Adana Kuruköprü Monument Museum and Traditional Adana House

ADANA KURUKÖPRÜ MEMORIAL MUSEUM AND TRADITIONAL ADANA HOUSES

In order to exhibit the archaeological riches of the region, in 1924, it was decided to establish the Adana Museum of Antiquities and Halil Kamil Bey, known by the nickname “Alyanak”, was appointed for the Museum Directorate. For the museum building, Jafar Agha Madrasa that located near the stone bridge, was considered suitable for the first time. After the demolition of the structure, which could not be used after a period of service, it was moved to the Greek Church. In 1937, the director of the museum A. Riza Yalgan added a new section to the museum in order to explain the ethnography of Çukurova, as well as the “Adana Archaeological Museum”, it was named “Ethnography Museum”. Thus A.R.Yalgan established the first open-air museum in our country. The building served as a Museum until 1950, when it was converted into a store and a new Archaeology Museum opened in 1972 and most of objects moved to the new building. After restoration in 1983, it was used as the Ethnography Museum. As the restoration works began by Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2008, ethnographic objects were transferred to the Archeology Museum.

After the restoration was completed in 2015, it was opened as Adana Kuruköprü Memorial Museum and Traditional Adana House. Çukurova region with its fertile land and suitable geography is home of several civilizations. The imperial edict of Reorganization in 1839 provided rights to non- Muslim society to establish and manage schools, houses of worship. At this period, a good number of churches were built in Anatolian towns. Adana Rum (Greek) Church is one of the religious buildings of this period. Most of the churches in Adana and its environs, Greek Churches in İstanbul, most of the Ottoman Period churches in Anatolia were built in basilica plan with inner three naves. The church has a east-west oriented rectangular plan, with three inner nave. A sun-formed engraving (enlightenment) is on the triangular pediment of the entrance. The iron gate with two wings is divided into square and rectangular parts with central floral decorations. Between the gate and the great arch above, ogee-shaped motifs were used. The 9 lines of Greek inscription on the marble panel above the west gate states that it was built by Greek Society in the year of 1845.