Tunceli museum was built as a military barracks between 1935-1937. After being used as a military barracks building until 1949, it was transferred from the Ministry of National Defense to the Ministry of Finance. The building, which was renovated after its transfer to the Ministry of Finance, was used as civil servants’ residences from 1949 until the 1990s. It was a place where approximately 65 families lived until February 2015. The building, which was registered by the Erzurum Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Regional Board due to its Early Republican Period characteristics, was allocated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, to be used as the Tunceli Museum in 2015, following the prepared project and correspondence.
The Tunceli Museum building, whose restoration was completed in 2019, is built on an area of approximately 5,500 m², has a square form, and a closed area of 5,800 m². The north facade of the building is 3-storey, and the east, west and south facades are 2-storey. The 1,800 m² courtyard of the building, built in the German architectural style, is suitable for concerts, theater, speeches, etc. It is designed in a format in which events will be organized. Additionally, 20 stone works are exhibited in the courtyard.
There are showrooms, conference hall, library, exhibition hall, meeting room and warehouses in the square-shaped building. The exhibition halls consist of 5 sections. A total of 340 artifacts from the Paleolithic Period to the Turkish-Islamic Period, unearthed in this region, are exhibited in the archaeological display. A total of 158 coins from the Greek Period to the Ottoman Period are exhibited in the coin exhibition hall. The ethnographic work exhibition includes 195 ethnographic works belonging to the traditional life of the Tunceli region. In the Belief section, there are information panels about Alevism and displays representing Alevism rituals. In the Republic Period exhibition hall, various artifacts reflecting that period, from title deeds to headmen’s seals, are exhibited.
The works in the museum, which was opened in December 2020, cover the period from prehistoric times to the present day.
The building of Tunceli Museum was built as a Military Barracks building between 1935 and 1937 and was used for this purpose until 1949. Traces of the German-Austrian military architecture typical of those years can be seen in the building.
In the following years, while it was used as civil servants' residences by the Ministry of Finance, the museum was destroyed in this process. In 2015, with a sudden decision, the building was allocated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, to be used as the Tunceli Museum.
During the restoration works, which continued until 2019, a 1,800 square meter courtyard and a total of 5,800 square meters of indoor areas were overhauled.
Tunceli Museum draws attention especially with its sections where information and finds about Alevism are shared. Especially the part where a Sema ceremony is portrayed with wax statues is deeply impressive. The museum also exhibits findings from the Paleolithic period unearthed in the Tunceli region, coins from the Greek period to the Ottoman period, and artifacts belonging to the traditional life of the Tunceli region.
Tunceli Museum has 1,540 works in its inventory, but around 700 works are currently exhibited in the exhibition areas. It has a rich collection reflecting the modern understanding of museology.
You can enter this museum, which is really worth seeing in the center of the city, with a museum card. It is a very comprehensive place with 2 floors.
Visiting hours o8.30 19.30
It is also open on public holidays.
Tunceli museum collections have a selection of 6 sections:
1- Archeology and Coinage Section
2- Ethnography Section
3- Agriculture with Traditional Methods and Flora-Fauna Hall
4- Faith Culture Hall
5- Stone Works Hall
6- Early Republican Period Works Section
It is a museum where archaeological artifacts from Tunceli history and information about recent history are exhibited in written and visual form. Clean, well-groomed and attentive. There is a large area inside that explains the Alevi culture. The works in the independent exhibition were also very successful and worth seeing.
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