Adana Archaeology Museum

The Adana Museum was established in 1924, shortly after the proclamation of the Republic, and is recognized as one of the ten oldest museums in Türkiye. Initially founded through the collection of column capitals and sarcophagi gathered in the Police Department, the museum was opened to visitors in 1928 at the Madrasa of Cafer Paşa Mosque (now demolished), located at the Taşköprü bridgehead, following the appointment and successful efforts of its director Halil Kamil Bey. In 1950, the museum was relocated to the Kuruköprü Monumental Museum, which had also served as an Ethnography Museum.

On 5 January 1972, the museum was reopened in a new building and served for many years. However, due to increasing needs in conservation, storage, and exhibition, a new museum facility became necessary. Consequently, it was decided to restore the historic Milli Mensucat Factory—one of the earliest industrial establishments of Adana—located in the Döşeme Neighborhood of Seyhan district, and to transform it into a museum complex. Construction works, initiated in 2013 within the scope of the Ministry’s investment program, led to the completion of the first phase of the Adana Museum Complex. The Archaeology Museum was arranged and opened to the public on 18 May 2017.

Today, the Adana Archaeology Museum presents the story of human life from prehistoric times to the present across eight exhibition halls, supported by informative panels, visuals, dioramas, and reconstructions. The displays include artifacts from the Prehistoric, Hittite, Assyrian, Archaic, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods. These consist of stone works such as statues, sarcophagi, steles, altars, and busts, as well as objects made of glass, terracotta, and bronze, including vessels, lamps, figurines, cylinder and stamp seals, jewelry, and various archaeological finds. Among the most notable pieces are the stone statue of the Hittite Storm God Tarhunda, the Anatolian Hieroglyphic Inscribed Stele, the Babylonian Stele, the bronze male statue recovered from the sea off Karataş, and the Roman-period Anthropoid Sarcophagus and Achilles Sarcophagus.

Founded in 1906 by Aristidi Kozma Simyonoğlu, the Milli Mensucat Factory is one of the most significant industrial establishments in Adana’s history. Originally opened in 1907 as the “Simyanoğlu Factory,” it was renamed “Milli Factory” in 1924. Following directives to revitalize idle industrial enterprises, the factory was acquired in 1927 by prominent businessmen Mustafa Özgür, Nuri Has, and Seyit Tekin, and renamed “Milli Mensucat.” The factory gained nationwide recognition for its “Aslan” branded yarn products. In 1944, Hacı Ömer Sabancı became a partner in the enterprise. Due to financial difficulties, the factory was transferred back to the state in 1978 and later resumed operations in 1983 under the name “Milsan Mensucat.”

Beyond its industrial function, the factory was also a pioneering social institution, offering its workers daily hot meals, housing facilities, and comprehensive healthcare services including a dispensary and a hospital. It also served as a source of inspiration for Turkish literature. The renowned novelist Orhan Kemal worked at the factory, and his well-known novel Bekçi Murtaza was inspired by his experiences there.

Today, the site functions as the Adana Museum Complex, hosting a wide cultural campus comprising the Archaeology, Mosaic, City, Agriculture, Industry, Literature, and Milli Mensucat museums. Within the complex, children’s workshops, a theatre space, and a conference hall are currently in active use, while other social facilities such as cafés and restaurants are planned to be developed and opened to the public in stages.