MUSEUMS OF SIVAS
Sivas
Museum of Antiquities :
Sivas Museum of Antiquities was opened in 1934 in the
Gok Medrese. It was built in the Seljuk period. In 1967
the works were moved to the Buruciye Medrese and put on
exhibit.
Buruciye
Medrese was built in the time of the Seljuk Sultan Giyaseddin
Keyhusrev III. Muzaffer Barucirdi built it in 1271. The
Medrese is in typical Seljuk style with an open courtyard
and four exedras. The stone carved portal leads into a
domed exedra. Opposite to the domed exedra is the main
pointed barrel vaulted exedra. To the right and left are
the two secondary exedras. On two sides of the courtyard
are five arched colonnades each resting on four marble
columns. Leading off these colonnades are vaulted domed
rooms. They were originally those of the students. To
the left of the entrance exedra is the Tomb of Muzaffer
Barucirdi who built the Medrese. The rooms and exedra
of the Medrese contain archaeological and ethnographic
works from the region of Sivas.
The
first room contains examples of the famous silverware
of Sivas, including silver belts, bracelets, and ornaments,
copper objects from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods, and
objects from tekkes. There are also flint look pistols,
cigarette holders from Sivas, embroidered purses, coffee
services etc.
The
second room contains stone and ceramic archaeological
finds, glass objects, pieces of porcelain etc.
The
third contains ethnographic works, including socks, clothing,
embroidered jackets, shawls, bedspreads and harnesses.
The other cases in this room contain flint look pistols,
armor, bows and arrows, shields, maces etc.
In
the main and side exedras are exhibited sarcophagi, water
jars, gravestones and other works from the Roman, Byzantine,
Seljuk and Ottoman periods.
Sivas
September 4 Ataturk Museum :
After
the Erzurum Congress Ataturk came to Sivas on September
2, 1919. He stayed in Sivas Sultani (High School). On
September 4, 1919 the seven days Sivas Congress began
in the Sultani hall. The hall in which the Sivas Congress
was held, and the room where Ataturk studied and slept
during the Congress have been preserved in their original
state. They were turned into the September 4 Ataturk Museum.
At
the time of the Sivas Congress the two rooms to the left
of the entrance were used for security officials. The
two large rooms on this side were used as dining rooms
and the other rooms as pantry etc. On the upper floor
is the congress hall, beside which is Ataturk's bedroom,
and another room, which was used as a telegraph office.
The other rooms leading off the hall were those allocated
to Ataturk's colleagues.
The
Congress hall contains the desk at which Ataturk sat during
the Congress, his armchair and writing set, a platform,
the 22 benches marked with plaques and photographs indicating
where each member of the Congress sat, carpets and prayer
carpets presented by the people of Sivas at the time of
the Congress, three armchairs and a sofa, the telephone
used at the Congress, a large photograph of all its members
along with their names, comments written by Ataturk when
he returned to visit the congress building afterwards,
and documents concerning the Congress etc. Ataturk's bedroom
contains a bed, dinner services, furniture, documents
and pictures of the Congress and desks.
