The Museum o Anatolie Ceevilisations (Turkis: Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi) is locatit on the sooth side of Ankara Castle in the Atpazarı aurie in Ankara, Turkey. It conseests of the auld Ottoman Mahmut Paşa bazaar storage biggin, and the Kurşunlu Han. Because of Atatürk's desire tae establish a Hittite museum, the buildings were bought upon the suggestion of Hamit Zübeyir Koşay, who wis then Culture Meenister, tae the Naitional Eddication Meenister, Saffet Arıkan. Efter the remodelling and repairs were completit (1938–1968), the building wis opened tae the public as the Ankara Airchaeological Museum.
Today, Kurşunlu Han, uised as an admeenistrative biggin, houses
the work rooms, library, conference hall, laboratory and workshop.
The auld bazaar building houses the exhibits. Within this Ottoman
building, the museum haes a nummer of exhibits of Anatolian
aircaheology. They stairt with the Paleolithic era, and continue
chronologically through the Neolithic, Early Bronze, Assyrian
trading colonies, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian, Greek, Hellenistic,
Roman, Byzantine, Seljuq and Ottoman periods. There is awso an
extensive collection of airtifacts frae the excavations at Karain,
Çatalhöyük,
Hacılar, Canhasan, Beyce Sultan, Alacahöyük, Kültepe, Acemhöyük,
Boğazköy (Gordion), Pazarlı, Altıntepe, Adilcevaz and Patnos as
well as examples of several periods.
The exhibits of gold, silver, glass, marble and bronze works
date back as far as the seicont hauf of the first millennium BC.
The coin collections, with examples ranging frae the first mintit
money tae modern times, represent the museum's rare cultural
treasures.
Museum of Anatolie Ceevilisations reaching the present time with
its historical buildings and its deeply rooted history wis electit
as the first "European Museum of the Year" in Swisserland on
April 19, 1997.
The
histerie of the museum
The first museum in Ankara wis established by Mübarek Galip Bey,
Directorate of Culture, in 1921, in the section of the Castle of
Ankara called Akkale. In addition tae this museum, airtifacts frae
the Augustus Temple and the Byzantine Baths were aqso collected.
Upon recommendation of Atatürk and frae the view of establishing an
"Eti Museum" in the center, the Hittite airtifacts frae the region
were sent tae Ankara and therefore a lairger museum wis needit.
The Director of Culture at that time, Hamit Zübeyir Koşay and
Saffet Arıkan, Meenister of Eddication recommendit that the Mahmut
Paşa Bazaar and the Inn be repaired and convertit intae a museum.
This recommendation wis acceptit and restoration continued frae
1938 tae 1968. Upon the completion of repairs of the bazaar, where
the domed structure is, in 1940, a committee chaired by German
Airchaeologist H. G. Guterbock arranged the museum. []
In 1943, while the repairs of the biggin were still in progress,
the middle section wis opened for visitors. Repair projects of this
part were carried out by Airchitect Macit Kural and repair work
upon tender wis performed by Airchitect Zühtü Bey. In 1948 the
museum admeenistration left Akkale as a storage house, and the
museum wis in four rooms of Kurşunlu Han the repairs of which were
completit. Restoration and exhibition projects of the pairt around
the domed structure were prepared and applied by Airchitect İhsan
Kıygı. Five shops were left in their oreeginal form, and the walls
between the shops were destroyed and thus a lairge location wis
providit for exhibition. The museum biggin reached its present
structure in 1968. Kurşunlu Han, which haes been uised as an
admeenistration building, haes research rooms, a library, a
conference hall, a laboratory and workshops, and the Mahmut Pasha
Vaultit Bazaar haes been uised as the exhibition hall.
Histerie
of buildings
The Anatolian Ceevilisations Museum is in two Ottoman buildings
located near Ankara Castle, in the histerical Atpazarı destrict of
Ankara. One of the buildings is Mahmut Paşa Bedesteni and the other
is Kurşunlu Han (inn, caravanserai).
The Mahmut Paşa Bedesteni wis biggit by Mahmut Pasha, ane of the
meenisters (viziers) of Mehmed II the Conqueror during 1464-1471.
The biggin does not haeve ony inscriptions. In some sources, it is
recordit that pure Angora garments were distributit here. The
design of the building is of the classical teep. There are 10 domes
covering a rectangle designed tae enclose the location, and there
are 102 shops facing each other.
According tae histerical records and registry buiks, the
Kurşunlu Han wis built as a foundation (vakıf) tae finance Mehmet
Pasha's (Mehmet the Conqueror's vizier) alms giving in Üsküdar,
Istanbul. It does
nae haeve any inscriptions either. During the repairs of 1946,
coins of the Murat II period were discovered. The findings indicate
that the Han existit in the fifteenth century. The Han has the
typical design of Ottoman Period hans. There is a courtyard and an
arcade in the middle and they are surroondit by twa-storey rooms.
There are 28 rooms on the ground floor, 30 rooms on the first
floor. The rooms haeve furnaces. There is a barn with an "L" teep
on the ground floor on west and sooth directions of the rooms. On
the north side of the han there are 11 shops and 9 shops on east
side and 4 shops facing each other within the garden. The inn (han)
wis built by Mehmet Pasha and in 1467 Mehmet Pasha wis promotit tae
Prime Meenister (Grand Vizier). Upon orders by Mahmut Pasha the
vaulted bazaar wis built. He kept his position until 1470. He haed
his mosque, soup kitchen and madrasa in Üsküdar, and his body is
buried there.
These twa buildings constituting the museum today were abandoned
efter the fire in 1881.
Exhibitit
airtifacts
-
Palaeolithic Age (....8000 BC): The Palaeolithic Age is
representit in the museum by the finds uncovered in the Antalya
Karain Cave. Fowk of the Palaeolithic Age were hunter-gatherers who
uised stone and bone tools. The stone tools are displayed unner
three time categories: Lower Paleolithic Age, Middle Paleolithic
Age and Upper and Late Upper Paleolithic Age.
-
Neolithic Age (8000-5500 BC) : During this age, the
first villages appeared and agriculture began. The airtifacts frae
Çatalhöyük
and Hacılar, which are twa of the maist important steids of the
Neolithic Age, are exhibitit in this section. The collection
includes Mither Goddess sculptures, wall paintings, clay figurines,
stamps, earthenware containers, and agricultural tools made from
bones. The maist impressive pairts of this exhibit are a hunting
scene on plaster from the 7th millennium BC, a reproduction of a
Çatalhöyük room with wall-moontit bull heids, a Mither Goddess
Kybele (later Cybele) sculpture, obsidian tools, wall paintings of
Moont Hasan erupting, and wall paintings of a leopard.
-
Chalcolithic Age (Copper-Stone) (5500-3000 BC): In
addition tae stone tools, copper wis processed and uised in
everyday life during this age. The artifacts recovered in Hacılar,
Canhasan, Tilkitepe, Alacahöyük and Alişar Hüyük are exhibitit in
the museum. The collection includes a lairge collection of stone
and metal tools, goddess figurines, seals, and decorative
jewelry.
-
Early Bronze Age (3000-1950 BC): The fowk of Anatolie
amalgamatit copper and tin and invented bronze at the beginning of
the 3000 BC. They awso processed the known metals with casting and
hammering techniques. In addition tae valuable metal artifacts
buried as grave goods in royal tombs in Alacahöyük, artifacts frae
Hasanoğlan, Mahmatlar, Eskiyapar, Horoztepe, Karaoğlan, Merzifon,
Etiyokuşu, Ahlatlıbel, Karayavşan, Bolu, Beycesultan Semahöyük,
Karaz-Tilkitepe are represented in the Auld Bronze Age section of
the museum. The Hatti tribes dominate the Bronze Age display. The
collection includes solar discs, deer-shapit statuettes, thinner
version of female figurines and gold jewelry. Thair is awso a
reconstruction of a burial ceremony which emphasizes the religious
practices of this auncient fowk.
-
Assyrian Trade Colonies (1950-1750 BC): In this period,
writing emerged in Anatolie for the first time. Since Akkadian
times, Mesopotamians were aware of Anatolie resoorces and riches.
As a result, they engaged in broad trade relations, spearhedit by
Assyrians and with them they brought in their languages and
cylinder and stamp seals which later wis developed intae a writing
seestem. Over 20,000 clay tablets, inscribit in Assyrian cuneiform,
shed light to this period. Maist of the written documents are
concerned with trade, economy, and law. Tin, textiles, and clothes
were brought by the Assyrian donkey caravans for the local fowk and
these goods were exchynged for silver and gold. Kültepe wis the
center of the trade network. As a result, we witness an explosion
in the diversity of the finds. Cuneiform tablets, drinking vessels
in the shape of saucrit animals like bull, lion, eagle, boar,
rabbit, which were used in releegious ceremonies, cult objects,
cylinder and stamp seals and their impressions, all kinds of
wappens and metal cups of artistic value made of clay, stone, gold,
silver, lead, copper, bronze, precious stones and tiles frae the
Assyrian trade colonies were discoverit at Kültepe, Acemhöyük,
Alişar and Boğazköy. Anither interesting class of finds relatit tae
this 200-year period is rhytons of Kultepe, a special group of
ceramic airt which constitutes the basis of the Hittite
culture.
-
Hittite Period (1750-1200 BC): The auncient Hittites'
first poleetical union wis established near the crescent of the
Kızılırmak River in Anatolie around 2000 BC. The important steids
are Boğazköy (Hattusa), İnandık,
Eskiyapar, Alacahöyük, Alişar, Ferzant. The highlight of the Great
Hittite Empire section is the relief of the God of War taken frae
the King's Gate at Boğazköy (Hattusa). Embossed
bull figure containers, various fruit bowls and vases with animal
shapes, infamous İnandık vase that depicts a wedding ceremony,
tablets of govrenment airchives as well as the seals of the keengs,
bronze statues of fertility gods, bulls, and deer are ither
interesting displays. The exhibit awso includes pictures frae
Boğazköy, reconstruction of a releegious ceremony, reconstruction
of Keeng's Gate at Boğazköy and pictures frae the excavation at
Boğazköy. Ane of the maist important artifacts is the tablet in
Akkadian scripts (1275-1220 BC) - a correspondence frae Egyptian
Queen Nefertari (wife of Ramses II) tae Hittite Queen Puduhepa
(wife of Hattusili III) written efter Kadesh Peace Treaty - the
first peace treaty in the warld histerie, datit 1275-1220 BC foond
at Boğazköy.
-
Phrygian Period (1200-700 BC) : The Phrygians, the
so-called Sea Fowk, came tae Anatolie frae the Balkans in 1200 BC.
They acquired control ower Central Anatolie and made Gordion their
caipital ceety. The finds frae the royal tumulus at Gordion form
the majority of this section. The tumulus measured 300 m
(980 ft) in diameter and 50 m (160 ft) in hicht. The
reproduction of the tomb of Keeng Midas, foond in the auncient
tumulus, is also displayed here. Carved and inlaid wooden
furniture, hinged dress pins, ritual vessels, depictions of animals
such as lions, rams and eagles, the reconstruction of a burial
ceremony and the statue of the Mither Goddess Kybele (tae whom the
Phrygians worshippit as their main deity) are representit in this
section.
-
Late Hittite Period (1200-700 BC) : Efter the fall
of the Hittite Empire as a result of the invasion of the Phrygians,
some of the Hittites muived tae sooth and sooth-east Anatolie and
established new states. The maist important steids of this period
are Malatya–Arslantepe, Karkamış (Carchemish) and Sakçagözü. The
10-domed old bazaar forming the center hall of the museum houses
reliefs and statues frae Neo-Hittite period. The theme of war is
emphasized in the reliefs with soldiers and chariots. Awso,
rock-cut reliefs portraying the Hittite rulers, the gods of the
Hittite pantheon, and statues of powerful animals such as lions and
bulls are representit.
-
Urartian Period (1200-600 BC) : The Urartuans lived
in East Anatolie during the same period as the Phrygians. The maist
important Urartian sites are Altıntepe, Adilcevaz, Kayalıdere,
Patnos, Van, Haykaberd. Urartians made new advances in
airchitecture and mining.
-
Lydian Period (1200-546 BC) : The oreegin of Lydian
airt comes frae the Bronze Age in which there were relations,
friendly or hostile, between their ancestors and the Hittites.
Lydians made spectacular progress in the Iron Age, especially frae
Gyges period tae Croesus (685 to 547 BC). The exhibitit airtifacts
maistly date frae the 6th century BC.
-
Classical Period and Ankara through the ages: The
collection includes Greek, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Period
airtifacts such as statues, jewelry and decorative vessels made of
gold, silver, glass, marble, and bronze as well as coins with
examples ranging frae the first mintit money tae modern times. In
addition, there is a section displaying the finds uncoverit
recently frae Ankara's surroundings.
Galleries
Building Museum Galleries
Freemit
Airtins