Giresun Museum draws interest with its archaeological, ethnographic artifacts

Giresun Museum draws interest with its archaeological, ethnographic artifacts

GİRESUN
Giresun Museum draws interest with its archaeological, ethnographic artifacts

Displaying the region's archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, the Giresun Museum in the Black Sea province of Giresun takes its visitors on a journey to the past.

The museum has been hosting historical artifacts from numerous civilizations, from the Hittites to the Phrygians and from the Seljuks to the Ottomans, for approximately 37 years.

The museum, consisting almost entirely of artifacts from the Black Sea Region, has become one of the main attractions for tourists visiting the city in recent years due to its proximity to Giresun Castle and the historical Zeytinlik neighborhood.

Hulusi Güleç, director of Giresun Museum, told the state-run Anadolu Agency that the museum building was originally an Orthodox church built in the 1860s.

Güleç explained that the church was used as a prison for about 20 years following the Türkiye-Greece Population Exchange and noted that the building was opened as a museum in 1988.

Güleç stated that archaeological and ethnographic artifacts are displayed together in the museum, which is home to approximately 12,000 artifacts.

He mentioned that only about 2,000 of these artifacts are displayed, saying, "Space is limited; we can only use the area inside the church. Around 10,000 artifacts are preserved in our depots, and we periodically maintain them and rotate them with the displayed artifacts."

Artifacts dating back from the 3rd B.C. to the late Ottoman period are displayed in chronological order at the museum. Güleç said, "In addition to pottery, stone axes, spearheads and arrowheads from the Early Bronze Age, we display terracotta pots from the Roman period, coins from the Byzantine period, pendants, earrings, jewelry, ornaments and clothing from the Ottoman period."

Güleç also noted that artifacts uncovered during excavations on Giresun Island, a secondary natural and archaeological protected area, are displayed in the museum.

Stating that in the early years of the museum's operation, artifacts were brought from Sinop, Samsun and Tokat to expand the collection, Güleç noted that the number of these artifacts is around 2,000.

He also highlighted that both domestic and international tourists visiting the Black Sea Region tour the museum and that approximately 25,000 people visited the Giresun Museum last year, which is free to enter.