Lületaşı Müzesi

The Meerschaum Museum displays handmade works carved from meerschaum, the stone regarded as the symbol of Eskişehir. It stands inside the Odunpazarı Urban Conservation Area, in the part of the Kurşunlu Complex known as the hanikah. Odunpazarı Municipality opened the museum to visitors in 2008, and the provincial culture directorate presents it as the first meerschaum museum opened in the world. The collection is rooted in the international meerschaum festivals, craft competitions and exhibitions organised by the Governorship of Eskişehir since 1998. The first step towards the museum was taken when the Special Provincial Administration bought works shown at these events. Today the museum holds around 400 works by 60 artists. Meerschaum is a hydrated natural magnesium silicate found at depths of up to 150 metres underground. It is also known as sea foam, meerschaum and sepiolite, while locals call it Eskişehir stone. The German name meerschaum itself means sea foam. The Culture Portal states that Eskişehir is the only region in the world where white meerschaum is mined. Underground the stone is wet and soft, so once extracted it can easily be carved with a knife. When it dries it hardens and keeps the shape it has been given for good. Because its porous structure absorbs moisture, it has been used for about three hundred years to make the most valuable pipes. To reach the deposits, vertical shafts are dug from the surface and horizontal tunnels are opened along the layer that carries the stone. This work depends largely on manual labour and on skill gained over many years. Masters try to keep waste to a minimum by choosing the model that best suits the natural shape of the stone. A carved piece is dried slowly with indirect heat, sanded very finely and polished by dipping it into heated beeswax. Having absorbed the wax, the stone takes on an ivory-like colour between cream and pale yellow. A folk tale about the discovery of meerschaum appears in the museum's presentation. According to the tale, the first creature to bring the stone up from underground was a mole, and a young man who tried to carve it followed the stone down a deep shaft and never came back. Meerschaum carvers therefore regard the mole as the pioneer of their craft. In the showcases you will see figurines, ornaments and relief scenes as well as pipes. The bowls of some pipes are carved with crowded scenes full of grape clusters, baskets and human figures. Since the works come from different masters, you can compare differences of style along the showcases. Looking closely, you can see how finely the folds of fabric and the leaves have been worked with a knife. The building that houses the museum is part of the Kurşunlu Complex, commissioned by the vizier Çoban Mustafa Paşa between 1517 and 1525. The provincial culture directorate writes that the architect of the complex was most probably Acem Ali, chief architect before Mimar Sinan. The hanikah section has an L-shaped plan, a domed space and a row of cells. The portico on the north facade facing the courtyard was rebuilt during restoration together with its supports and roof elements. The rooms where students once stayed in the Ottoman period are used today as workshops. The caravanserai of the complex houses a hot glassblowing workshop and a glass arts centre, and the school section has been a library since 2010. According to Odunpazarı Municipality, the Osman Yaşar Tanaçan Photography Museum, made up of old cameras, was added to the complex in 2017. The provincial culture directorate's page shows the museum as closed on Mondays with free admission; check the current visiting hours before you go. The museum is reached through a garden with trees and an entrance with steps. Since the museum occupies a single building, the visit is short and can be combined with the other parts of the complex. If you want to see how meerschaum is worked today, you can walk on from the museum to the workshops of the Atlıhan Handicrafts Bazaar. The complex lies right next to the Odunpazarı houses and can be reached on foot from the city centre along Hamamyolu Avenue.