Museology movements in the province during the Ottoman period

The Ottoman Empire officially started museum activities since 1846. This movement actually started as a precaution against the predatory movements of the Western states. Later on, it gained a more institutional function and spread all over the country. First of all, Hagia Eirene Church was converted into a museum by Fethi Ahmet Pasha. In the continuation of this process, the Ottoman society began to become conscious of the ancient artifact. Ancient artifacts were sent from all parts of the country to the capital, Istanbul, to be preserved. The land of the country was so rich in ancient artifacts that the Hagia Irene Church soon became inadequate. For this reason, it was moved to the Tiled Kiosk, which is a larger area. Later, additional buildings were built here, creating spaces for both the exhibition and protection of the works. The only place in the country to initially send antiquities was the capital. However, both the inadequacy of the museum buildings and the economic conditions of the country made this situation difficult over time. Because the transfer of ancient artifacts to the capital was a very costly business. But despite all these problems, the artifacts had to be preserved. For this reason, museum structures began to form in the regions of the country called the provinces, except for the capital. In Konya, Bursa, Thessaloniki, Jerusalem, Sivas, Antalya, Ankara, Yanya and Bergama, a suitable part of the high school buildings began to be used and referred to as a museum branch, especially for the protection of ancient artifacts. While the concept of museology was being formed, assignments related to this field emerged. Individuals with the status of "honorary museum officer" began to be appointed both for the protection of ancient artifacts and for sending them to the area to be preserved. These people are generally chosen by the government from people who have gained credibility in this field. There is no requirement to have knowledge about education or museology. The main subject of the study is the movements related to museums and ancient artifacts in the period covering the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The documents in the Presidency Ottoman Archive were used as the main source. In addition to archival documents, current sources were also examined. Necessary inferences were made with the information obtained from current sources and archive documents. Keywords:Ottoman Empire, museum, country, antiquities