Edirne Arkeoloji ve Etnografya Müzesi

The Edirne Archaeology and Ethnography Museum is the city museum on Kadirpaşa Mektep Street, about 50 metres from the eastern gate of the Selimiye Mosque. According to the Culture Portal, the museum opened on 13 June 1971 under the name Archaeology and Ethnography Museum. The building was designed by the architect İhsan Kıygı. Its collection, which runs from prehistoric times to the last century of the Ottoman period, is the shortest way to read Edirne and Thrace in a single building. The museum's history actually goes back further. According to Wikipedia, the first museum in the city was founded in 1925 in the Darülhadis Madrasa of the Selimiye by Rıfat Osman, Arif Dağdeviren and Necmi İğe. When the ethnographic objects multiplied, a second hall was opened in another part of the complex on 25 November 1936, and the objects were later moved to the Darülkurra Madrasa. During the Second World War a significant part of the valuable pieces was sent to museums in Istanbul and Anatolia for safekeeping. As the collection grew a new building was needed, and in 1966 it was decided to build a museum on the plot behind the Selimiye. When the new building opened, the museum in the Darülhadis Madrasa was renamed the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. The archaeology section begins with fossils. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam writes that the collection includes fossils of fish, elephants, horses and rhinoceroses, so a very ancient natural past of Thrace can also be seen here. These are followed by dolmens and menhirs, ceremonial and kitchen vessels, figurines, jewellery, sarcophagi, altars and stelae. Funerary stelae showing the Thracian horseman are among the most striking pieces of this section. A large part of the museum consists of finds from the excavations at Enez, including figured amphorae, terracotta figurines, ceramics, fragments of marble statues and jewellery. The coin collection is of particular value. According to the TDV, the museum holds some 6000 coins from different periods. The Culture Portal also lists the valuable coin collection, the statues, and the clay and glass vessels among the museum's notable works. The TDV notes that the objects generally come from excavations and from pieces seized at customs gates while being smuggled abroad. The ethnography section tells the story of everyday life in Edirne, from the palace circle to the town house. According to the TDV, the museum's large hall and one gallery are devoted to ethnography, a small hall to handicrafts, and the other gallery, one hall and the garden to archaeological works. According to the TDV, most of the objects in this section came from the palaces of Edirne, and they number about 1300 in total. In the most important corner of the hall a circumcision bed, a bridal bed and a room of an Edirne house are displayed. Here you can see cupboard and wardrobe doors from the 18th and 19th centuries, among the finest examples of Edirnekari, the city's distinctive decorative style. The showcases hold bridal and ladies' costumes, embroidered towels and napkins, headscarves edged with needle lace, and silver and gold jewellery. A small hall introduces the crafts of Edirne such as broom making, scented soap making, saddlery, weaving and pottery. According to Wikipedia, some personal belongings used by Atatürk during his visit to Edirne are also displayed in the ethnography hall. The museum garden is also part of the visit. Ottoman gravestones and stone works are displayed in the open area in front of the building. With their inscriptions and decoration, these stones can be photographed with the dome of the Selimiye in the background. One to two hours is enough for the visit. A good order is to go through the archaeology hall first, then the ethnography hall, and to finish in the garden. Check the museum's opening days, hours and admission conditions on the Ministry's official museum website before you go. As it lies right behind the Selimiye, it is easy to combine the museum on the same day with the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts and the Foundation Museum in the complex.