Museum in N.Turkey draws attention with unique pieces

By Tugba Yardimci

TRABZON, Turkey (AA) - The private Silk Road Museum in Turkey’s Black Sea province Trabzon draws attention, with over 500 unique pieces from different eras and civilizations.

The museum was opened in 2014 by Trabzon Chamber Commerce of Industry (TTSO) in Ortahisar district.

Museum’s collections contain unique pieces, including rare, authentic Quran from the 18th century, a 500 years old book ‘ Durer’ written by Mullah Husrev, Mehmet II, the Conqueror’s primary teacher and mentor.

Though an average of 10,000 people visited the museum annually, last year, the number of visitors decreased to 2,500 because of the pandemic-related conditions and restrictions.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Suat Hacisalihoglu, chairman of TTSO, stressed that revealing the history and identity of Trabzon are the primary purposes of the museum.

“The museum contains extraordinary, distinguished pieces which highlight the different periods of Trabzon. However, two recently- found spearheads are of particular importance. They prove that the history of Trabzon dates back six millennia ago,” he said.

Reinstating that the museum is private, Hacisalihoglu stressed that pieces exhibited come as donations from citizens who would like to contribute to Trabzon’s cultural life and make their names remembered by future generations.

​​​​​​​*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk