Hasankeyf Museum

The Hasankeyf Museum is located in the new settlement area of Hasankeyf district in Batman, near the banks of the Tigris River. It was established to preserve and display artifacts recovered through archaeological rescue excavations carried out in areas that would be submerged by the Ilısu Dam reservoir. Designed as a regional museum, it houses findings from Batman, Mardin, Diyarbakır and Siirt provinces. The archaeopark area presents the region’s multi-layered history to both local and international visitors through open-air displays and reconstructions.

History

Construction of the Hasankeyf Museum building began in 2012, with provisional acceptance granted in 2015 and final acceptance in 2019.

In 2017, under the “Third National Culture Council Action Plan,” a decision was made to establish a museum in Hasankeyf as part of the initiative to create new museums in regions with high cultural heritage potential. The “Hasankeyf Museum Directorate” was officially established on 10 May 2019, and its founding director was appointed on 25 December 2019.

The museum initially operated as a unit under the Batman Museum. The ground floor exhibition hall opened on 29 September 2018. The majority of the upper floor exhibitions were completed in 2019. As part of the Ilısu Dam and HES Project, the museum assumed the role of a regional museum and now houses one of Türkiye’s most comprehensive collections from rescue excavations.

Architecture and Physical Structure

The Hasankeyf Museum was designed with a contemporary architectural approach that harmonizes with Hasankeyf’s historical fabric. The complex includes entrance structures, a stage and open-air theater, a greenhouse, a park, repair buildings, and a cultural park area.

Spread over a total area of 102,668.11 m², the museum has approximately 4,000 m² of enclosed space. Inside, there are 14 separate exhibition halls, planned according to chronological and thematic arrangements. The complex also includes a conference hall, a children’s education workshop, a museum shop, a library, administrative units, a restoration workshop, and a laboratory.

Collection and Exhibition Layout

The museum’s collection consists of artifacts recovered from various archaeological projects in the region, primarily from rescue excavations conducted within the Ilısu Dam impact zone. Artifacts transferred from museums in Batman, Diyarbakır, Siirt and Mardin, as well as items acquired through purchase and donation, form part of the collection.

Prehistoric and Ancient Periods

• Paleolithic Period: Obsidian and flint tools recovered from surface surveys in the Tigris Valley and Raman Mountain.
• Neolithic Period: Stone and bone artifacts from settlements including Körtik Tepe, Demirköy, Hakemi Use, Karavelyan, Grikihaciyan, Salat Tepe, Kenan Tepe, Gusir Höyük, Hasankeyf Höyük, Hallan Çemi, and Sumaki Höyük.
• Chalcolithic Period: Fired clay artifacts from Başur Höyük in Siirt.
• Early Bronze Age: Fired clay and metal artifacts from Başur Höyük.
• Middle and Late Bronze Age: Fired clay and metal finds from Gre Amer Höyük, Salat Tepe, Müslüman Tepe, and Gre Cano Höyük.

Iron Age and Later

• Middle and Late Assyrian Period: Fired clay and stone artifacts from Gre Cano, Kavuşan, Ziyarettepe, Üçtepe Höyük, Zeviya Tivilki, and Kuriki Höyük.
• Iron Ages: Bone, fired clay and metal artifacts from Gre Amer, Çemi Alo Höyük, Salat Tepe, Müslüman Tepe, Kavuşan, Ziyarettepe, and Üçtepe Höyük.
• Persian and Hellenistic Period: Bone, fired clay and glass artifacts from Gre Amer, Çemi Alo, Kuriki Höyük, Kavuşan Höyük, and Müslüman Tepe.
• Roman Period: Fired clay artifacts from Benuva Şengi, Ilısu Höyük, Zuraki Zeri Höyük, Çattepe Höyük, Salat Tepe, Sumaki Höyük, and Kuriki Höyük.

Medieval and Later Periods

• Islamic Medieval Periods: Stone, metal, glass and ceramic artifacts from the Umayyad, Abbasid, Hamdanid, Marwanid, Artuqid, Ayyubid and Akkoyunlu periods.
• Ottoman and Republican Period: Ethnographic artifacts, architectural elements and coins reflecting daily life during these eras.

Special Sections and Reconstructions

The museum presents a chronological exhibition supported by reconstructions and dioramas of different historical periods. The Neolithic village reconstruction, featuring period-appropriate clothing, settlement models and wax figures, gives visitors the impression of living in those times.

One of the museum’s most notable sections is the Al-Jazari Science Center, which displays inventions by Al-Jazari, who lived between 1136 and 1206 and was a pioneer in cybernetics. This section introduces visitors to the scientific and technological heritage of the medieval Islamic world.

Archaeopark Area

Within the museum grounds, the Archaeopark features some of the monumental artifacts relocated due to the Ilısu Dam project, as well as full-scale replicas of them. Structures represented here include the Zeynel Bey Türbesi, the minaret of Er Rızk Camii, the minaret of Süleyman Han Camii, the mihrab of the Yamaç Külliyesi, the door and mihrab of the Koç Camisi, the Orta Kapı, and the Kızlar Camisi.

Significance and Function

The Hasankeyf Museum serves as a center for documenting and preserving the entire archaeological heritage of the Tigris Basin, not just Hasankeyf. With a collection of over 4,000 artifacts, it presents the region’s historical continuity. It combines both archaeological and ethnographic museum characteristics. Utilizing modern museology techniques, interactive systems and education-focused exhibition concepts, it stands as one of the focal points of cultural tourism in the region.