserved with pressed clay are appliqued on the walls. Besides these, human and animal figures in relief form are also seen. Wall paintings in Çatalhöyük are found in the 10th layer as the earliest and in the 11th layer as the latest. The most beautiful and developed ones belong to the 7th and 5th layers. These paintings are the continuation of the paintings made by the Paleolithic man on cave walls. They are paintings made for the abundance of the hunt. Towards the late period, it is seen that house scenes become less frequent and bird motifs and geometric patterns occur more often.

It is thought that the human figures without head painted on the walls as being eaten by vultures are related with the traditions of burying the dead. The bones cleaned from the flesh being eaten by the vultures are collected and wrapped to a coating made of mat and buried under the figures in the house. In the researches made under the figures, many skeletons have been found. As the gifts for the dead, tools made of bones, coloured stones, cutter tools, stone axes, beads made of sea shells are put. The small sculptures obtained in Çatalhöyük excavation provide us information abut the beginning of mother goddess culture (worship) and the beliefs of that period. These small sculptures made of cooked soil and stone have sizes varying between 5 - 15 cm. they are depicted as fat women with big breasts and big hips and sometimes as giving a birth. This is because of their representing abundance and blessing. Almost all of the tools and materials obtained in Çatalhöyük are stone, cooked earth, axes, shallow plates, high relief abundance goddess motifs and the bracelets and necklaces. Black and tile red coloured pots and cups having a rough - granule dough made of cooked earth have been found. Furthermore, the mother goddess and holy animal figures are made of cooked earth. The cutter and perforator tools made of bone and spear and arrow ends made of obsidian are the most important materials used in Çatalhöyük.

No excavations have been made in Çatalhöyük until 1996; starting from this year excavations have been continued by English Archaeology Institute, under the chairmanship of Ian Hodder. The excavation finds are in Konya Archaeology Museum. Some of them are exhibited and the others are taken under protection in the warehouses.

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