Şanlıurfa City Museum: A 900-Year-Old Tower With 15 Galleries

The Şanlıurfa City Museum, in southeastern Türkiye, fills a tower that is about 900 years old and dates to the Crusader county period. The building now holds 15 galleries on the traditional life of the city, and it draws roughly 25,000 to 30,000 visitors a year, according to a museum official.

The Anadolu Agency spoke to art historian Hamdullah Közcü, who works at the museum. His account shows how an old military structure became a place where local people recognise their own past.

From city wall to Şanlıurfa City Museum

The building stands at the Beykapısı (Bey Gate) section of Şanlıurfa’s old city walls. In the late Ottoman period it became known by the name of the Mahmutoğlu family. The municipality describes it as a Crusader-era structure, and the Mahmutoğlu name is still used for it locally.

The tower then stood unused for a long time. Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality bought it in 2008 and restored it. It began serving as the city museum in 2014.

Közcü calls the building one of the finest examples of Anatolian military architecture. He says it was built on top of the Beykapısı walls. Later additions gave it the layout of a typical Urfa “hayatlı ev,” a traditional courtyard house. The sections include a selamlık (reception quarters for guests), a harem (the family’s private quarters), a camel shelter and a stable.

What visitors see inside the galleries

According to the source, the museum covers about 1,500 square metres. The first section gives a chronology of the communities that lived in Şanlıurfa and the city’s customs. Other galleries present a city model, historical documents, books and photographs.

The collection also includes traditional clothing, jewellery, musical instruments, kitchen tools and farming equipment. Some rooms recreate scenes of past daily life. Közcü says the displays also cover local dishes, handicrafts and old family life.

Why the museum feels personal to visitors

Közcü says many visitors become emotional because they grew up in similar houses. He describes the museum as “warmer” for that reason. Visitor İbrahim Demir told the agency that the museum shows how families used to live, and he recommended it to others.

The museum also has a wider setting. Şanlıurfa is a city of layered history, and it is often linked with the era of the Crusader states in the region. For readers who follow Turkish historical dramas, a visit like this offers real objects and spaces to set beside what a series presents on screen.

Sources differ on some small details, such as the museum’s exact floor area and earlier uses of the building. The figures here come from the museum official quoted by the agency.

Source: SonDakika (AA report), Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality
Featured image: SonDakika