Famous Turkish poet’s museum reorganized

DİYARBAKIR - Anatolia News Agency

Turkish poet Cahit Sıtkı Trancı’s house reflects his life and how he and his family lived in Diyarbakır.

Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı is one of the most famous poets of Turkish literature. His house, which has already tuned into a museum earlier, reorganized with a modern museum approach and reopened.

Tarancı’s house, which he has born and raised in opened to visitors this week. The house has Diyarbakır civil architecture characteristics and organized according to modern museum approach.

The house reflects his life and how he and his family lived in Diyarbakır. The museum’s walls also reflect what family life was like during 1910 and 1956.

The house of Tarancı was made in 1733 and is one of the most important examples of civil architecture in Diyarbakır. The building became a museum in 1973 and later on a restoration process was started by Diyarbakır Museum to preserve the home. The newly reopened museum currently reflects the modern museum approach in the city.

The museum reflects social life of 19th century Diyarbakır while also exhibiting Tarancı’s personal belongings, handwritten letters, books, photographs and documents. The project titled “Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı and Ziya Gökalp Museum Restoration” enabled the museum to be restored and better organized.

Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı Museum is one of the most visited points of Diyarbakır, serving as a popular tourist attraction. Visitors can find details on Tarancı’s life and also a research center. Those who would like to conduct research on the famous Turkish poet will find a large research institute on his works at the museum.

The project started with the Karacadağ Development Agency grant program and Culture and Tourism Minister Special Province supports, Diyabakır Museum Manager Nevin Soyukaya told Anatolia news agency. “The works are still continuing,” said Soyukaya.

The theme: Music
Museum organizers chose to reflect the family lives of Tarancı and also give information about the history of Diyarbakır, Soyukaya said.

The house will also host temporary exhibitions. “That’s why we have divided the house into two parts,” said Soyukaya. One part of the museum will be home to a permanent exhibition while the other part will host rotating, temporary art exhibitions. The exhibitions will be focused on reflecting Diyarbakır’s culture. “The first theme of the exhibition will be music. The reopening of the Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı Museum will also host a new exhibition. The exhibition will detail music from another era
and Diyabrakır’s Turkish music composers.”

Diyarbakır’s musical culture
The exhibition will open a new dimension in terms of providing a new approach to discovering Diyarbakır’s musical culture. The music will be sung by the Diyarbakır Classic Turkish Music Choir.

Each exhibition will continue for four months. Every detail of the museum has been recreated and restored, according to Soyukaya. The building is now a living architectural site, according to Soyukaya.

“Visitors will have the chance to see every detail of Cahit Sıtkı with a film. Those who would like to learn more can do a research on him at the museum library,” said Soyukaya, adding that they wanted to create a venue with information.

The official opening of the museum will be made in the near future, Soyukaya said, noting that the kitchen part of the museum will reflect the culinary history of Diyarbakır using a digital platform.