Erzurum Turkish-Islamic Arts and Ethnography Museum

Erzurum Islamic Arts and Ethnography Museum

Yakutiye Madrasa Turkish and Islamic Arts and Ethnography Museum is located in the city centre. According to the inscription on the crown gate of the madrasah, it was built by Cemallettin Hodja Yakut Gazani in 710 (1310 AD) on the behalf of Gazanhan and Bolugan Hatun during the reign of Sultan Olcayto, the ruler of Ilkhanians.

The building has a rectangular plan, three iwans that have a closed courtyard and a single floor. However, the building was built according to the custom which is schemed with four iwans. The entrance of building was designed as double floored. The south iwan of the madrasa was planned as a mosque and a marble foundation inscription was placed on both walls of this iwan. There is a tomb at the end of the east iwan. There are no graves in the shrine.

The most spectacular side of the madrasa is the west side, where the crown gate is located. In the corners of the western side are covered up to the balcony and the other minarets that collapsed up the pedestal are covered with a conical cone. The crown gate of madrasa is decorated with herbal, geometric, figurative and written belts. On both sides of the crown door, there is a sphere with openwork at the bottom leopard figures facing each other under the tree of life and the tree of life on both sides, and a double-headed eagle embossed panel at the top. The balance, which was established with the protruding crown gate of the madrasah and the minarets on both corners, was achieved by placing a cupola against the facade in the whole of the building.

Yakutiye Madrasah, which was built in the traditional Seljuk architectural style during the Ilkhanians Period, shows the importance that is given to art in the period when it was built with decorations on its frontage, cell doors, and tile decorations on the minaret.

The area around the madrasa has been used as a barracks until recently and has been surrounded by structure built later. Its surroundings were demolished between 1970s and 1980s so that the building was showed up with his new appearance and landscaping was made. The madrasa, which was repaired from 1984 to 1994, was opened to visitors as a Turkish - Islamic Arts and Ethnography Museum on 29th October of 1994, as an affiliated unit of the Erzurum Museum Directorate.

Ethnographic works such as women's jewellery and clothes, men's jewellery and accessories, belts, copper artifacts, weapons, seals, and coins, which carry the cultural and artistic characteristics of the region from the past to the present, are exhibited in harmony with the monumental structure within the Yakutiye Madrasah.