Akhisar Museum

Akhisar Museum

Akhisar Museum is an archaeology and ethnography museum located in the city of Akhisar, Manisa Province, Turkey. Situated adjacent to the ancient city of Thyatira, the museum operates under the Manisa Museum Directorate and was opened to visitors in 2012. It serves as an important cultural institution showcasing the rich archaeological and ethnographic heritage of Akhisar and its surrounding region.

The museum is housed in a historic building originally constructed in 1932 as a hospital. Built by Ayşe Aloğlu in memory of her son Ali Şefik, who died at a young age due to illness, the structure was named Ali Şefik Hospital. Over the years, the building served multiple functions, including use as a middle school and later as a teachers’ residence. Following extensive restoration and adaptive reuse works, the building was converted into a museum, preserving its historical character while accommodating modern exhibition needs.

Museum Building and Layout

The museum complex consists of independent units set within a garden and includes the main exhibition building, an administrative building, and a storage facility. The single-story museum building follows a rectangular plan and offers approximately 650 square meters of indoor exhibition space. In addition, the museum garden features an open-air exhibition area of about 1,250 square meters, where stone artifacts and architectural elements are displayed.

The museum is organized into three main sections:

• Archaeology
• Ethnography
• Arasta (Traditional Crafts Section)

History of the Museum

Prior to the establishment of the Akhisar Museum, archaeological artifacts uncovered during excavations in and around Akhisar were stored in depots due to insufficient exhibition space at the Manisa Archaeological Museum. The continued excavations at Thyatira and nearby sites increased the need for a local museum. Akhisar’s strategic location along major tourism routes, such as İstanbul–İzmir and Bergama–Denizli, further emphasized this necessity.

In 2006, under the leadership of the Manisa Provincial General Assembly Culture and Tourism Commission, a decision was made to convert the former teachers’ residence into a museum. Restoration works began in 2007 but faced delays due to structural issues, project revisions, and the building’s location within a protected heritage area. After a lengthy six-year process, the restoration was completed at a cost of approximately ₺1.54 million. The museum opened to the public on 18 May 2012 and was officially inaugurated on 6 August 2012.

Collection

The museum’s collection was formed through donations, purchases, confiscations, and transfers from the Manisa Archaeological Museum. Artifacts unearthed during excavations at Thyatira and surrounding archaeological sites constitute the core of the collection. While more than 1,000 artifacts were initially exhibited at the time of opening, approximately 689 artifacts are currently on display.

Archaeology Section

The archaeology section presents a chronological display ranging from the Bronze Age to the Byzantine period, reflecting the region’s long and diverse history. Fossil samples dated between 18 and 11 million years ago, discovered in the coal mines of Soma, are also exhibited.

Notable artifacts include Chalcolithic marble idols and stone tools from the Kulaksızlar region, ceramics from the Yortan culture, and gold and silver objects from the Lydian period uncovered in tumulus excavations. Among the most significant pieces are Attic lekythoi from the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, a gold ram-shaped figurine dated to the early 5th century BCE, and the Gökçeler Relief, also known as the “Young Man Relief,” dating to the Archaic period.

Roman and Byzantine artifacts such as ceramics, glass vessels, unguentaria, metal objects, jewelry, ossuaries, inscriptions, terracotta figurines, and a wide range of coins from Thyatira—spanning from the Archaic period to the Ottoman era—are also displayed.

Ethnography Section

The ethnography section focuses on cultural life from the Seljuk, Ottoman, and early Republican periods. Exhibits include Ottoman and Seljuk coins, an 18th-century Quran, manuscripts, imperial edicts, and calligraphic ceramic tiles. Traditional men’s and women’s clothing, jewelry, carpets, kaftans, and Çanakkale ceramics illustrate local attire and craftsmanship.

Daily-life objects such as kitchenware, coffee-making tools, bathhouse items, glassware, hand-embroidered textiles, oil lamps, weapons, and lighting devices provide insight into historical lifestyles and social practices.

Arasta Section

The Arasta section highlights Akhisar’s traditional trades and crafts. Displays focus on tobacco cultivation, a key economic activity in the 19th and 20th centuries, featuring tools such as bale presses, threading needles, hoes, and spraying equipment. The section also showcases saddlery, tinsmithing, carriage-making, and felt production.

A special display dedicated to local feltmaker Orhan Patoğlu, titled “Keçeci Orhan”, presents felt garments, shepherd cloaks, and production tools, preserving the memory of traditional craftsmanship and guild culture in Akhisar.