Güvercinada Castle, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List, has started to host Turkey’s first maritime trade history museum. The museum, whose establishment works were completed in cooperation with Kuşadası Municipality, Haluk Perk Museum and Haluk Perk Foundation, was opened to visitors.
Kuşadası, the flagship of Turkish tourism, which started to host history, archeology and culture enthusiasts with new cultural routes added to the city after Mayor Ömer Günel took office, has a new museum.
The ongoing work to establish Turkey’s first maritime trade history museum in the inner castle located in Güvercinada, which is the symbol of Kuşadası and one of the most frequently visited addresses by local and foreign tourists with both its location and view, has been completed. The Maritime Trade History Museum, planned in accordance with the historical background of Güvercinada Castle, has become the first and only thematic museum in its field.
Established with the protocol signed between Kuşadası Mayor Ömer Günel and collector Haluk Perk, the Maritime Trade History Museum exhibits a rich collection of historical artifacts including various objects related to maritime affairs, commercial goods used in the historical development of maritime trade, fishing equipment, coins, seals and tickets.
UNIQUE WORKS ARE ON EXHIBITION
The museum, which consists of 7 main sections as “Marine Life”, “Fishing”, “Commercial Goods”, “Amphoras”, “Hand Scales and Weights”, “Pocket Scales” and “Coins”, exhibits collections consisting of mostly unique artifacts from a wide historical period from the Roman period to the Ottoman period. Kuşadası Maritime Trade History Museum, which is the first in Turkey and one of the few thematic maritime trade history museums in the world, provides general culture as well as serving as a laboratory for researchers. The collection of hand scales and weights in the museum, where the artifacts are exhibited in the same showcase chronologically according to their subjects, has the distinction of being the richest hand scales and weights collection in the world.
IT CONSISTS OF 7 MAIN PARTS
In the section of the museum called “Marine Life”, fossils of oysters, starfish, sea urchins, fish figurines produced by humans, necklaces made of seashells and oysters, and weights are exhibited. The “Fishing” section, which reveals the historical development of fishing, includes fishing rods, harpoons, anchors, fishing net weights, and fish repair tools. The “Commercial goods” section displays daily-used containers found in maritime trade and on commercial shipwrecks, while the “Amphoras” section displays amphora stamp seals, stamped handles, and volumetric containers from other periods.
THE WORLD’S RICHEST HAND SCALE COLLECTION
The “Hand scales and weights” section, which plays an important role in weighing heavy commercial goods, includes examples used from the Roman Period to the present day. This section, which hosts one of the richest collections in the world, draws attention especially with the Roman period figured scale weights, which have a very high plastic art value. The “Pocket scales” section includes examples from a wide geography and period. The “Money and Coins” section, which is the third indispensable main element of commercial life, exhibits coins produced from precious metals in different periods. Source: https://kusadasi.bel.tr/
