A Yörük Museum is Coming to Fethiye: A Workshop Was Held for the Museum to Be Built in Çalıca

The Fethiye Municipality has taken a new step to preserve the district’s deep-rooted Yörük culture and pass it on to future generations. At the Yörük Museum Workshop held at the municipality’s Culture House and Book Museum, the project for a Community Center and Yörük Museum—planned for the Çalıca area of the Karaçulha neighborhood—was discussed.

Held under the theme “We are here to carry the traces of the past into the future,” the workshop featured discussions on the museum’s content, the artifacts to be displayed, and the cultural experiences to be offered to visitors. The meeting also addressed the roadmap to be followed to keep Yörük culture alive.

Who attended the workshop?

Attendees included Fethiye Deputy Mayor Oğuz Bolelli, City Council Member Nuri Öztürk, Dr. Ceyhun İrgil—a former member of parliament from Bursa and a native of Fethiye—and İsmail Uzunoğlu, President of the Seydikemer Yörük and Turkmen Association, FETAV Director Dilek Dinçer, former Chair of the Ölüdeniz Municipality Culture and Arts Committee Ümit Yılmaz, founder and Vice President of the Fethiye Local Seeds Association Ebru Oğuzhan Yeter, and Fethiye Municipality Culture Director Halime Ok. Municipal officials, artists who keep Yörük culture alive, and writers conducting research in this field were also present at the meeting.

Bolelli: We will open the museum to the public soon

Deputy Mayor Oğuz Bolelli stated that they have taken steps to establish a Community Center and a Yörük Museum in the Çalıca region. Noting that the physical preparations for the project are largely complete, Bolelli explained that they wanted to hear the expectations and suggestions of association representatives who are deeply immersed in Yörük culture. Bolelli stated that they plan to develop a joint roadmap regarding how the museum will take shape, which artifacts will be displayed, and how these artifacts will be presented to visitors. He added that once the technical work is completed, the museum will be opened to the public in Fethiye shortly thereafter.

Preserving the Yörük Culture of the Teke Region

Culture Director Halime Ok, meanwhile, said that following the Culture House and Book Museum—described as Turkey’s first book museum—they would implement this project to preserve the Yörük culture of the Teke region, which holds an important place in Fethiye’s identity. Ok noted that as part of the preparations, they had visited Yörük museums in various regions to examine the work being done firsthand, and that they aimed to develop the project through collective input via the workshop.

Dr. Ceyhun İrgil, who brought the Culture House and Book Museum project to Fethiye, also touched on the history and importance of Yörük culture in his speech. İrgil emphasized that this culture is a legacy dating back to ancient times and shared his experiences regarding the museums he opened in Bursa with the participants.

You can find other culture and arts news from the district on our Culture and Arts page.