Amasya Museum

Museums of Amasya – A Journey Through Civilization, Culture, and Heritage

Nestled along the banks of the Yeşilırmak River, Amasya stands as one of Anatolia’s most remarkable cultural cities, bringing thousands of years of history to life through its rich collection of museums. From archaeology and ethnography to Ottoman princely culture, medical history, and legendary love stories, the museums of Amasya offer visitors a fascinating journey across the ages.

Amasya Archaeology Museum

Opened to visitors on 14 June 1980, the Amasya Archaeology Museum houses an extensive collection dating from the Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic Periods through the Bronze Age, Hittite, Urartian, Phrygian, Scythian, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine eras.

One of its most striking sections is dedicated to mummies from the Ilkhanid Period, belonging to statesmen who served as governors and emirs in Amasya. This unique display draws considerable attention from visitors.

Highlights of the Collection

• Window Panels with the Kayı Tribe Mark:
  The only known example of the Kayı tribe emblem identified within the borders of Amasya—and the only application of its kind on wooden window panels in the entire Ottoman realm. These panels were brought from the Amasya II Bayezid Mosque (1486) to the museum in 2000.
• Statue of Teshub, the Storm God:
  A bronze figurine representing Teshub, the chief deity of the Hittite pantheon, exhibited in a specially designed showcase between the Middle and Late Bronze Age displays.
• Sundial:
  A unique Ottoman-period artifact made of marble in the form of a pine cone with three bases.
• Amasya Apple Mosaic:
  Unearthed from a structure first built as a villa rustica in the Roman period and later converted into a chapel in the late 4th century CE. The mosaic demonstrates that the famous “Amasya Misket Apple” was already well-known 1,700 years ago.
• Aktarla Sarcophagus:
  A richly decorated sarcophagus reflecting the typical features of ancient funerary art. Its Greek inscription invokes blessings on respectful visitors and curses on those who approach with ill intent.

Museum of the Ottoman Princes (Şehzadeler Museum)

Amasya played a crucial role in Ottoman history, serving as a training ground for many future sultans. This museum brings that legacy to life through realistic statues, period clothing, and an interior richly decorated with Hatayi and Rumi motifs, original calligraphy, and exquisite examples of traditional carpet weaving.

Upper Floor – Princes Who Became Sultans

The seven statues on the upper level depict princes who once lived in Amasya and later ascended the Ottoman throne:
Yıldırım Bayezid, Çelebi Mehmed, Murad II, Mehmed the Conqueror, Bayezid II, Selim I (Yavuz), and Murad III.

Ground Floor – Princes Who Did Not Ascend the Throne

Five statues represent princes who spent their youth in Amasya but never became sultans, including Prince Mustafa, Prince Bayezid, Prince Ahmed, and Prince Alaeddin.

Miniature Amasya Museum

Located in the Imaret building of the II Bayezid Complex, this museum features a meticulously crafted 1/150 scale model of Amasya as it appeared in 1914. Created using a century-old photograph, the model goes beyond architecture—it portrays a living Amasya with its streets, houses, people, and daily life scenes.

Saraydüzü Military Barracks National Struggle Museum

Reconstructed on its original site along the Yeşilırmak River, the Saraydüzü Barracks is where Mustafa Kemal Pasha stayed during his June 1919 visit to Amasya and where the historic Amasya Circular was drafted.

Today, it serves both as a museum featuring documents and artifacts from the early Republican era and as a cultural venue hosting various events. The arrival of Mustafa Kemal Pasha and his meeting with local leaders at Culüstepe is dramatically reenacted with 12 wax figures.

Sabuncuoğlu Museum of Medical and Surgical History

The only surviving Ilkhanid-era structure in Amasya, this former hospital (Bimarhane) is famed for being the first institution in Anatolia known for using music therapy. The richly decorated façade includes a distinctive kneeling human relief on its keystone—unique to this building.

Inside, the museum showcases:

• Sabuncuoğlu Hall: Featuring surgical instruments and medical tools recreated from illustrations in Sabuncuoğlu Şerefeddin’s Cerrahiyyetü’l-Haniyye, the first surgical textbook written in Turkish.
• Sabuncuoğlu Clinic: Demonstrating period medical practices and treatment methods.
• Music Therapy Hall: Presenting traditional instruments and explanations of the musical modes once used in treatment.

Hazeranlar Mansion Ethnography Museum

Built in 1865 by Amasya’s treasurer Hasan Talat Efendi, this elegant mansion reflects the finest examples of late Ottoman civil architecture. Named after Hazeran Hanım, who resided here for many years, the building features a traditional layout with a central hall, two floors, and separate harem and selamlık sections.

The museum displays:

• 19th-century clothing
• Carpets, kilims, and household items
• Women’s jewelry and textile arts, including gold-thread embroidery and inscribed carpets

Today, the upper floors function as a museum house, while the basement hosts an art gallery.

Ferhat and Şirin Lovers’ Museum

Holding the distinction of being Turkey’s first and only Lovers’ Museum, this unique venue interprets legendary love stories such as Ferhat and Şirin, Leyla and Majnun, Kerem and Aslı, and Romeo and Juliet. The museum also highlights the teachings of spiritual figures such as Rumi and Hacı Bektaş Veli, emphasizing themes of love, devotion, and humanity.