Glass museum shınes in southern Turkey

GAZIANTEP - Anatolia News Agency

AA photo

Over 9,000 years of human glasswork are displayed in the Medusa Glass Artifacts Museum of the southeastern province of Gaziantep. 

A privately owned museum unique in its scope, it was established in three renovated Antep houses around Gaziantep Castle. Nearly 5,000 artifacts from the Roman, Greek, Hittite, Urartu, Byzantine and Islamic eras are on display covering the period between 7500 BC and 1600 AD.

Figures from the Bronze Age, gold, glass and stone jewelry, impressions of kiln seals from the Roman period, gold coins from the Islamic period, glass bottles for perfume and bottles from the Roman and Islamic periods, glass and terra cotta amphorae as well as glass cups used for various purposes, are among the items in the museum.

In addition to a glass milk pump and a glass duck, other artifacts of note are a lower jaw and vertebral bone of a mammoth dating back 150,000 years ago and which have not been fully mummified. 
All artifacts in the five-section museum are registered in the inventory of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, and the museum is among the richest collections in Turkey, following those of businessman Rahmi Koç. 

Collectors can also purchase antique French watches from 100 to 150 years ago at prices ranging between 7,500 and 17,500 Turkish Liras.

4,000-year-old toy cars

The museum also showcases toy cars made of terra cotta and stone from the Hittite and Phoenician periods. The cars, which are thought to have been specially produced for the children of kings thousands of years ago, remain well-preserved. 
The museum’s director, Halil Algın, said the toys survived so long as they are made of stone.

“The car series are among the most valuable items in the museum. The history of 10 cars on display dates back some 4,000 years ago.”

He said that the historic cars had been unearthed during excavations in the southeastern and central Anatolian regions two years ago. “These four-wheeled human or animal-powered vehicles draw attention from visitors.”

Algın said that the museum, which opened in 2008 after 25 years of collection, is the first private museum in Turkey. 

“The museum has a rich portfolio in terms of artifacts. It is also a culture and arts center. We organize workshops in various branches of art as well as pear, copper, sculpture, mosaic and glass courses in summer months,” Algın said. 

The museum is also home to filigree and glass workshops.