Museum to tell Bursa’s 8,500-year-old history

BURSA - Anatolia News Agency

The new city museum will give large information about Bursa city, it’s history and its legendary monuments such as Bursa Clock Tower in the historic Tophane district, Bursa Castle, Mudanya distirct. Wikipedia commons

Officials in Bursa are looking to grow their northwestern city into a museum powerhouse with the planned construction of a massive city museum. The facility will be 20 times larger than the present city museum.

The new city museum will give large information about Bursa city, it’s history and its legendary monuments such as Bursa Clock Tower in the historic Tophane district (R), Bursa Castle (below L), Mudanya distirct.

Residents of Bursa, Turkey’s fourth largest city, will soon have the chance to explore their 8,500-year-old history with a new museum that will examine the area’s past in chronological order.

“We used to say that a book could be written on every street in [Bursa]. But we have seen as a result of some studies that an encyclopedia can be written on every street [in the city]. There are many hidden gems underground as well as ones above ground,” Bursa Mayor Recep Altepe told Anatolia news agency last week, noting that the city would now present its thousands of years of history to the world in museum form. “Bursa is a city of history and a city of civilization.”

The Bursa municipality plans to construct the Bursa Museum of City History, which will be 20 times larger than the Bursa City Museum.

“The Bursa Museum of City History will be built on the Uludağ University campus as a complex building. Visitors will go up in the elevator and descend, seeing all artifacts in a chronological order. It will start from the Bursa of 8,500 years ago, and all events will be told with all details through photos,” the mayor said. “Visitors to the museum will get information as if they are reading an encyclopedia about the city. It will be a very original museum.”

Altepe said preparations had started for the museum and that construction would begin soon. “While the museum is under construction, we will prepare the objects and photos. It will be a museum according to world standards. Visitors will see how the city was conquered, how the Grand Bazaar was established, how the first money was printed and more.”

Construction is set to last three years, Altepe said.

Micheletti Award to be presented in Bursa Altepe also said Bursa was a member of the European Museum Academy (EMA) due to the number of such facilities in the city. “EMA’s Turkey works are conducted from Bursa,” the mayor said, adding that the academy’s 2013 museum award would be presented in the city. “The main meeting of the academy was held in Bursa in 2010. This is a big chance for us. Maybe Bursa will get an award, too.”

The number of renovation projects now underway in the city exceeded 200, Altepe said, speaking about restorations in the city. Bursa had begun unearthing artwork from underground in addition to works found above ground.

“For example, Beyazıt Pasha Madrasah was [buried] under a building. We destroyed the building and revealed the madrasah. Also, Hançerli Madrasah was underground, too. We are now working on it. The palace of Bursa is underground – there is an officer’s club on top it. We will move it to another place and unearth the palace, too,” he said. “It’s not only in Bursa – we are also doing the same thing in Skopje and Kosovo.”