The Museum of Anatolian Civilization (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi)

Actually considered one of the most renewed archeological museums in the world, the creation and evolution of the Museum of Anatolian Civilization well serves to explain the relation among Turkish identity and its cultural heritage.  The present museum, located in two beautiful Ottoman buildings - the Mahmut Paşa Bazaar and Kurşunlu Han[26] - was created in order to host the collection of the first Archaeological Museum of Ankara,[27] established in the year 1921.[28]  Its foundation was expressly decided by Atatürk himself, who initially aimed at creating a Museum of ?Hittite Civilization.? The inclusion of Hittites into Turkish history was part of the historical synthesis (Türk Tarih Tezi) promoted by the Turkish Historical Society during the 1930s, which regrouped together European, Mesopotamian and Anatolian populations (Gür, 2001:222). The relevance of the ?homogeneity of the past? for Turkish culture was initially expressed by the name chosen for the museum: Ankara Archaeological Museum.

Nevertheless, it took several years (1938- 1968) before the chosen buildings were restored and opened to the public. By the end of this period, a section was already opened to the public, in the bazaar, during the year 1943, thanks to the efforts of a commission chaired by the German archaeologist H. G. Guterbock.[29]  At the time of the opening (1968), the museum was already renamed Museum of Anatolian Civilization. The name shifting was also a demonstration of the semiotic change that occurred in the years between the foundation and the opening of the museum. While, initially the focus was on a ?national? archaeology, lately, it shifted to a representation of history that showed a multi-layered past.

Practically, by the end of the restoration, the bazaar was transformed into an exhibition hall, while the han was used to host offices, administration buildings, a library, and a conference hall.  The peculiarity of the museum resides in its collection, which regroups artifacts and objects dating from the Paleolithic Age to the Ottoman time. Many of those objects, like the ones found in Catalhoyük - belonging to the Neolithic Age - were found during archaeological excavations of foreign missions.

The display of the collection generates a particular emotional effect. As Önder explains:

?The objects at the exhibition hall are divided into two categories. The central hall covered with domes is devoted to stone objects, while the adjacent halls to minor findings. The stone objects are exhibited in the way they were found. The archeological findings are arranged in chronological order?(Önder, 1999: 43).

The display follows an evolutionary path, mediated by explication panels, which lead visitors along the hall, taking them on an imaginary journey through different epochs until recent times.  It could be possible to infer that the evolutionary concept of history, which emerges from the visit, is emphasized by the choice of the buildings used to host them. In fact, by choosing a bazaar and a han of the Ottoman time, there is a temporal continuity, until the ?past?s ending,? which coincides with the Empire?s age.  As the sociologist Asli Gür noted, during the museum tour, visitors acquire a common sense of the nation history, but also of geography; since, the centrality of the museum is on the Anatolian plateau and people who live within the Anatolian borders. 

During a survey carried out in 1988, the same sociologist interviewed several people, asking them their opinion about objects exhibited in the museum. The survey, which explicitly was carried out by the method of participant observation, revealed that people interpret in several ways what they see in the exhibition; so, the experience of their visit acquires different meanings, depending on their background (Gür, 2001).  Nonetheless, the experience of the visit helps them in structuring their historical past, making also connection among different civilizations. An extreme example is given by one interview, during which the interviewed recognized a Rock goddess, of the Neolithic age, as anatomical prototype of Turkish women (Gür, 2001).

However, the interpretation given to cultural identification can also shift according the need of the time. If during the first year of the Republic, the focus was on cultural identification for protecting the new territorial boundaries, in recent time, it could serve to promote a cultural continuity with European countries, showing a common past and common heritage. This is a choice that has been reaffirmed with awards such as the one recieved in Switzerland, on April 19, 1997, as ?European Museum of the Year.?

[26]According to the information provided by the Ministry for Culture and Tourism, the 15^th century bedesten was erected by the Gran Vizier of Mehmet II; then, used for selling wool. Instead, the Kurşunlu Han dates to the 14^th century

[27]The first Archaeological museum was hosted in the Castle of Ankara.

[28]It is worth reminding that archaeology in the Middle East has often been used to legitimize territorial claims. See Shaws, (2002; 2000) and Meskell (1998).

[29]As it is reported in public information message ?therepair projects of this part were carried out by Architect Macit Kural and repair work upon tender was performed by Architect Zühtü Bey. Five shops were left in their original form, and the walls between the shops were destroyed and thus a large location was provided for exhibition? (Ministry for Culture and Tourism).