Bodrum Castle’s ‘painted’ Ottoman cannon cleaned

BODRUM – Doğan News Agency

The cleaning of the cannons will take two weeks, after which the walls of the castle would be cleaned too. DHA photos

The Istanbul Restoration and Conservation Center, affiliated with the Culture and Tourism Ministry, has started work cleaning 600-year-old cannons at the Bodrum Castle. 

The walls and Ottoman cannons of one of the world’s leading museums, the Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum in the Bodrum Castle, were found to have been painted June 2014. 

Before former President Abdullah Gül visit to the district for the 4th Turkish Council Summit, a paint job was carried out under the order of the museum director, Emel Özkan, who was discharged from her post last week and appointed as the Muğla Museum director. 

Arrangements in the museum were made for the summit, held on June 4-5, 2014. Within the scope of the arrangements, the walls of the castle were painted with plastic paint, while the Ottoman cannons were painted with oil paint. Bodrum locals and historians responded harshly to the situation. An online petition was initiated asking for Özkan to be discharged from her post. Some 1,000 people signed the petition in two days. The ministry then opened an investigation into the issue, during which Özkan testified.

Following Özkan’s testimony, three conservators and two restorers began to clean the paint on the eight cannons, positioned at the entrance and upper yard of the museum. 

It is reported that the cleaning would take two weeks, after which the walls of the castle would be cleaned too. 


Turkey’s only underwater museum 

The Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum, which is Turkey’s only underwater archaeology museum, carries out archaeological works and contributes to Turkey’s cultural treasures through its underwater works. 

Drilling work in the region has so far unearthed many artifacts, such as Mycenean tombs. The museum is home to 248 Mycenean artifacts, the highest number of any other museum. These artifacts date back to 3,500 years ago and have great value for western Anatolia archaeology.

In excavations carried out by the museum in Bodrum’s Gümüşlük neighborhood, a necropolis from the Bronze era and funeral gifts were discovered.