Cappadocia’s equestrian heritage shown at museum

NEVŞEHİR

In a museum in the Ürgüp district of Nevşehir, the equestrian culture of Cappadocia, historically known as the “land of beautiful horses,” is being carried into the future.

Opened to visitors last year, the Erhan Ayata Museum of Beautiful Horses has drawn the attention of both art lovers and history enthusiasts.

The museum, which has become a new route for local and international tourists visiting Cappadocia, stands out as an important center introducing the region’s ancient equestrian culture.

Serving as a space of cultural memory, the museum offers visitors a wide-ranging collection — from sculptures and paintings to photographs, as well as traditional objects and contemporary artworks presenting the place of the horse in human history from different perspectives.

Transforming Cappadocia’s cultural richness into a tangible experience, the museum is operated by the municipality in cooperation with the Cappadocia Area Presidency in order to contribute to the district’s cultural tourism.

Ürgüp Mayor Ali Ertuğrul Bul told state-run Anadolu Agency that equestrian culture has existed in the region for thousands of years.

Noting that they realized there was no dedicated facility on this subject apart from ranches organizing horseback tours during the “Cappadocia Horse Festival,” which they have held for the past two years, Bul said they then began working on establishing the museum.

Noting that the museum has become an important stop especially for tourists interested in cultural tourism, Bul said, “We got in touch with Erhan Ayata, who lives in Bodrum and collects horse-related figures from auctions. We decided to exhibit his 450-piece collection here. We quickly restored this historic building. There are 450 works related to horses and equestrianism on display here. At the same time, the exhibition of photographs taken in the region of wild horses by photographer Zeynep Sezerman has become a complementary element to the overall structure of the museum. I grew up here. In the past, horses were a very important element in agriculture instead of tractors. The horse is an animal that suits the texture of the Cappadocia region and does not harm nature. Our friendship with horses continues both in tourism tours and within the region.”

Museum manager Ali Çuhadar said they are pleased with the interest shown by visitors.

Stating that those who come are people interested in horses, who want to listen to their stories and are curious about the collection pieces, Çuhadar said, “We see that horses, like us, have their own stories and we try to tell them. There are collection pieces gathered from all over the world here.”