Known as the "Topkapı Palace of Anatolia," Çorum Museum in northern Türkiye takes its visitors on an unforgettable journey through history with its collection of 15,000 artifacts.

Hosting artifacts from eight civilizations, Çorum Museum transports visitors back centuries. Originally built as a hospital in 1914 and later serving as a school, the building has a history of 110 years and is among Türkiye's architectural gems. Once a place where those seeking remedies for illnesses flocked, then witnessing the future dreams of students, the historic building was converted into a museum in 2003. While Çorum holds an important place in archaeology in Türkiye, historical artifacts found in archaeological excavation sites such as Hattusha, Şapinuva, Alacahöyük, Eskiyapar and Resuloğlu are exhibited in the museum.

Rare artifacts on display

Registered as a "culturally significant immovable property," Çorum Museum has renovated its showcases ahead of the tourism season. With the arrangement made in the museum where rare artifacts are exhibited, some pieces are being displayed for the first time.

Changes were made to the glass showcases on the museum's fourth floor, where gold artifacts from the classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Eastern Roman periods are displayed as part of the exhibition. While most of the 115 jewelry and decorative pieces made of gold and semi-precious stones found in the museum's storage were attained through confiscation, purchase and excavations, the artifacts consist of valuable examples of rich metalwork produced with impressive new ideas of the ancient period.

3,600-year-old Hittite seal

Among the rare artifacts in the museum is a 3,600-year-old bronze Hittite seal used in correspondence between the king and scribe during the Hittite period, which was seized by police teams when it was about to be smuggled abroad in a cream box. Also, there is a unique Hittite bracelet made of bronze, nickel, silver and gold, discovered by a farmer while plowing his field, which revealed an important example of Hittite jewelry art and is unmatched worldwide.

A 3,300-year-old bronze warrior helmet found in the archaeological excavations at the Şapinuva archaeological site in the Ortaköy district is priceless. After its discovery in 2002, the helmet, brought to the attention of the scientific world by the late Dr. Mustafa Süel, is unmatched worldwide. Due to the bronze war materials being taken as loot in battles and the bronze being melted again for use in other productions, very few have survived to the present day, and the crushed and damaged helmet, the only surviving example from the Hittite Empire period, is highly significant.

The helmet, presented as a gift to a "storm god" in mythology, is now on display in the museum.

Gold medal of Christ

One of the rare artifacts in the Çorum Museum is a gold medal found in an illegal excavation by treasure hunters, featuring a figure of Jesus Christ engraved on a ruby stone. Seized by gendarmerie teams just before being smuggled abroad, the medal was determined to be approximately 1,500 years old after examination and is displayed in a special showcase in the museum.

The Çorum Museum not only hosts valuable artifacts but also provides visitors with a unique experience through its building. Registered as a cultural heritage site, the museum follows a chronological flow extending back to the Chalcolithic Age.

Metin Çakar, the museum's director, mentioned that the Çorum Museum started its service as a hospital in 1914 and was transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2003 to serve as a museum. Çakar stated that Çorum has witnessed an 8,000-year-old history from the Chalcolithic period to the present day, with many artifacts from ancient and Hittite periods waiting for visitors.

Announcing their readiness to provide the best service to visitors in the 2024 tourism season, Çakar said: "We have made new arrangements in 10 showcases during the 2023-2024 season; we have added new artifacts to the showcases. In this context, when our visitors come to the Çorum museum, they will encounter many new, beautiful archaeological artifacts. We welcome all visitors to our museum."

Tourist favorite

University student Su Mina Susam, who visited the museum, stated that there are beautiful artifacts in the museum and said that it is a place everyone should visit. Susam expressed her admiration for the section displaying jewelry and accessories from the Roman period.

Another university student, Merve Beyza Uçan, described Çorum Museum as a large and beautiful place, saying: "I was curious with my friends. We came to visit. I liked many artifacts. I particularly enjoyed the section with swords, weapons and armor. I love visiting museums. I have visited more than 10 museums so far. Çorum Museum was an intriguing place for me. It definitely should be visited."

Zekeriya Musaoğlu stated that he came to Çorum for the first time and said: "The artifacts inside caught my attention from a technological perspective. People use such technology that you would be amazed. We call the period we live in the modern age, but the artifacts on display are not from this age."