Sinop Archaeological Museum

Sinop Archaeological Museum
Sinop Arkeoloji Müzesi
Sinop Museum
Location od Sinop Museum in Turkey
Established 1941 (1941)
Location Okullar Cad. 2, Sinop
Coordinates 42°01′39″N 35°09′06″E / 42.02750°N 35.15167°E / 42.02750; 35.15167Coordinates: 42°01′39″N 35°09′06″E / 42.02750°N 35.15167°E / 42.02750; 35.15167
Type Archaeology museum
Website www.sinopmuzesi.gov.tr
An open-air exhibit from Roman Empire era in the museum yard.

Sinop Archaeological Museum, shortly Sinop Museum, (Turkish: Sinop Arkeoloji Müzesi or Sinop Müzesi) is a national museum in Sinop, Turkey, exhibiting archaeological artifacts found in and around the city.[1][2]

Background

One of the earliest museum activities in Turkey began in 1921 in Sinop. Collection of artifacts and other objects of historical and cultural importance, found at different places of the city, were initially conserved in the high school (Ottoman Turkish: Mekteb-i İdadi‎) building. In 1932, the items, increased in number, were transferred to the Pervane Medrese, the historic building of a former religious school, which formed the core of the Sinop Museum. It was established as a museum and opened to the public in 1941. A museum director was assigned to the site in 1947 for a limited time.[3][1][2]

A joint team of German and Turkish archaeologists, led by Ludwig Budde and Ekrem Akurgal, carried out excavations in the center of Sinop and at Kocagöz Tumulis in Demirciköy between 1951 and 1953. Akurgal proposed the construction of a special museum building in Sinop to hold the numerous artifacts. In 1968, the city municipality donated the real property in downtown, which incorporated a Seljuk Empire era tomb and the ruins of a Serapeum uncovered during the excavations.[3][2]

The two-story new museum building completed in 1970, and went into service.[3][1] For restoration works to offer proficient exhibits by applying modern museology concepts, the building was temporarily closed down in 2001. Its re-opening took place in April 2006.[2]

Open-air museum

Serapeum

An important exhibit is the ruin of a Serapeum, a temple dedicated to the combined Hellenistic-Ancient Egyptian deity Serapis, situated in the southwestern corner of the open-air museum section. It was unearthed on site during archaeological excavations in 1951. Inside the rectangular-formed temple ruin, terracotta artifacts, architectural elements and figures of Serapis, Dionysus, Heracles, Isis and Kore were found. The construction era of the edifice is unknown. However, an inscription indicates that it was dedicated to Serapis.[1]

Sultana's Tomb

Another interesting structure in the museum yard is the Sultana's Tomb (Turkish: Sultan Hatun Türbesi), also known locally as the "Aynalı Kadın Türbesi", (literally: "Tomb of the Lady with Mirror").[4] According to an inscription attached above the tomb's arched gate, it was constructed in June 1395. It contains three sarcophagi including one belonging to the 1395-died daughter of Süleyman Pasha, the eldest son of Orhan I, the second bey of the newly established Ottoman Empire. She was the spouse of Candaroğlu bey Süleyman Pasha. The square-plan tomb is constructed of ashlar. It is topped with a wooden roof covered with Turkish tiles instead of a dome compared with buildings of that era. It has a window on each of the three sides.[5]

Other exhibits

Other exhibits, including architectural elements, milestones, headstones, sculptures made of stone or marble, large earthenware jars and mosaics are on display in the northern part of the yard. Islamic headstones erected in the south and west of the Sultana's Tomb give the impression of a cemetery.[5]

Museum building

Hallway

The hallway after entrance contains sculptures and busts. A stone inscription featuring an agreement signed between Sinope and Heraclea Pontica (today: Karadeniz Ereğli) in 4th-century BC is exhibited here.[5]

Small artifacts hall

The small artifacts section features utensils, metallic tools, vases, terracotta figurines and architectural elements from the Serapeum, glassware and artifacts from graves all displayed in chronological order in the era from the Early Bronze Age (3300–2100 BC) up to the end of the Byzantine Empire (1453). A mosaic panel depicting seven musess of the arts, uncovered at excavations in Sinop's Meydankapı neighborhood, decorates the center of this section's floor.[5]

Stone works hall
Marble sculpture of two lions savaging a deer from the 4th-century BC.

The section reserved for the veneration of the dead contains examples of the oldest steles from the Archaic period in Anatolia. A marble sculpture depicting two lions savaging a deer and a sarcophagus of a seaman are on display in this hall.[5]

Amphora hall

During the joint French-Turkish excavation carried out between 1994 and 2000 in the center, Karakum and Demirciköy of Sinop, many amphora manufacturing workshops and furnaces were unearthed. The findings revealed that manufacturing of amphora, brick and roof tile was the main economic sector of Sinop in the Helenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods.[5]

In addition to the amphoras found in Sinop, a replica of an amphora furnace, and a map showing the commercial distribution area of amphora from Sinop are exhibited.[5]

Coinage section

A collection featuring the examples of the first silver coins minted in Sinop, the city coins, and coins from the treasures of Ordu and Gelincik, Sinop as well as the Byzantine coinage and Seljuk coinage are on display.[5]

Icon hall

The exhibited icons originate from 19th-century churches in and around Sinop of the Byzantine-era Eastern Orthodoxy. The icons were painted and gilded fresco on plastered cloth or chestnut wood panel. Sinop icons have similarity with icons found in the churches of Russia and Cyprus.[5]

Access

The museum is located in Okullar Cad. 2, in the center of Sinop. It is open everyday, except Mondays, between 8:30 and 17:30 local time.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Sinop Müzesi" (in Turkish). Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı – Müze. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Sinop Arkeoloji Müzesi" (in Turkish). Sinop Valiliği – İl Küştür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  3. 1 2 3 "Tarihçemiz" (in Turkish). Sinop Arkeoloji Müzesi. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
  4. ↑ "Aynalı Kadın (Sultan Hatun) Türbesi – Sinop" (in Turkish). Türkiye Kültür Portalı. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Türbeler – Sultan Hatun Türbesi" (in Turkish). Sinop Valiliği – İl Küştür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  6. ↑ "Ana sayfa" (in Turkish). Sinop Arkeoloji Müzesi. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
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