Etnographical Museum is built on a hill known as the
Muslim Cemetry at the
Namazgah District of
Ankara. The mentioned hill was allotted to the
Ministry of Education by the General Directorate of Foundations as per the resolution of the cabinet dated 15 November 1925 for the purpose of building a
museum.
The museum was established on this hill in 1926 as commissioned by
Atatürk.
The Etnographical Museum which is a work done by
A. Hikmet Koyunoğlu is the
first museum of the Turkish Republic. The building which has two storeys above the basement in the rear and one in the front is entered through a portal with three vaults following a monumental staircase. Eight interconnected display halls surround the three sides of the domed entrance hall. The rich collection of the museum includes various ethnographical works starting from the
Seljuk period up to the present day. Among these are the folk attires, ornaments,
carpets and rugs constituting an important part of
turkish handicraft.
Carpets and rugs especially produced in
Uşak,
Milas,
Gördes,
Kula,
Ladik,
Karaman,
Niğde and
Kırşehir are worth to see. There are also
Memluk and
Ottoman baths,
ewers,
cauldrons,
washbowls,
trays, and
bowls. The wooden altar and pulpit of the
Tashur Pasha Mosque from
Damsa village is among the uniqe works displayed in the museum. Some specific rooms of the traditional
Ankara House from the 17th century are displayed in the museum as well. The most important particularity of the inner court is that the body of
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the
Turkish Republic, who died on November 10, 1938 has been kept here until 1953. The catafalque made in 1938 was designed by the
Architect Bruno Taut. This place is today still preserved as a symbolic grave. The museum which was closed in the year 1998 has been re-opened to public after the completion of the restoration works in 2003. The museum is open everyday except Mondays from 8.30 to 12.30/13.30 to 17.30 during summer and from 8.30 to 12.30/13.00 to 17.00 in winter.
