Suna ve İnan Kıraç Kaleiçi Müzesi

The Suna and İnan Kıraç Kaleiçi Museum is a foundation museum set up inside two listed buildings under protection on Kocatepe Street in Kaleiçi. It is part of the Suna and İnan Kıraç Research Centre for Mediterranean Civilizations, known as AKMED, which belongs to the Vehbi Koç Foundation, and its aim is to document traditional Anatolian folk culture and pass it on to new generations. Suna and İnan Kıraç bought the buildings in a badly ruined state; after a careful restoration carried out between 1993 and 1995, the buildings were turned into a museum. The opening date varies between sources; Turkish Wikipedia says the museum opened in 1996, while the Vehbi Koç Foundation encyclopedia writes that it opened to visitors with private museum status in 2000. The two dates do not exclude each other; the first may describe the opening of the doors and the second the official status. The first building of the museum is a typical two storey Antalya house with an outer hall, dating from the 19th century. At the entrance a traditional pebble floor mosaic with plant and geometric patterns greets you. The three rooms on the upper floor are decorated with wooden lath ceilings and painted ornament inspired by the Tekelioğlu Mansion. These rooms are arranged to bring to life a wedding house in Antalya in the second half of the 19th century: the serving of coffee, the shaving of the groom and the henna night are staged with life size figures and special effects. The Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism describes this section as an ethnography museum. Step out of the rooms onto the hall and look at the garden; the logic of the outer hall house, where life passes through an open gallery before spreading into the rooms, is understood here at a glance. The second building, in the garden, is a former Greek Orthodox church built in the name of Saint George, Aya Yorgi. Its date of construction is not known for certain; according to the Karamanli inscription above the door it underwent a thorough repair in 1863 with the help of the Christians of Antalya. The Metropolitan Municipality inventory records that the church remained open for worship until 1922; left without a congregation after the population exchange, the building was long used as a warehouse, lost its original timber elements and fell into ruin. In the restoration it was renewed faithfully. The ceiling of the rectangular, single nave, vaulted space is covered with painted and plaster ornament in shades of blue. At the entrance door stands a depiction of Saint George fighting the dragon on horseback with two angels. Because the original stair to the women's gallery was lost, a staircase of modern design was built in its place. Today this hall is the museum's main exhibition space. The cases in the middle and along the walls display pieces from the Suna and İnan Kıraç collection, mostly Çanakkale ceramics; jugs, plates, animal shaped vessels and glazed figures are the most colourful examples of 18th and 19th century Anatolian pottery. Turkish Wikipedia notes that the collection also includes a tile map of Turkey that was presented to Atatürk. The gallery on the upper floor hosts short thematic exhibitions linked to the cultures of the region. With its acoustics the church hall also hosts concerts and art events. Directly opposite the museum stands AKMED itself; an old Antalya house rebuilt in 1993-1995 holds a library and a section of periodicals and rare books. The institute organises concerts, conferences, panels and film screenings. A visit to Kocatepe Street is therefore not only a tour of two old buildings but a look through the door of a research centre working on Mediterranean archaeology and history. Allow an hour for the museum; that is the time it takes to listen through the rooms of the house and walk slowly past the cases in the church. Seeing the house first and then crossing the garden to the church is the natural order of the display. Children particularly enjoy the animal figures among the Çanakkale ceramics. For photographs, take the blue ornament of the church ceiling with a wide angle. Check the current information on open days, hours and entry conditions on AKMED's official page. The museum lies inside Kaleiçi, a few minutes on foot from Hadrian's Gate and the Kesik Minaret. A visitor entering Kaleiçi from Kalekapısı and heading towards Hesapçı Street easily reaches Kocatepe Street by following the street signs. The narrow lanes are not suited to driving; come to the museum on foot.